Case Study - Hurricane Sandy Flashcards
when did Hurricane Sandy hit?
October 2012
what was the strength of the storm?
a category 1/2 hurricane, but with significant kinetic energy and potential for severe storm surges
where did Sandy form? what path did it take?
Hurricane Sandy formed in the Caribbean and traveled up the East Coast of the USA.
What were the social impacts in Haiti?
- 75 dead
- refugee camps built after the 2010 earthquake were flooded or destroyed.
- food shortages across the country
what were the economic impacts in Haiti?
Crops were wiped out by the storm - damage estimated at $750 million
Many fishing boats were damaged which harmed economic activity
what were the environmental impacts in Haiti?
- a resurgence of Cholera killed another 44 people and infected around 5000.
70% of streets in Port Au Prince were flooded, “the whole south of the island was underwater”
what were the political impacts in Haiti?
the 2010 earthquake had left the legacy of an ineffective and ill-equipped government which could not properly deal with the disaster.
There is evidence that some NGO’s abused their role and hindered the recovery.
what were the social impacts in the USA?
55 people were directly killed
- Over 4.8 million people were left without power
- Schools closed for more than a week
what were the economic impacts in the USA?
the cost of recovery in New York and surrounding areas was estimated at $75 billion (second costliest ever)
- More than 20,000 flights were cancelled
what were the environmental impacts of the disaster in the USAr?
in a waterway between New York and New Jersey a tanker spilled over 300,000 gallons of diesel. This could have a serious effect on the salt marshes in the area.
Water supplies were contaminated
what were the political impacts of the disaster in the USA?
Obama was praised for his response to the disaster in stark contrast to George Bush’s bumbled handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Money was promptly made available for the reconstruction of the area.
what was the national and local response in Haiti?
the country immediately declared a state of emergency and requested aid from all over the world
what was the international response afforded to Haiti?
The UN World Food Programme sent supplies to the island.
CAFOD is training specialist engineers to rebuild permanent housing that can withstand earthquakes and tropical storms.
what was the local response in the USA?
In preparation for the Hurricane, transport systems in New York and surrounding areas were shut down.
The government mapped the highest risk areas and started evacuations.
Mayor Bloomberg activated the hurricane shelter system in New York.
what was the national response to the disaster?
a $52 billion bill was signed to help those states affected to return to a normal state of affairs.
- a live telethon featuring Sting and John Bon Jovi raised £23 million.
- The Red Cross released social media tools to keep people informed during the storm.
