Cyclones - Impacts, preparation, case studies

Question 1

What are the main hazards caused by tropical cyclones?

Answer 1

• High winds
• Intense rainfall
• storm surges
• coastal flooding
• landslides

Question 2

What are the physical hazards of tropical cyclones - impacts on humans?

Answer 2

coastal flooding - people can drown
- can carry debris (injure)
- contaminated water (disease)
winds - can carry debris (injure)
- can damage infrastructure
landslides - can block roads

Question 3

What are the impacts of cyclones on the environment?

Answer 3

winds - trees can be uprooted
storm surges - erode coastal habitats
flooding - pollute freshwater with saltwater
- can cause chemical spills

Question 4

why are some countries more physically vulnerable?

Answer 4

• low lying coastlines (flooding)
• areas in cyclone path (frequent)
• steep hillsides (landslides)

Question 5

why are some countries more economically vulnerable?

Answer 5

• people depend on agriculture (loss of livelihood)
• no insurance to cover cost of damage
• richer countries, infrastructure is expensive

Question 6

why are some countries more socially vulnerable?

Answer 6

• poorer quality of buildings
• poor healthcare
• hard to rescue people
• ageing population of very young (evacuation)

Question 7

Wht are different strategies to prepare for hurricanes?

Answer 7

• prediction (weather forecasting, satellite technology, computer models) giving time to evacuate
• evacuation plans and emergency service preparation
• defences to prevent damage

Question 8

Hurricane Harvey - environmental impacts.

Answer 8

• 30,000 gallons of crude oil spilled into Gulf of Mexico
• spike in west nile virus (mosquitos living by stagnant water)
• alligators found all over Houston

Question 9

Typhoone Haiyaan - environmental impacts

Answer 9

• 7m high waves (5m storm surges)
• 71,000ha of farmland ruined
• 28,000ha of tropical mangrove lost

Question 10

Hurricane Harvey - social impacts

Answer 10

• 107 deaths, caused by flooding
• 1,000 homes destroyed, 17,000 major damage
• 30,000 people displaced

Question 11

Typhoon Haiyaan - social impacts

Answer 11

• 7,000 people killed
• 6m displaced, 1.9 million left homeless
• government devastated (lots of people made unemployed)

Question 12

Hurricane Harvey - economic impacts

Answer 12

• $125billlion in damage
• oil refineries closed, 12% drop in oil production
• cotton harvest in texas damaged
  US insurance companies, bill of $10bn

Question 13

Typhoon Haiyaan - economic impacts

Answer 13

• $5.8billion in damage
• 6 million workers lost income
• rice corn, sugar production destroyed
• airport flooded (planes couldnt land)
  lost 30,000 boats (fishing communities)

Question 14

Hurricane Harvey - response

Answer 14

• charity response (American RedCross)
• commercial planes used to evacuate and bring in supplies
• local companies provided meals for volunteers and victims
• singapore shared helicopters, Israel sent $1m, mexio sent volunteers rescuers
• federal government sent $15bn, for flood insurance low interest rebuilding loans

Question 15

Typhoon Haiyaan - response

Answer 15

• 2 days warning
• 75,000 evacuated
• emergency aid from charities (repairing fishing boats, distributing rice seeds)
• £480m raised by global UN appeal
• UK provided portable toilets, hygiene supplies, psychological first aid