all hazard case studies Flashcards
what is an example of an HIC volcanic eruption
eyjafjallajokull in iceland
when did the eyjafjallajokull eruption start
20th march 2010
what plate margins does eyjafjallajokull sit on
the divergent north american and eurasian plates which pulls apart
what sort of lava was produced out the eyjafjallajokull eruption
andesitic, meaning lava was not very runny and there was huge gas explosions
what was the major concern for people living in valleys
the possibility of flooding due to magma melting the eyjafjallajokull glacier
what economic impacts resulted from the eyjafjallajokull eruption
-closure of the airport due to extreme amounts of gas in the atmosphere meant airlines lost $130 million per day in revenue
-countries such as kenya were hit hard by the delay of trade
-magma destroyed crop land
what social impacts resulted from the eyjafjallajokull eruption
-1000 people had to be evacuated
-ash in the air caused major health problems
-homes were destroyed
what environmental impacts resulted from the eyjafjallajokull eruption
-ash landed in the north atlantic ocean and let to a phytoplankton bloom
-the result of cancelled flights reduced 2.8 million tonnes of co2
-destroyed land
how did people in iceland prepare for the eyjafjallajokull eruption
-seiismic activity had become more frequent over the months beforehand,
-animals were fed for a few days in advance
-Funding was made available to ensure embankments were enlarged and reinforced to mitigate the effects of flooding on the Markarfljót River
-grass was allowed to grow to trap ash particles
how did people respond to the eyjfjallajokull eruption
-engineers broke through embankments to save the bridge over the markarflijor river
-evacuation
-icelandic people received compensation
how did people benefit from the eruption in iceland
many people now visit iceland as a tourist destination, for example a museum opened up for tourists to visit, since the eruption it has had over 250,000 visits
what is an example of an NEE volcanic eruption
mount nyiragongo in the democratic republic of congo
which city was affected by the congo eruption
Goma
what is the population of Goma
460,000
what sort of plate boundary is mt nyriagongo on
a divergent plate
what sort of lava erupted from mt nyiragongo
basaltic lava, meaning the lava was very runny and fast
what primary social impacts resulted from mount nyiragongo eruption
-147 people killed
-400,000 evacuated
-exposure to carbon monoxide caused health problems and further death
-12,500 homes destroyed
what primary economic impacts resulted from mount nyiragongo eruption
-damage to businessses
-30% of Goma city destroyed
when did the eruption of mount nyiragongo occur
17th january 2002
what primary environmental impacts resulted from mount nyiragongo eruption
- Lava also destroyed large areas of agriculture and Goma’s commercial district, crippling the economy
-co2 was released into the atmosphere
why was Goma impacted more than Iceland
they are a much less developed country, with many of the population lacking an education. thus means they did not know what to do in the event of an eruption. the democratic republic of congo had also been in a civil war previous to the eruption so there was a lack of help from thr government
what were the secondary social impacts resulted from the mount nyiragongo eruption
-350,000 people fled over the border to Rwanda as they were made homeless
-the eruption was followed by several earthquakes measuring 5 on the richter scale
-diseases such as cholera spread to camps
what % of the population became unemployed due to the mount nyiragongo eruption
95%
what secondary economic impacts resulted from the mount nyiragongo eruption
-looting of stores
-goma became dependant on foreign aid
-90% economy unemployed
how did people respond to the mount nyiragongo eruption
- the usa provided $50,000 and 3 sesiographs for future
-children were provided education on what to do for future situations
where did hurricane katrina hit
new orleans, louisiana
what river runs through new orleans
the river mississipi
what is the GDP in new orleans
$37000, compared to the USA average of $57,000
what are the literacy rates in new orleans
85% compared to the usa average of 94.8%
what is the family/marital status like in new orleans
there is a larger than average single parent familys and family size. with less family support children are more at risk
what was past experiences like in new orleans
there had been no major floods since 1927 so people belived they were safe
why does the topography of new orleans put people at risk
new orleans has a bowl like shaped topography, 50% of the city lies below sea level. new orleans also lies adjacent to the gulf of mexico which is very warm located at a perfect latitude.
what magnitude was hurricane katrina
CAT 5 but CAT 3 as it passed over new orleans
how fast were winds in hurricane katrina
280km/h
how high was the storm surge after hurricane katrina
8.5m
what is social mobility
the link between a persons occupation and income, and the occupation or income of their parents
what is ls social mobility like in new orleans
its very bad, for many people if you are born into a low income family you tend to stay like that as there is not many oppurtunities for people
how many homes were destroyed
850,000
how many people died as a result of hurricane katrina
1836
1500 due to being trapped in homes
3 as a result of poor conditions in the superdome stadium
many others due to other secondary impacts
primary impacts of hurricane katrina
-850,000 homes destroyed
-1836 deaths
-destruction of busiensses
-1 million people made homelesss
swcondary impacts of hurricane katrina
-3 million people left without electricity
-sewage and oil contaminated drinking water
-law and order broke down with widespread looting for supplies
-deaths in superdome due to poor conditions
-failing of the government led to a lack of faith in FEMA
what are two contrasting areas in new orleans
gentilly and uptown
gentilly vs uptown
there is huge racial segregation within new orleans, uptown is situated much further away from the coast then gentilly and is higher upland where there was no flooding, uptown is 73% caucasian whereas gentilly is 78% african american. house prices are much higher in uptown which forces many low income african americans to purchase homes in gentilly where they are at risk. therse homes are generally one story high compared to two storys in uptown. households in gentilly were let down by the government as they were provided no help in evacuating, they are also too poor to afford cards which meant barely any could leave. households in gentilly felt betrayed by the government as they were given no support. insurance for people living in gentill is also too expensive so after the hazard they found it very hard to regain a normal lifestyle.
why were people from gentilly shot by people from uptown
people from gentilly were desperate and poor so went to uptown to loot supplies, but home owners and neighbours shot people caught trespassing
what short term responses were there after hurricane katrina
-evacuation to the superdome stadium
-national guard sent 7000 active troops
what long term responses were there after huricane katrina
- 220 miles of floodwalls
-the red cross propvided emdical help for 600,000 people
-fema had over 20,000 houses cleared
