English with Jo

Natural Disasters

This is the preparation material for an English Conversation Lesson about Natural Disasters.  Listen to an audio discusson about one person's experience of a hurricane; learn phrasalverbs relating to weather and disasters and discover the most common questions that people may ask each other about this important subject.

Audio Discussion 

Download Hurricane Audio

Transcript of Hurricane Audio

* Audio courtesy of elllo.org. 

Natural Disasters and Phrasal Verbs

• Blow away - When the wind moves something from a place
• Fall down – To fall to the ground
• Blow over – Become less strong and then ended
• Tear off – To remove with force
• Flood out – To leave a home or place because of a flood.
• Pour down – Rained heavily

Last year, I experienced a very strong hurricane. The winds were ferocious; the roofs of houses were torn off, trees fell down and cars were blown away.  It poured down with rain and we were completely flooded out.  Finally, after three days, it all blew over.

Conversation questions about natural disasters

• What did you think is the worst natural disaster?
• Which one are you most afraid of?
• Have you ever experienced a natural disaster?
• Which natural disaster causes the most damage?
• Which natural disaster kills the most number of people?
• Why do you think poor people are more affected by natural disasters?
• Are there any common natural disasters in your country?
• Do you think there are more natural disasters than there used to be?
• Why do you think there are so many movies about natural disasters?
• Do you know someone who has been affected by a tsunami?
• Is there an early warning system for tsunamis in the area you live?
• How do you know that a tsunami is going to hit soon?
• What would you do if you knew a tsunami was coming?
• What are some problems that occur after a tsunami has hit?
• Why do people continue to live in tsunami areas?
• Have you ever experienced an earthquake?
• What preparations should you make before the earthquake hits?
• What kind of injuries are caused by earthquakes?
• What frightens people most after an earthquake?
• Where is the best place to go during an earthquake?