Case Studies Flashcards
When did the Nepal Earthquake occur?
25th April 2015
What was the magnitude of the Nepal Earthquake?
7.8 on the Richter scale
What was the depth of the earthquake?
15 km
Where was the epicentre of the earthquake located?
Just outside the capital of Kathmandu
What caused the Nepal Earthquake?
Release of pressure at the Indian/Eurasian destructive plate boundary
How many people were killed immediately in the earthquake?
8632 people
How many people were injured in the earthquake?
14,500 people
How many climbers were killed at Mt Everest base camp?
18 climbers
How many classrooms were damaged in the earthquake?
45,000 classrooms
How many people were killed by landslides?
2500 people
How many homes were destroyed in the earthquake?
600,000 homes
What percentage of shops were lost due to the earthquake?
50%
How many schools were destroyed in the earthquake?
7000 schools
How many people were made homeless as a secondary effect?
2.8 million people
How long will it take to recover financially from the earthquake?
A decade
How many children will be denied access to education due to the earthquake?
1.1 million children
What secondary effect slowed down the responses?
A series of aftershocks
What was the total cost of rebuilding after the earthquake?
$6.6 billion
What was one of the short-term responses to the earthquake?
People dug with their bare hands to try and find loved ones
How much did the UK public donate for disaster relief?
£41 million
How many temporary learning centres were installed?
15,000 temporary learning centres
How many people did Oxfam provide clean water to?
Over 400,000 people
How much money did the Asian Development Bank give for rebuilding?
$200 million
What program did Oxfam run to help people earn as they rebuilt their homes?
Cash for work programme
When did Hurricane Sandy make landfall in the USA?
Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the USA on 29th October 2012.
What was the status of Hurricane Sandy when it made landfall?
When it made landfall, Sandy had been downgraded to a tropical storm.
What areas were most affected by Hurricane Sandy?
New Jersey and New York were the worst impacted regions.
How many states were impacted by Hurricane Sandy?
Hurricane Sandy impacted a total of 24 states.
What unusual weather pattern affected Hurricane Sandy’s path?
Blocking high pressure over Greenland prevented Sandy’s movement over the Atlantic.
What were the primary effects of Hurricane Sandy?
The primary effects included widespread flooding, 111 fatalities, and significant property damage.
How much damage was caused by Hurricane Sandy?
$60 billion in damage was done.
What was the worst rainfall event associated with Hurricane Sandy?
Hurricane Sandy brought the worst rainfall in a century.
How many homes were damaged or destroyed due to Hurricane Sandy?
600,000 homes were either damaged or destroyed.
What secondary effects did Hurricane Sandy have on New York businesses?
$18 billion in financial losses were incurred from the closure of New York businesses.
What happened to New York’s airports during Hurricane Sandy?
All three of New York’s airports were immediately closed.
What impact did Hurricane Sandy have on the New York marathon?
The New York marathon had to be cancelled, resulting in a loss of tourism revenue.
What happened to the stock exchange during Hurricane Sandy?
The stock exchange closed for 2 days for the first time since 9/11.
What was one of the consequences of fuel shortages during Hurricane Sandy?
Fuel shortages led to long queues at petrol stations.
What happened to the East Coast oil refinery during Hurricane Sandy?
The East Coast oil refinery was destroyed, restricting USA oil production.
How did Hurricane Sandy affect political campaigns?
Both Barack Obama and Mitt Romney had to stop election campaigns for 3 days due to the disaster.
What were some of the social impacts of Hurricane Sandy?
Lack of power followed by snow and cold weather led to people freezing and a rise in crime in unoccupied buildings.
What was the peak number of power outages during Superstorm Sandy?
Over 8.5 million
How many people were reported without power during Superstorm Sandy?
Over 1 million
What was the estimated damage caused by Superstorm Sandy?
Estimated at $20 billion
What was the maximum size of Superstorm Sandy?
1,600 km across
What was the highest storm surge recorded in New York during Sandy?
4.23 meters
What was the most rainfall recorded during Superstorm Sandy?
31.88 cm in Easton, Maryland
What was the most snow recorded during Superstorm Sandy?
71 cm in Redhouse, Maryland
What was the evacuation zone size during Superstorm Sandy?
640 km of coastline
How many flights were cancelled due to Superstorm Sandy?
Over 18,100
How many people did the Red Cross shelter during Superstorm Sandy?
11,000 people
What state of emergency was declared during Superstorm Sandy?
President Obama declared a state of emergency in New York and New Jersey
How much federal money was allowed to be spent on repairing damage from Sandy?
$50 billion
What organization supplied $3.5 million in medical supplies during Sandy?
Americare (NGO)
What long-term planning was implemented after Superstorm Sandy?
Planning for future events due to the rising threat of climate change
What new measures were enforced for coastal properties after Sandy?
New, stricter building codes
What was one of the criticisms of the Red Cross’s response during Sandy?
Criticized for focusing on publicity
What type of system was investigated for New York’s electricity supply post-Sandy?
A micro-grid system
What assistance was provided for survivors who lost their uninsured homes?
Rental assistance fund
What was Typhoon Haiyan classified as?
Typhoon Haiyan was a ‘super typhoon’ category 5 storm.
When did Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines?
Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines on 8th November 2013.
What was the wind speed of Typhoon Haiyan?
The wind speed exceeded 195 miles per hour.
How many people were killed by Typhoon Haiyan?
Roughly 6500 people were killed.
What percentage of Tacloban was destroyed?
90% of the city of Tacloban was destroyed.
How many people were displaced due to Typhoon Haiyan?
Over 600,000 people were displaced.
What happened to the Tacloban airport terminal?
The Tacloban airport terminal was severely damaged.
How many fishing boats were destroyed?
30,000 fishing boats were destroyed.
What was the rainfall amount during Typhoon Haiyan?
400mm of rain fell, causing widespread flooding.
How many people were affected by Typhoon Haiyan?
14 million people were affected.
What was one of the secondary effects of Typhoon Haiyan?
6 million people lost their source of income.
What caused aid to be cut off from isolated communities?
Flooding caused landslides and blocked roads.
How long did some areas go without electricity?
Some areas had no electricity for over a month.
What type of services were disrupted within the Philippines?
Ferry services and flights were disrupted.
What was one of the short-term responses to Typhoon Haiyan?
US aircraft carrier George Washington conducted a search and rescue mission.
How many evacuation centres were set up?
1200 evacuation centres were set up for the homeless.
What type of programmes were established as a long-term response?
‘Cash for work’ programmes were set up.
What did aid agencies like Oxfam support?
Aid agencies supported the replacement of fishing boats.
What type of shelters have been built in coastal areas?
Cyclone shelters have been built in coastal areas.
What has been rebuilt as part of the long-term response?
The rebuilding of roads, bridges, airport facilities, schools, and homes.
What geological feature is Eyjafjallajokull located on?
Eyjafjallajokull is located on the mid-Atlantic ridge where the North American and Eurasian plates move apart at a rate of 2.5 cm/yr.
What caused the eruption of Eyjafjallajokull in 2010?
The constructive boundary led to magma rising to the surface at the Eyjafjallajokull volcano, resulting in an eruption.
What was the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) of the Eyjafjallajokull eruption?
The eruption had a VEI of 4, making it far more violent than normally expected from an Icelandic volcano.
When did the Eyjafjallajokull eruption occur?
The eruption occurred from 14th to 20th April 2010.
What was the impact of the ash cloud on flights?
The ash cloud led to the closure of airspace, resulting in 95,000 cancelled flights during a 6-day closure period.
What was the estimated financial loss for the airline industry due to the eruption?
The airline industry faced losses of £1.1 billion.
How many people were evacuated in Iceland during the eruption?
700 people were evacuated, including 500 farmers.
What assistance was provided to evacuees in Iceland?
The evacuees were cared for by 60 Red Cross volunteers.
What measures were taken for trapped passengers at Schiphol airport?
The Dutch Red Cross set up 1,500 beds for trapped passengers.
What changes were proposed for European airspace management after the eruption?
27 national airspaces of the EU were to be replaced with 9 functional airspace blocks (FABs) to simplify control.
What physical damage occurred due to the eruption?
Flooding from the melt of a 150m thick ice cap destroyed part of Iceland’s Route 1 road.
How many farms were destroyed due to the eruption’s effects?
20 farms were totally destroyed by a combination of flooding or ash.
What environmental impact did the eruption have on the atmosphere?
The eruption emitted 250 million cubic meters of ash and tephra into the atmosphere.
What was the impact of the ash on local water supplies?
The ash led to fluoride being put into local water supplies, preventing farmers from allowing their livestock to drink from it.
How did the eruption affect Kenya’s economy?
Kenya’s economy struggled as perishable food and flowers could not be sold, leaving 50,000 farmers temporarily unemployed.
What was the daily release of CO2 into the atmosphere during the eruption?
30,000 tonnes of CO2 were released into the atmosphere each day.
What was the rainfall amount in Alberta by May 2016?
Only 1.6 inches of rain had fallen by May, which is 60% of the normal amount.
What temperature extremes were recorded in Alberta during the fire?
Temperatures reached as high as 32°C in parts of Alberta.
What wind speed contributed to the fire’s spread?
Strong winds of 45 mph helped dry the ground and fan the flames.
When did the fires first start in the area?
Fires first started in the area on May 1.
When did the fires reach Fort McMurray?
The fires reached Fort McMurray on May 3.
What is the widely thought cause of the fire’s start?
The exact cause is unknown but is widely thought to be human induced.
How many residents were evacuated from Fort McMurray?
90,000 residents were evacuated from Fort McMurray.
What happened to oil operations during the fire?
Oil operations were shut down and over 8,000 oil industry workers were evacuated.
What assistance was provided to families made homeless?
The government gave $500-$1250 per dependent to families made homeless.
What was the total damage cost of the fire in Fort McMurray?
$9 billion in damage was done to Fort McMurray.
How many homes and buildings were burnt down?
2,400 homes and buildings were burnt down.
What ecological impact did the fire have?
Ecological damage was huge with peat burnt, species lost, and a resetting of the ecosystem.
How much oil production was lost during the wildfire?
1 million barrels of oil per day were not produced during the wildfire.
What was the financial impact of the oil production loss?
This cost Alberta $70 million per day and led to a global rise in oil prices.
What was the Alberta wildfire’s significance in Canadian history?
The Alberta wildfire became the costliest disaster in the history of Canada.
How many personnel and equipment were employed to fight the fire?
1,110 personnel, 145 helicopters, 138 pieces of heavy equipment, and 22 air tankers were employed.
How much did the Red Cross donate to help those affected?
$319 million was donated by the Red Cross to help those affected.
What recommendation was made regarding forest assessment?
The assessment of the forest led to a recommendation to remove 800 Ha as a fire precaution.
What was the hottest temperature recorded in Penrith on 4 January 2020?
41.9°C
Penrith, a Sydney suburb, was the hottest place on earth that day.
What was significant about the year 2019 for Australia?
2019 was Australia’s hottest year on record, 1.5°C above the long-term 1961-1990 average.
How much lower was the rainfall in 2019 compared to the average?
Rainfall was 40% lower than the average recorded from 1900 to 2019.
What climatic phenomenon contributed to the bushfires in Australia?
An unusually strong positive Indian Ocean dipole led to higher-than-average rainfall and floods in eastern Africa and droughts in south-east Asia and Australia.
When did the 2019-20 Australian bushfire season start and end?
It started in September 2019 and lasted until March 2020.
How long did the bushfire season last?
Just over 240 days.
Which countries sent firefighters to help Australia during the bushfires?
The US, Canada, and New Zealand.
What roles did Australia’s police, military, and navy play during the bushfires?
They were involved in rescue and evacuation efforts, along with thousands of volunteers.
What methods did firefighters use to combat the bushfires?
They sprayed water and fire retardant from planes, helicopters, and the ground.
What was the primary focus of authorities during the bushfires?
Stopping the spread of the fire rather than putting it out completely, prioritizing saving lives.
How many countries offered assistance during the bushfires?
70 countries.
How many people have been killed due to the bushfires?
33 people.
How many houses were lost across various states due to the bushfires?
A total of 3,094 houses.
What is the estimated number of animals lost in the bushfires?
An estimated 1 billion animals.
What impact did the fires have on rare or threatened species?
The fires significantly impacted many rare or threatened animals, plants, and insects, with some losses feared to be permanent.
What percentage of the entire koala population perished in the bushfires?
One third of the entire koala population.
Which states were the worst affected by the bushfires?
New South Wales and Victoria.
How many hectares were burnt in New South Wales due to the fires?
5.3 million hectares (6.7% of the State), including 2.7 million hectares in national parks (37% of the State’s national park estate).
What damage occurred to World Heritage Areas due to the bushfires?
Damage occurred to areas including the Blue Mountains and the Gondwana rainforests in New South Wales and Queensland.
What was the air quality level in Sydney in December due to the smoke?
Air quality measured 11 times the ‘hazardous’ level.
What funding did Prime Minister Scott Morrison promise for firefighting efforts?
Better funding for firefighting and an additional A$2bn (£1bn) for recovery.
What criticism did the national government face regarding climate change?
It came under strong criticism from opponents for not doing enough against climate change.
