JUST CASE STUDIES Flashcards
Give context for the Montserrat eruption
It erupted in 1997 - Composite volcano
It had suffered from earthquakes 2 years prior
4km^2 inundated by pyroclastic flows in Plymouth
5 million cm^3 of material released
What were the primary human impacts of Montserrat
$1.2 billion
19 dead
2/3 of homes destroyed causing a 2/3 population decrease
“Cities buried under ash” like Plymouth
What were the primary responses of Montserrat
Observatory in 1995
Mapped the most hazardous areas and evacuated 11,000
NGO’s like the Red Cross
What were the secondary responses of Montserrat
£420 million in aid from the UK
UK granted residency and even citizenship after 4 years
Upgraded tsunami warning system which gos off at 12 everyday , although 2/3 of areas remain hazardous
Featured in national geographic to rebuild tourism
Give context for the Mount Saint Helens eruption
It erupted in 1980 - Composite volcano
It had suffered from earthquakes and a bulge 2 months prior
8km^2 inundated by pyroclastic flows
540 million tonnes of ash released
What were the primary human impacts of mount saint helens
$1.1 billion
57 dead
200 homes destroyed
Miles of infrastructure affected
240km^2 of forest destroyed
Water table raised 60m
Thousands of animals dead
What were the primary human responses of mount saint helens
2,000 evacuated
FEMA arranged emergency aid such as face masks and water
What were the secondary human responses of mount saint helens
900,000 tonnes of ash cleaned up
18.4 million trees planted
Recut shipping channels - monitored water
Give context for the Indian Ocean tsunami
It happened on Boxing Day 2004 and was triggered by a 9.3 magnitude earthquake off the coast of Indonesia
It effected 12 countries, but Indonesia the worst, with a 20m high tsunami wave
What were the primary impacts of Indian Ocean tsunami
$10 billion
£250 million in Thai fishing
230,000 dead
0.5 million homeless
Villages completely destroyed
What were the primary responses of Indian Ocean tsunami
Over 160 aid organisation provided aid and relief such as shelter, food and water
The tsunami warning system didn’t go off in certain areas until hours after the event had already taken place
What were the secondary responses of Indian Ocean tsunami
Aid was extremely slow due to political barriers like the Tamil Tigers and government prejudice were highlighted
New warning systems put in place, but mostly in tourist areas like Thailand
Focus on education and drills
Give some context for the Tohoku Tsunami
It occurred in 2011 and was triggered by a magnitude 9 earthquake caused when the submerging NA plate slipped up the Pacific plate
10-15m high tsunami wave
700 aftershocks
Shifted earths axis by 10cm
What were the primary human impacts of the Tohoku Tsunami
$300 billion in damages
18000 dead
0.5 million homeless
500km^2 area flooded
Nuclear plant caught fire spreading worldwide panic - 100,000 children being tested for thyroid issues
What were the primary responses of the Tohoku Tsunami
100,000 soldiers deployed to keep the peace
63 Search and rescue specialists from the UK
What were the secondary responses of the Tohoku Tsunami
- Set up the ‘reconstruction design council’ to encourage new development and set up things such as an enterprise zone
- Improved their tsunami warning system in 2013
- Still years later people could not move in around the nuclear plants 100,000 children being tested for thyroid issues
- Use of Nuclear power has reduced
Give some context for the Haiti earthquake
It occurred in 2010 and was a magnitude 7 earthquake, releasing the power of an atomic bomb
Give some primary physical impacts of the Haiti earthquake
$8 billion
230,000 deaths
1.5 million homeless
50% of key government buildings destroyed
“Whole city flattened in 1 minute”
1500 dead from cholera
Looting and violence
Give some primary physical responses of the Haiti earthquake
16,000 troops deployed
100,000 free health appointments
240,000 free water purification tablets
11,000 camps set up
Give some secondary physical responses of the Haiti earthquake
They rebuilt the city using local people for labour. The buildings are much better, cheaper and safer, as they demolished all of the slums
Rebuilt government buildings in much safer areas
$11.5 billion in aid
Give some context for the Hurricane Katrina typhoon
It happened in August 2005. The storm originated in the Bahamas before hitting Louisiana and Mississippi 6 days later as a CATEGORY 5 typhoon with 280kmh wind speeds and a 8.5m high storm surge
They had been hit by a similar event 40 years prior but the governor said “Resilience had been eroded”
Give some primary impacts for the hurricane Katrina typhoon
$200 billion in damages
1800 dead
1 million refugees
80% of New Orleans was flooded and looted
Area the size of the UK without power and water for 2 months
Gulf of Michigan completely destroyed
20% of marshland destroyed effecting turtles and fish
Give some primary responses for the hurricane Katrina typhoon
150,000 people didn’t evacuate and stayed in the Louisiana superdrome for 3 days to receive food and water
Coastguard saved 33,500 lives out of 60,000 stranded people
Give some secondary responses for the hurricane Katrina typhoon
$61.8 billion given in aid
70 countries pledged to give aid and organisations such as the red cross. They raised more than that of 9/11
FEMA had to rehouse 700,000 but only could rehouse 1/5 in New Orleans. Every state has a Katrina refugee and black Americans suffered the most. 4 years later lots are still in temporary trailers - local government blamed
New Orleans has had a potential 50% decline in population, insurance was to much for people to afford
Give some context for Cyclone Nargis
It happened in 2011. It originated in the Bay of Bengal before heading to Burma Myanmar as a category 4 with windspeed 215kmh
What were the primary impacts of cyclone nargis
$10 billion in damages
130,000 killed
5 million refugees
95% of low lying land was completely destroyed
600,000 hectares of farmland destroyed
What were the primary responses of cyclone nargis
Response was slow as the country didn’t allow aid for weeks due to fear of invasion, when aid was allowed, it was extremely slow
What were the secondary responses of cyclone nargis
The government have made little improvement, the whole thing has overwhelmed them and years later people still live in ruined villages
Give some context for the Alberta Wildfire
Alberta Canada 2016 caused by a lack of snowfall headed towards fort mcmurray and ‘spotted’ a 1km river in some areas
Give some primary human impacts of the Alberta wildfire
$9 billion in damages
600 work camps closed down - global oil was effected
2400 homes destroyed
Increased anxiety
Millions of tonnes of Co2 released
Water pollution and death of Boreal ecosystem
Give some primary human responses of the Alberta wildfire
90,000 evacuated safely
85% of buildings saved
$1250 provided to each person via the government
Declared a state of emergency allowing for extra aid and support - set up an online registry to find housing
Give some secondary human responses of the Alberta wildfire
Area was quickly rebuilt and a safe phased re-entry occurred - they talked about clearing land to rebuilt
Sparked a political debate about climate change
Fire aid in June 2016 to raise money for the disaster
