Lesson 18- How can we effectively manage tropical storms?

Question 1

Why are tropical storms so hard to predict?

Answer 1

• Make a lot of assumptions like wind speeds amd temperatures
  -Dont fully understand how weather in one point of the world can effect somewhere else
  -Chaos theory

Question 2

How can we predict tropical strorms?

Answer 2

• Gathering data from satellites, weather balloons, radar and ocean buoys
  -atmosphere pressure, windspeed and driection humidity, sea surface temps and ocean currents
• Data is fed into computer models that simulate the behaviour of the atmosphere and ocean to help predict it

Question 3

Preparedness and adaptation of tropical storms

Answer 3

• Planning evacuation routes to get people away from the storm
• Monitoring systems can be installed to trade tropical stormsand issue warnings allowing time to prepare and evacuate
• Training and education on the impacts of tropical storms along with info leaflets on what to do in the event, reducing social impacts
• Emergency services can train and prepare for disasters
• Early warning system can reduce the number of people killed

Question 4

• Prevention of tropical storms

Answer 4

• Not possible to predict however land use zoning can be effective in preventing the impacts
• After Hurricane Sandy, New York introduces new sozing laws to ensure that new buildings were elevated above the flooding

Question 5

Mitigation of impacts of tropical storms

Answer 5

• Buildings designed to withstand tropical storms
  -building on stilts to avoid flood waters
  -building with reinforced concrete
  -fixed roofs rather than tiles
• Can be expensive but cheaper in housing terms
  -after Hurricane Katrina struck the USA in 2005, $14 million was spent on levees and other measures

Question 6

How can we adapt against the impacts of tropical storms?

Answer 6

-Accept the loss: if the hazard has low impact and is infrequent it might be best to just accept there will be damages rather than spending lots of money trying to mitigate it.

-Aid: This is especially important in LICs, short term aid from NGOs and from other countries are needed. Aid can be to rescue people but also to help a country recover and improve so that next time the effects aren’t as bad.

-Insurance: Mainly in HICS this is how individuals recover, however it can cost a lot of money and poorer areas in HICs can struggle to afford it.

-Emergency services and disaster relief teams: help rescue people, distribute food and clean water and also medical care.

Question 7

How do the impacts of tropical storms vary over a variety of scales?

Answer 7