case studies Flashcards
where was the epicentre of the Haiti earthquake?
close to Port-au-prince, Haiti’s capital
when was the Haiti earthquake?
January 12th 2010 at around 16:53 local time
was the 2010 Haiti earthquake a shallow or deep earthquake?
the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth. this made the shock waves worse as they had less distance to travel
what was the magnitude of the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
7.0 on the Richter scale
how many people were affected by the 2010 Haiti earthquake
3 million people
how many people died in the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
250,000 people died
how many people were injured in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
300,000 people were injured
how many people were made homeless in the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
1.5 million people were made homeless
how many homes were destroyed in the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
more than 180,000 homes were destroyed
what happened to the universities in the 2010 Haiti earthquake
all 3 universities collapsed
what important buildings were destroyed in the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
many of Haiti’s hospitals and schools were destroyed or damaged. The airport control tower and the port were badly damaged as well as 1 prison collapsed, allowing 4000 inmates to escape
percentage of the population living in poverty when the 2010 Haiti earthquake occurred compared to Japan in 2011?
80% of the population of Haiti lived in poverty at the time of the earthquake, in Japan in 2011 only 15.7% of the population lived in poverty
secondary affects of the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
-Cholera spread through the squatter camps where people who lost their homes in the earthquake were living
-factories closed and tourism stopped- this caused significant economic losses
-looting and crime increased
-2 million people were left without food and water
-regular power cuts occurred
What hindered aid reaching people after the 2010 Haiti earthquake?
the port and airport control tower were both badly damaged, this made it hard for ships or planes carrying aid/aid workers to land and drop off the aid
literacy rate in Haiti 2010?
53%
GDP per capita in Haiti 2010?
$1300, one of the lowest in the world
what environmental factors make Haiti vulnerable?
Haiti is located along a destructive plate boundary, making it vulnerable to earthquakes. It is in the Caribbean hurricane belt- both of these make it vulnerable to a major disaster, often occurring so soon after the last that Haiti does not have time to recover
is there any long term planning for earthquakes in developing countries?
very little, Haiti was extremely unprepared
what did Haiti rely on?
international aid
was the response to the 2010 haiti earthquake badly managed?
lack of immediate aid as a result of poor planning and management meant that people had to try and rescue each other
how many shelters provided after the 2010 haiti earthquake?
115,000 tents and over 1 million tarpaulin shelters were provided
how much money given by eu and usa after the haiti 2010 earthquake?
$100 million in aid provided by the usa and $330 million by the eu
how many people were placed in aid camps after the haiti 2010 earthquake?
810,000 people
how many people were still without houses as a result of the 2010 haiti earthquake one year later?
1 million
what is good about the new houses built after the 2010 haiti earthquake?
they are better made and more likely to better survive future earthquakes
how many people were provided with food rations in the weeks following the 2010 haiti earthquake?
4.3 million
how much of the rubble on the roads was not quickly cleared after the 2010 haiti earthquake?
98% of the rubble was not quickly cleared from the roads. this hampered rescue operations
why was Haiti unprepared?
Haiti had few seismologists and no seismic network in the country.
what category tropical storm was Hurricane katrina?
category 5
how much did it cost to repair the damages caused by hurricane Katrina?
$125 billion
what speed winds did hurricane Katrina sustain
175 mph
where did the hurricane begin and how?
the hurricane began as a low pressure system over the Atlantic ocean which strengthened as it moved west
where did hurricane Katrina make landfall?
Florida and Louisiana, particularly New Orleans and the surrounding area
what date did Hurricane Katrina first make landfall?
25th August in the gulf of Mexico
what date did Hurricane Katrina make landfall in Louisiana
29th August 2005
how high were the storm surges that affected New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina?
over 6 metres
why was New Orleans one of the areas worst affected by Hurricane Katrina?
New Orleans lies below sea level and is protected by levees. However, the levees were unable to cope with the storm surge, and water flooded the city.
how much money was provided by the Bush administration for repairs?
$105 billion
why did many people not evacuate New Orleans?
many people wanted to stay in order to protect their property, however many of the people who stayed were those who could not afford to leave or had no way to actually leave the city
what building was set up as a shelter for those unable to evacuate New Orleans?
the superdrome stadium
what were the conditions like in the superdrome/ the city during hurricane Katrina?
unhygienic and there were food shortages
how many people drowned in the floods caused by Hurricane Katrina?
1,200
what were some impacts of Hurricane Katrina?
-looting occurred
-tensions rose as people felt unsafe- especially due to the looting
-1 million people were made homeless
what happened as a result of oil facilities being damaged by hurricane Katrina?
petrol prices rose in the USA and UK
how much of New Orleans was flooded as a result of hurricane Katrina?
80%
how many facilities experienced oil spills as a result of hurricane Katrina?
44
how much oil was leaked as a result of Hurricane Katrina
7 million US gallons
what happened to most of the transportation and communication networks servicing New Orleans?
they were damaged or disabled by the flooding
why was New Orleans quite unprepared for hurricane Katrina?
The storm changed track suddenly. It was not meant to hit New Orleans as badly as it did and as a result the city had little time to prepare and evacuate the city
what did hurricane Katrina cause, particularly in hardwood forests?
massive tree loss along the gulf coast
why was the US government harshly criticised for its handling of the disaster and devastation caused by hurricane Katrina?
despite many people being evacuated, it was a slow process. The poorest and most vulnerable were also left behind
who provided aid after hurricane Katrina?
the US government provided $50 billion in aid and in the early stages of recovery, the UK government sent food aid. The national guard was also mobilised to restore law and order in New Orleans
what flaws lead to a significant loss of life in New Orleans as a result of hurricane Katrina?
flaws in flood engineering protection
how many people were evacuated from the states of Mississippi and Louisiana before hurricane Katrina struck?
1.7 million people were evacuated from the states of Mississippi and Louisiana before the storm struck
what percentage of the population was forced to stay in New Orleans when hurricane Katrina struck?
20-30% of inhabitants were forced to stay in New Orleans and most of these people were the poorest who could not afford to evacuate.
how many buses were requested for evacuation in New Orleans and how many actually showed up?
Louisiana’s National Guard asked for more than 700 buses to evacuate people, however, only 100 buses were sent. States of emergency were declared in Mississippi and Louisiana.
how many people were rescued by the coast guard in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina struck
More than 35,000 people were rescued by the coastguard in New Orleans.
what were some long term responses to Hurricane Katrina?
-The waters that flooded New Orleans were pumped into Lake Pontchartrain. This took over a month.
-The US Congress (government) allocated $62bn to be spent in aid helping feed and re-house the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
-The US federal and state governments have spent $20 billion rebuilding New Orleans’ flood defence systems, with levees, gates, pumps and floodwalls.
when did the Tokyo Earthquake happen?
11th March 2011
what magnitude was the Tokyo earthquake?
9.0 on the richter scale
where did the Tokyo earthquake happen?
70 km from the coast of Sendai bay
what was special about the 2011 Japan earthquake and Tsunami?
it was the costliest natural disaster in history, the earthquake was also the most powerful recorded earthquake in Japan’s history
is Japan a developed or developing country?
developed
what was Japan’s GDP at the time of the 2011 earthquake and Tsunami
$4.97 trillion
how many people died as a result of the 2011 Japan earthquake?
700
what was the cost of the 2011 Japan earthquake and Tsunami?
$235 billion USD
how many homes/buildings were damaged by the 2011 Japan earthquake?
1000
how many homes/buildings were destroyed by the 2011 Japan earthquake?
30
how were nuclear power stations affected by the 2011 Japan earthquake?
2 nuclear power stations suffered fractures causing their shut down and loss of power
what were some impacts of the Japan earthquake?
-an oil refinery was set on fire due to damaged gas pipes
-roads and railways were badly damaged
-the Fujinuma dam failed and collapsed after the earthquake washing away 5 houses and killing at least 4 people
-minor liquefaction of the ground caused by shaking which lead to the damage of roads and infrastructure
what was the biggest secondary impact of the 2011 Japan earthquake?
A huge Tsunami with waves up to 40 metres high devastated the eastern coast of Japan following the earthquake
how many people died as a result of the Japan Tsunami?
15,900 people died
how many people went missing as a result of the 2011 Japan Tsunami?
2600 people went missing
how many people were injured due to the 2011 Japan tsunami?
6150 people were left injured as a result of the tsunami
how many people were left homeless as a result of the Japan Tsunami
450,000
how many buildings were destroyed as a result of the 2011 Japan Tsunami?
120,000
how were power plants affected by the 2011 Japan earthquake?
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant was very badly damaged. The plant suffered nuclear meltdowns and explosions, which caused radioactive contamination to the area and mass evacuation. 4 years later people were still unable to return to the area surrounding the power plant
what were some short term responses to the 2011 Japan earthquake and Tsunami?
- Tsunami warnings were issued in Japan 3 minutes after the earthquake
-modelling and forecasting technology allowed scientists to predict where the tsunami would hit after the earthquake
who was dispatched to help with search and rescue operations after the Tsunami hit and how quickly?
within hours of the tsunami hitting the coast rescue workers and around 100,000 members of the Japan self defence force were dispatched to help with the search and rescue operations
what did much of the search and rescue teams after the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami focus on?
recovering bodies washing up on shore following the tsunami
who did Japan receive aid from after the tsunami and earthquake?
Japan received help from the US military and international search and rescue teams were sent from New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, China and India
what happened to the hundreds of thousands who had lost their homes as a result of the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami?
people were evacuated or used temporary shelters set up in schools or other public buildings. Many people were quickly put into temporary accommodation or relocated to other areas
what measures were taken in regards to people who were evacuated from the area around the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant?
they had their radiation levels checked and health monitored to ensure they had not received dangerous exposure to the radiation. Many evacuees were also given iodine tablets to prevent radiation poisoning
what is some long term planning/management that Japan has in place to protect them against future earthquakes?
- regular earthquake drills in schools and workplaces
-emergency services are specially trained in earthquake response methods
-government funding and policies for future earthquake hazards
how has Japan prepared for future earthquakes?
- Buildings are designed to be earthquake proof, built to withstand huge tremors, e.g deep foundations, strong and flexible frames, gas immediately shuts off to stop gas leaks and fires
What percentage of buildings in Tokyo are built to be earthquake proof?
87%
