GESCI 201 Natural Disasters Exam 4

Question 1

A cyclonic storm that occurs in the ocean.

Answer 1

Hurricane

Question 2

From warm water(81 degrees F or greater) and as the warm water evaporates the thermal energy is converted into kinetic energy which gets the spinning going

Answer 2

Where do hurricanes get their energy?

Question 3

June thru November (usually late summer because water has had several months to warm up

Answer 3

When is hurricane season in the Atlantic?

Question 4

Ocean water that is blow on land (not from precipitation); deadliest hazard of a hurricane

Answer 4

Storm Surge

Question 5

The closer you are to the shoreline and lower elevation of the coast

Answer 5

What increases the risk of storm surge?

Question 6

• Landslides
• Precipitation, flooding from,
• storm surge
• tornadoes
• wind

Answer 6

Potential hazards from a hurricane

Question 7

• elevated building codes
• building with garage on ground floor
• building house up on stilts
• using building materials that can withstand flooding and wind
• stay inside, away from windows, no basements
• anchor or remove things outside that could be blown around
• evacuate

Answer 7

Mitigation for hurricanes

Question 8

Wind scale categories to measure wind speed (F1-F5)

Answer 8

Saffir-Simpson Scale

Question 9

At 75 mph

Answer 9

At what wind speed does a tropical storm become a hurricane?

Question 10

No one really knows exactly; What we do know is the following:

• they originate from unstable air masses
• low pressure and high pressure air coming together
• it is trying to move air from the lower atmosphere to the higher atmosphere to even thing out.
• low pressure center causes the spinning (like a vortex; causes the cyclone shape

Answer 10

How do tornadoes form?

Question 11

Used to categorize tornadoes based on the damage done, can’t measure wind speed directly

Answer 11

Fujita (F) scale

Question 12

Categorizes tornadoes by the types of buildings and damage done to them

Answer 12

EF Scale

Question 13

• Basement is safe; make sure nothing heavy place on floors above
• get into an interior room with no windows like a bathroom or closet
• Use building materials that will withstand wind
• drills in frequently occurring areas
• Sirens

Answer 13

Tornado mitigation

Question 14

When the conditions are right for this type of storm to occur one of these is issued.

Answer 14

Tornado watch

Question 15

One of these has been spotted OR there is a rotation in the weather radar image.

Answer 15

Tornado warning

Question 16

*Occur most in tornado alley and the eastern US but can occur anywhere.
*Occur mostly in spring when warm air is coming up from the Gulf of Mexico and cold air
is coming down from the North; but can happen any time.

Answer 16

Location and season tornadoes are most likely to occur

Question 17

When the ground collapses, usually in areas with lots of limestone, and moisture

• Occur most in:
  
  • Florida(sinkhole alley)
  • Kentucky
  • Indiana
  • can occur other places but happens less often

Answer 17

Sinkholes

Question 18

The type of rock that can cause sinkholes because it dissolves in water.

Answer 18

Limestone

Question 19

Gradual sinking of land, usually due to groundwater withdrawal

Answer 19

Subsidence

Question 20

• Central California
• Mexico City
• Tucson, AZ
• Venice, Italy

Answer 20

Places where subsidence is the biggest problem

Question 21

• removal of groundwater, oil or gas causes grains to settle down, pack down and sink
• largely human exacerbated

Answer 21

Causes of subsidence

Question 22

• tilted or leaning building (leaning tower of piza)
• broken water/gas lines
• cracks in ground or pavement

Answer 22

What are signs of subsidence?

Question 23

Removal of sediment on the shoreline

Answer 23

Coastal Erosion

Question 24

-loss of sediment being fed or added to the beach because rivers are dammed upriver;
rivers deliver the sediment but can’t if blocked
-rising sea levels due to climate change (melting glaciers)
-storms

Answer 24

Causes making coastal erosion occur faster

Question 25

Scraping sand off the bottom of teh sea floor and dumping it on the beach; can make water cloudy and disturb sea life.

Answer 25

Beach renourishment

Question 26

The movement of sand on the beach caused by direction of wind and wave movement which causes the sand to shift down the beach.

Answer 26

Longshore drift

Question 27

A manmade structure (sand, rocks, cement) to help mitigate the effects of longshore drifts with the purpose of keeping harbors or passageways open for boats (not blocked by sand)

Answer 27

Jettie

Question 28

A structure that is constructed perpendicular to the coastline built with concrete walls, mounds of rocks to heop mitigate the effects of longshore drift

Answer 28

Groins

Question 29

• destruction of property

* economic losses (tourism)

Answer 29

Hazards of coastal erosion

Question 30

*burned over 36% of the park (approx 100,000 acres)
*park policy was to allow naturally caused fires to burn because fire is important to the
long-term health of the forest
*also prohibited removal of dead and fallen trees, fuel accumulated on the forest floor
making the fire impossible to fight .
*burned from June 14 to September 11 when a light snowfall extinguished it.

Answer 30

Yellowstone Fire, 1988

Question 31

Facts:

• Deadliest natural disaster in US history,
• $30 million economic toll
• 6000 people died
• low-elevation barrier island made it worse because maximum elevation was only 11 feet but storm surge was 15; no natural protection.
• after raised the entire island and sea wall 12-15 feet tall

Answer 31

Galveston Hurricane, 1900

Question 32

Facts:

• Struck Louisiana and Mississippi (New Orleans) as a category 3
• Levees broke causing massive flooding
• Costliest American disaster; about $108 billion
• killed over 1800 people
• maximum storm surge was 28 feet

Answer 32

Hurricane Katrina, 2005

Question 33

Facts:
-Death toll between 300,000 and 500,000 making it the deadliest storm in modern
times.
-Storm surge of 10 meters (33 feet); area sits at sea level
-since have built concrete storm shelters with capacity for hundreds of people
-first relief concert ever held by George Harrison (Beatles) and continues to create
revenue for.

Answer 33

Bhola Cyclone, Bangladesh, 1970

Question 34

• Struck Louisiana and Mississippi
• Record for the highest windspeed to hit the US at 175 mph but could have been higher.
• One of only three Category 5 hurricanes to make landfall in the US
• Death toll 259
• Economic toll $1.4 billion (unadjusted).
• most deaths caused by drowning, landslides.

Answer 34

Hurricane Camille, 1969

Question 35

• Went through Jamaica, Cuba and then up the Eastern US Seaboard to New Jersey
• Max winds 115 mph
• storm surge caused extensive damage on the NJ shore and flooded parts of NYC
• Death toll 2333
• Economic toll $69 billion, one of the costliest in US history

Answer 35

Hurricane Sandy, 2012

Question 36

Facts:

• hundreds (approx 360) of tornadoes across the Southeaster US between April 25-28
• Most expensive tornado OUTBREAK in US history
• death toll 324, thousands injured
• economic toll over $12 billion

Answer 36

Tornado Outbreak, April 2011

Question 37

Facts:

• EF-5
• Death toll 158
• Destroyed schools, hospital, lds stake center (sturdy buildings)
• Most expensive SINGLE tornado

Answer 37

Joplin, MO Tornado, May 2011

Question 38

Facts:

• Affected Missouri, Illinois, Indiana
• EF5
• Deadliest tornado in US history (around 700 people)
• 235 mile tornado path on ground, longest in in US History (until Dec 2021-Kentucky)
• School was in session killed over 70 students
• tornado was hidden in rain clouds so people couldn’t see it coming.

Answer 38

Tri-State Tornado, 1925