HAZARDS: Storm Hazards - Case Studies

Question 1

Name a storm hazard in a HIC:

Answer 1

Hurricane Katrina, South East USA, 2005

Question 2

Describe the characteristics of Hurricane Katrina:

Answer 2

200km/h winds

200-250mm rainfall to Louisiana

8.5m storm surge in Mississippi

Question 3

What were the social impacts of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 3

• 1836 people killed
• 300,000 houses destroyed
• 3 million left without electricity
• Main route out of New Orleans closed as bridge collapsed
• Water supply polluted - 5 people died.
• 18 schools destroyed in New Orleans, 74 badly damaged = disruption to education

Question 4

What were the economic impacts of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 4

• Job losses
• Oil industry disrupted as oil platforms destroyed
• Forest destroyed in Mississipi - $5 billion lost in logging industry

Question 5

What were the environmental impacts of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 5

• Coastal habitats destroyed
• Breton National Wildlife Refuge destroyed
• Oil spills due to flooding of oil refineries
• Salt marshes flooded

Question 6

What helped the US respond rapidly to Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 6

Effective warning systems - could predict where the hurricane would hit.

Question 7

How did the US prepare for Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 7

• Coast Guard positioned helicopters + boats around areas likley to be affected
• FEMA organised teams + supplies on national level
• Mandatory evacuation in some areas

Question 8

How did the US respond after Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 8

• Emergency shelters for people who hadn’t evacuated
• Search + rescue teams, medical supplies and supplies sent out
• $4 billion charity donations to provide aid

Question 9

Name a storm hazard in a LIC:

Answer 9

Cyclone Nargis, Myanmur, 2008

Question 10

Describe the characteristics of Cyclone Nargis:

Answer 10

215km/h wind speed

5m storm surge

Question 11

What were the social impacts of Cyclone Nargis?

Answer 11

• 140,000 killed
• 450,000 houses killed
• 4000 schools destroyed + 75% of health facilities
• 70% had no access to clean water
• Lots suffered from diseases caused by dirty water

Question 12

What were the economic impacts of Cyclone Nargis?

Answer 12

• 6000km² agricultural land destroyed
• 40% food stores destroyed
• Millions lost livelihoods

Question 13

What were the environmental impacts of Cyclone Nargis?

Answer 13

• 380km² of mangrove forests destroyed
• Flooding caused erosion + salinisation of land

Question 14

Why was Myanmar’s response slow?

Answer 14

• No dedicated hurricane monitoring system
• Poor warnings given
• No preparation plans / evacuation plans
• Government initially refused any foreign aid
• Myanmar was run by military who seized aid and prevented aid workers from entering the country for 2 weeks.