Which of the following is an example of a natural hazard?

Natural hazards are events that occur in nature and can cause destruction or harm to life and property. Floods, hurricanes, and earthquakes are all prime examples of natural hazards as they result from natural processes of the Earth and can lead to significant damage and loss of life. Each of these events arises from environmental conditions—floods from excessive rain or melting snow, hurricanes from atmospheric conditions over warm ocean waters, and earthquakes from tectonic shifts in the Earth’s crust.

In contrast, the other options consist of events that are typically human-made or result from specific technical systems. A chemical spill, for instance, is primarily an industrial hazard and is linked to human activities rather than natural occurrences. Technical failures involve malfunctions in machinery or man-made systems. Additionally, a power outage, while potentially disruptive and dangerous, stems from human infrastructure issues rather than natural phenomena. Understanding these distinctions helps in emergency preparedness and response planning.