HIC Hurricane Sandy

Question 1

Spatial setting

Answer 1

• New Jersey coastline of USA
• USA is a HIC
• Winds reaching over 100mph

Question 2

Temporal setting

Answer 2

• 29th October 2012
• Fell in Jamaica on 24th October as a category 1 and eastern Cuba on 25th October as category 3 hurricane before weakening to a tropical storm through Bahamas
• Restrengthened at US East coast

Question 3

Risk and vulnerability of the coastline

Answer 3

• Storm passed through Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba and the Bahamas
• Many recreational and tourist resorts with beach front infrastructure
• Densely populated areas of New York and New Jersey with considerable infrastructure were badly hit.

Question 4

Economic impacts

Answer 4

• Over $5 billion in costs to the subway line
• In first week after, unemployment insurance claims increased to over 100,000
• A loss of 32,000 jobs in the NYC metropolitan area
• $71 billion damage
• International trade disruption due to 18,000 cancelled flights
• Power cuts disrupted businesses

Question 5

Social impacts

Answer 5

• 70% of population in Jamaica left without electricity
• Haiti - 50 killed + 200,000 homeless
• Cuba - destroyed 15,000 homes
• In New York, electricity was cut off, subway lines flooded
• 233 people died
• Psychological damage

Question 6

Environmental impacts

Answer 6

• Storm surge
• Flooding
• 10m of beach lost in New Jersey - more vulnerable to erosion

Question 7

Political impacts

Answer 7

Led to discussions + debate around issues of climate change and relief provision

Question 8

Short term responses

Answer 8

Prep
- Jamaica: schools + government buildings closed and people spent time reinforcing roofs
- USA: power companies hired additional contractors to prepare to repair power lines and restore electricity

• Provision of food, water ans shelter
• UN and world food programme sent relief supplies for 500,000 people in Cuba
• American Red Cross supplied >4000 volunteers
• 1 week after landfall, 84% of energy system restored
• National Guard and US Air Force were in on alert to help with the aftermath.

Question 9

Long term responses

Answer 9

• Agencies in USA raised money for victims
• Live telethon concert raised over $20 million
• Jan 2013 -> US government approved a relief aid package worth over $50 billion to aid recovery
• By Dec 2013, less than 1/2 of people who requested help had received any, 30,000 residents of New York and New Jersey remained displaced.

Question 10

Evaluation

Answer 10

• There was an inability of the Red Cross to meet the basic needs of people -> illusion of mass care -> at one point as many as 40% of emergency vehicles were being used as backdrops for conferences
• Ill prepared + sluggish response
• Surpluses of food often went to waste