Dust storms can take down trees, bury equipment and cause damage to houses. In the final years of the Dust Bowl, farm animals were found dead in the fields and people started suffering from “dust pneumonia” [source: WGBH].
While the loss of human life during dust storms is relatively small when compared to other natural disasters, long-term health concerns have cropped up recently. This is primarily due to the increased number of storms originating from areas of desertification.
For instance, the damage due to dust storms in China averages at about $6.5 billion per year [source: Ford ]. A single major earthquake can do damage to the tune of five times that figure.
Dust storms are dangerous because it is impossible to fight them, you can only hide from them. Environmental problems lead to the fact that this dangerous natural phenomenon occurs more often, and sometimes where it did not happen before. Such a natural phenomenon as a dust storm is really dangerous.
You should be wondering “What is the economic impact of dust storms?”
Another answer was the pollution-laden dust can be carried over hundreds of miles, affecting millions of people who might not necessarily suffer from the acute events of the storm. The immediate economic impact of dust storms is significant, but it doesn’t rival major natural disasters that destroy entire cities.
Are dust storms natural disasters?
Dust storms can be a very dangerous natural disaster. Explain some of the effects the dust storm had on the camp and its workers.
Dust storms happen in many places around the world. Most of the world’s dust storms occur over the Middle East and North Africa. However, they can also happen anywhere in the United States. In the U. S, dust storms are most common in the Southwest, where they peak in the springtime. On any given day, dust storms kick up a lot of dust into our air.
May cause coughing and spread dust. A dust storm, also called a sandstorm, is a meteorological phenomenon common in arid and semi-arid regions.
A common question we ran across in our research was “What are sand and dust storms?”.
Here is what my research found. sand and dust storms (SDS) are wind erosion events typically associated with dryland regions, although they can occur in most environments and their impacts are frequently experienced outside drylands because desert dust haze often is transported great distances.
You should be thinking “What is the difference between a sandstorm and duststorm?”
A sandstorm can transport and carry large volumes of sand unexpectedly. Dust storms can carry large amounts of dust, with the leading edge being composed of a wall of thick dust as much as 1.6 km (0.99 mi) high.
How long do dust storms last?
Although dust storms may end after just a few minutes, dust can hang in the air and cause problems for days or even months afterward. Dust storms — and their lingering effects — can be hazardous for several reasons: A dust storm’s initial wall of dust and debris can arrive suddenly and can catch people by surprise.
My answer is dust Storms are very common in the areas near to the desert region. Well, it is common to have dust storm but sometimes these dust storms are so huge that they reach nearby cities and causes mass destruction. Often termed as sandstorm, dust storms are small and medium dust particles flowing with the air at a speed of approximately 97 km/hr.
How common are dust storms in the Middle East?
At the time of publication, it represented the best available science. Although common during the summer, dust storms are relatively rare during the winter in the Middle East. Yet on February 21, 2008, dust plumes blew over Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, and off the coasts of Yemen and Oman.
Why is there so much dust in the atmosphere?
This is primarily due to the increased number of storms originating from areas of desertification. The dust in these storms has been shown to contain pollutants and toxins, such as salt, sulfur, heavy metals, pesticides and carbon monoxide to name a few [sources: United Nations, Stewart ].