Hurricanes and drought case study Flashcards
Hurricane sandy key factors(developed country)
The hurricane travelled across the Caribbean Sea,
affecting the island nations of Jamaica, Cuba and
Haiti, before moving north to reach the USA.
It reached New Jersey on 29 October 2012.
By the time the hurricanes reached land, wind
speeds of 129 kmh were recorded.
The storm surges caused most of the damage.
to East Coast states.
“The use of social media such as Twitter and
Photographs uploaded to Flickr: helped with damage assessment.
Impact of Hurricane Sandy:
Social
-Death toll of 150 people
-Homes and businesses damaged
-Schools closed
Economic
-Estimated property damage $65B
-Government had to buy petrol as there was low supply
-Tourism funding cancelled as new york marathon cancelled
Environmental
-Storm surge damaged coastal nature reserves like Prime hook national wildlife refuge in Delaware
-Sewage spilled into oceans and rivers
Responses to Hurricane Sandy:
Individuals-Artists like Bon Jovi made concerts for relief
Organisation-Charities like the American red cross helped provide relief to victims
Government-Billions were spent on rebuilding and supporting victims. The state of new York put up a government office coordinated in rebuilding efforts
Key facts about Typhoon Haiyan(developing country)
Formed on 2 November 2013 in the
South Pacific Ocean, close to the
Federated States of Micronesia.
When the typhoon reached land,
wind speed of over 300 kmh
were recorded
Most of the damage caused by
the typhoon was on the islands of
Samar and Leyte.
Flooding and landslide were
reported across the Philippines.
What were responses to Typhoon Haiyan?
Individuals: people in countries such as
the UK and Canada gave money towards
the relict efforts.
Organisations: the World Health
Organization coordinated the
international response to help the
Philippine government meet the acute
need for healthcare services.
Governments: in order to direct
funds to help support the aftermath,
the Philippines were put in a ‘state.
of national calamity’. Aid the form
of loans and grants was provided by
countries like the UK, which gave 3.
£10 min package including emergency
shelter water and household items
What were the impacts of Haiyan(developing)
Social:
-Estimated 6000 dead
-Significant loss of power
-Many homes destroyed
-600 000 people displaced from their homes
Environmental:
-Across the islands, coastal areas of mangroves were damaged and thousands of trees were.
uprooted. Several areas were evacuated because of chemical leaks from damaged industrial
facilities. A tanker also ran aground, which caused an oil spill.
Economic:
-The cost of the damage was estimated to be approximately USS2 billion. Transport across the.
Islands was disrupted, making the provision of aid and support difficult. Foreign aid agencies
‘were able to provide support for the effort.
Hazards and effects of The californian drought(Developed)
As water became scarcer in the state, several impacts
began to show One of these is subsidence. As surface
wate lows decrease. water is increasingly extracted
from groundwater and aquifers to maintain supplies
This changes the structure of the land and can cause it
to settle toa lower level. This an caused infrastructure
and building damage in affected areas, such as the San
Joaquin Valley
‘Some coastal areas, such as Santa Barbara, are
suffering from seawater intrusion. This occurs when
the natural groundwater flow which towards the
sea, is reversed because of a lack of flow pressure.
This means the groundwater supplies become
contaminated with seawater, making them unusable or
costly to use for domestic or agricultural purposes
The drought has been accompanied, and was possibly
Caused by. a period of very warm, windy weather
cross the state. This has also lead to the problem of
wildfires. Warm windy weather dries out vegetation
and makes it very easy for fire to start. ether
naturally through a lightening strike for example. or by
human activity either deliberate or accidental These
Fes spread very quickly because the vegetation is
dry and the winds fan the flames and push them into
new areas. Not only do the fires themselves cause
environmental damage and put people lives and
property at risk, ash and debris from the fires also contaminate water supplies causing mudslides.
Californian drought responses:
Individuals-
-Farmers use efficient irrigation such as drip irrigation
-Protestors campaigned against companies selling local bottled water
-Homeowners encouraged to check for leaks
Organisations-
University of California researched a project for managing groundwater efficiently.
Government-
-Ran public education campaigns such as save our water
-25% cut in water use
Social and economic impacts of drought in Ethiopia
Social:
-Drought leads to death of livestock and loss of crops which means malnutrition and rising food prices
-children and woman out of school and work to collect water
-migration
Environmental
-extinction
-degradation of wetland and river habitats
-forest fire contributes to forest loss
Responses to Ethiopian drought:
Government-
-oversees governments like the USA give aid, $128.4m in 2015 was given as aid
Organisations:
-Aid organisations such as OXfam and UNICEF help people get water supplies and improve sanitation and educate people
-Individuals
Individuals donate through charity
-Many singers were singing in Live Aid for Ethiopia to raise awareness and to raise money
