Catalog Search Results
Language
English
Description
Generated deep underground or beneath the seabed, earthquakes have the power to change the face of the landscape, sometimes forever. This program describes how earthquakes work, using expert testimony and compelling graphics to show how they go on to cause such widespread death and destruction. It shows where they are most likely to occur, as well as explaining why it is impossible to predict, or forecast, precisely when they will strike. Four particularly...
Language
English
Description
Caused by earthquakes deep beneath the seabed or by landslides crashing down into the sea from a cliff or mountain, tsunamis have been wreaking havoc for millennia. Most of them occur along what is known as the Ring of Fire, a 30,000 mile-long arc of seismic activity encircling the Pacific Ocean. The tsunami that resulted in one of the world's greatest-ever natural disasters, took place in the Indian Ocean. On 26 December 2004, a massive undersea...
Language
English
Description
This film explores the world's most destructive avalanches, from Hannibal's 218 BCE crossing of the Alps and thee use of avalanches as weapons in World War I to deadly avalanches of the late 20th Century. Viewers will learn what conditions create avalanches, how rescue efforts proceed after and avalanche, and finally, safety tips for avoiding and responding to avalanches.
Language
English
Description
A volcano is one of nature's most devastating and unpredictable forces. Once it starts to erupt there is no power on earth which can stop it. Spewing great choking clouds of ash and smoke miles into the atmosphere, a violently erupting volcano can reshape the landscape. It can also kill hundreds (if not thousands of people) as deadly torrents of molten rock and superheated gas cascade down the side, overwhelming and destroying everything in their...
Language
English
Description
This program examines some of the more notable earthquakes to have struck America, including one of the world's best known disasters, the great San Francisco earthquake of 1906. Everyone knows that San Francisco could be hit by yet another even-more-devastating earthquake at any time. But no one knows when. Los Angeles (San Francisco's west coast neighbour) is also constantly at risk, as are any number of smaller communities in the region. The reason...
Language
English
Description
Cyclones, also known as hurricanes, are said to take more lives in the Tropics than any other kind of natural disaster. In mid-November 1970, a massive cyclone swept in off the Bay of Bengal. It tore into the poverty-stricken country of Bangladesh (then known as East Pakistan) causing death and destruction on an unprecedented scale. Twenty-one years later, in April 1991, Bangladesh was hit by yet another great cyclone. Bangladesh is hit by at least...
Language
English
Description
Sweeping in from the sea, these violent weather systems can travel thousands of miles, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake. Vast areas of the landscape are swamped with tidal surges of up to 20 feet high, deluged with torrential rain, and battered by ferocious winds, often exceeding 100 miles an hour. Buildings are flattened and trees uprooted, while boats, cars and other vehicles are thrown around like a child's toys. Some of the...
Language
English
Description
Few places on the planet are immune to wildfires as part of natural forest life cycles. This program explores the phenomenon, from the outbreaks that hit Australia, California, and Southern Europe each summer, to the fires that devour the humid rainforests of the Amazon and Indonesia, causing havoc and creating environmental disaster. Witness fire fighters facing extreme danger, battling mighty walls of flame, and the techniques they use to extinguish...
10) Extreme Weather
Language
English
Description
Weather is uncontrollable. Over time we have learned to live with storms, heat waves, droughts, and prolonged periods of extreme cold. As this documentary explains, they are all examples of extreme or unusual weather-nature at its deadliest and most destructive. In March 1993, the US Eastern Seaboard was hit with a massive snow storm that became known as the Storm of the Century. Two years later, Chicago was caught up in a five-day nightmare of heat...
Language
English
Description
In this episode, host John Watt tackles the titans of Mother Nature: the earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes that have shaped the very bedrock of New Zealand. Through a series of intelligent interviews, explosive field testing, and gritty archival footage, viewers will see what science is doing to demystify Earth's biggest natural phenomena. A part of Ever Wondered? (Series 1).
Language
English
Description
Digital technology has made us smarter, faster, and more efficient. It has become the driving force of our economy-but at what cost? It's time to ask some tough questions about America's high-tech sector. This CNBC program does so by bringing together a panel of leaders and visionaries from the business community as well as academia and government, including Jay Adelson, former CEO of Digg, Inc.; Vivek Kundra, former U.S. Chief Information Officer;...
Language
English
Description
Earthquakes have the power to reduce towns to rubble, are unpredictable and unstoppable, and can also result in landslides and avalanches. The worst earthquake in 500 years occurred on 28 July 1976 when the Chinese city of Tangshan was destroyed, killing an estimated 250,000 people. This program looks at some of the world's deadliest seismic events, ranging from Peru to Nicaragua and from Guatemala to India. Footage shows not only the effect of the...
Language
English
Description
Tornadoes are one of nature's deadliest forces, unmatched in fury, speed and destructive power. Over the centuries, tornadoes have wrought destruction on a huge scale and cost a great many lives. This program takes a look at some of the most devastating twister storms to hit the planet in the last 100 years. From the world's worst twister (which struck Daultipur in Bangladesh in 1989), to the most expensive tornado in history (the 1999 Oklahoma Tornado...
15) Chernobyl's Cafe
Language
English
Description
Thirty years after the famous nuclear reactor explosion, Chernobyl is once more showing signs of life. As the fears of older generations are replaced by the fascination of the new, Chernobyl is emerging as a popular tourist destination, and local industry is on the rise. But with radiation levels still dangerously high, questions remain over whether the region can ever truly recover.
Language
English
Description
Use this resource to exemplify the effects of a geo-hazard. This film first sets out Haiti's historical context to explain why the impacts were so devastating. Then, using footage filmed straight after the 2010 earthquake and in the three years following, the resource explores the primary and secondary impacts of the quake. The program then looks at a range of short and long term responses, including projects aimed at reducing the outbreak of cholera,...