In August 2009, Taiwan was hit by typhoon Morocat. In my class at JIS this gave us a great chance to look at the environment and people involved as it ties in to our social studies unit.
When Morocat hit, Taiwan had the worst typhoon in fifty years. When Morocat hit, Taiwan had over two metres of rain! When Morocat hit, buildings, including the hotel shown to the left, were destroyed. All this is because of the environment and the people who live in it.
When Taiwan was flooded, the water rushed extremely fast, which is what destroyed towns and buildings. If Jakarta was flooded, however, the water level would slowly rise. This is because Jakarta is flat and the water would just build up. But Taiwan is mountainous and when the water hits the top of a mountain, and rushes downhill, the water comes with tremendous force.
In the case of the above hotel, the water dug into the earth below the hotel until it fell over.
Another natural disaster caused by Morocat were mudslides. The mountains around Taiwan are covered with a layer of dirt. When the rain falls, this dirt slides downward and creates a mudslide.
Both natural incidents above killed many people, which wouldn't have happened if people didn't live in Taiwan. This shows how people and the environment work together.
