5.4 Tropical Revolving Storm Case Study

Question 1

Outline Hurricane Katrina USA (date, characteristics, etc)

Answer 1

1st developed - 23 August 2005

Category 5
Wind speed - 280km/h
Central Pa - 902mb
Storm surge - 10m high
5th most intense Atlantic basin

Hit Mississippi & Louisiana coasts

Question 2

Outline the impacts of Hurricane Katrina

Answer 2

1. Louisiana Superdrome with supplies - 150,000 ppl for 3 days
2. Power/H2O supplies broken - 5 mil no power
3. > 1mil became refugees
4. 80% New Orleans deluged by floodwater
5. > 180,000 killed
6. Economic damage $200bn

Question 3

Outline the Short-term responses for Hurricane Katrina

Answer 3

‘Search and rescue’ New Orleans - 33,500/60,000 saved by Coast Guards
Infrastructures for food, water & med care

Question 4

Outline the long term response for Hurricane Katrina

Answer 4

US Senate - bill assigned - $10.5bn aid
Buildings rebuilt & repairs of levees to prevent future breaching
FEMA - >700,000 housing & hotel costs 12,000 people
President Bush criticised for being slow

Question 5

Outline Cyclone Nargis (date, location, characteristics)

Answer 5

Formed 27 April 2008

From Bay of Bengal to Burma (Myanmar)

Category 3-4
Wind speed - 215km/h
600M rainfall

Question 6

Outline the impacts of Cyclone Nargis

Answer 6

5 coastal regions declared disaster zones
84,000 dead
54,000 missing
5 mil homeless (95% all homes destroyed in Irrawaddy delta)
600,000 ha lost (60% farming implements lost)
Damage cost - $10bn

Question 7

Outline the short term responses to Cyclone Nargis

Answer 7

‘Search & rescue’ by locals
Foreign governments took days to help - ‘fear of invasion’ (Burmese military)
Physical difficulties - roads flooded
Remote communities fended for themselves

Question 8

Outline the long term responses to Cyclone Nargis

Answer 8

Very slow & piecemeal
Government overwhelmed by task scale - local community help themselves