environmental hazards

Question 1

what is the location of a tropical storm?

Answer 1

Tropical storms are severe depressions (low pressure system) in which wind speeds reach between 60km/hr and 200 km/hr. When tropical storms reach 120 km/hr they are called hurricanes.
There are local names for hurricanes in different parts of the world:
 America = hurricanes
 Indian Ocean & Australia = cyclones
 South East Asia = typhoons

Question 2

what temperatures are needed for a tropical storm?

Answer 2

Tropical storms are found over oceans within 30 degrees of the equator where sea temperature is over 27 degrees. They start on the eastern side of oceans and move westwards, before drying out over land.

Question 3

what is the cause of a tropical storm?

Answer 3

 Warm seas which have a surface temperature of 27°C or more,
 Warm water to a depth of at least 60 metres.
 Damp moist air with a relative humidity of 60% or more.
 Low air pressure, with the air beginning to rise.

Question 4

what was hurricane Katrina?

Answer 4

Hurricane Katrina was one of the strongest storms to hit the coast of the United States in the last 100 years. With strong winds of 125 mph (a strong category 3 hurricane on the Saffir- Simpson scale), Katrina caused widespread devastation along the central Gulf Coast states of the US. Cities such as New Orleans, Louisiana, Mobile, Alabama, and Gulfport, Mississippi felt the brunt of Katrina’s force. Katrina attaining ‘major hurricane’ status on the afternoon of the 26th. Katrina hit the Gulf Coast on the morning of the 29th of August.

Question 5

what was the impact of hurricane Katrina on the landscape and people?

Answer 5

 Death toll was approximately 1835
 New Orleans was flooded this caused water to become contaminated.
 Many people left stranded on top of houses waiting to be rescued
 Levees broke due to damage
 Many people were made homeless
 Power lines, bridges and roads were damaged
 Huge numbers of people were stuck in traffic jams due to evacuation orders

Question 6

what short term aid was used in hurricane Katrina?

Answer 6

 Shelter for the homeless as many were staying in the Superdome
 Food as the area was running out very quickly
 Fresh water due to the water becoming contaminated
 Medical aid for the people who were injured
 Evacuation for people in New Orleans
 Draining the city of the water

Question 7

what short term aid was used in hurricane Katrina?

Answer 7

 Rebuilding the levees to avoid similar floods happening again
 Improved flood prevention measures put in place
 Rebuilding homes but some people have never returned to their homes.
 Building up New Orleans tourist industry again therefore creating jobs and money.

Question 8

how do you predict a tropical storm?

Answer 8

Hurricane speed and direction are difficult to predict. Forecasters often issue hurricane warnings for a large area. Forecasters use the following to help them predict and issue warnings:
 Weather stations on land and at sea.
 Radiosonde balloons which are sent into the hurricane.
 Radar is used to find out where rain is falling and its intensity.
 Satellites which take photographs of the hurricane to track it.
 Specially designed aircraft which fly into the hurricanes and take measurements.
 Computers in the National Hurricane Centre in Miami, USA process all this data and predict the hurricanes speed and strength over 24/48 hours.