Physical Case Studies Flashcards
When and where were the two earthquakes?
Italy, Amatrice - 24th August 2016 - 3:36 AM (summer holiday season lead to an increase in population)
Nepal, Gorkha - 25th April 2015 - 11:56 AM
Amatrice earthquake
- Magnitude
- Deaths
-Homeless - Cost of total damage?
6.2 Richter Scale
299 dead
4554 homeless
€21.9 billion
Gorkha Earthquake
- Magnitude
- Deaths
- Homeless
-Other damage
7.8 Richter Scale
8841 Dead
1 Million Homeless
26 Hospitals destroyed + 50% of schools (fortunate it was Saturday as children not in school)
Historic buildings and temples destroyed (no compulsory building standards)
Amatrice Earthquake
Secondary effects?
Landslides blocked roads reducing access to the area
Farmers struggled to earn a living - 90% of barns were destroyed
House pricing increased due to lack of housing
Gorkha Earthquake
Secondary effects?
Avalanche on Mount Everest base camp - 19 dead
Tourism decreased which was 8.9% of Nepal’s GDP in 2015
Rice is Nepal’s staple diet - rice grain was wiped out in the rubble - leading to famine
Amatrice Earthquake
Immediate Responses
10,000 of the homeless were accommodated for in tent camps
Massive rescue effort from: 5000 soldiers, Red Cross, dog teams within an hour
Facebook set up their safety check feature for friends and family
Italian prime minister gave €50 million for emergency responses
Amatrice Earthquake
Secondary Responses
Students attended neighbouring schools
A €42 million government initiative called ‘Italian homes’ pledged to rebuild villages in the same character but now earthquake resistant
Gorkha Earthquake
Immediate responses
Red Cross provided 225, 000 people with tents
Many medical supplies as the monsoon season lead to the spread of waterborne diseases
Sherpas hiked with aid due to the inaccessibility because of the land slides
Gorkha Earthquake
Secondary Responses
Government announced a long term rebuild plan
Mount Everest and Durbar Square heritage sites reopened in the summer of 2015 which benefited the country’s economy due to an increase in tourism
3 years later 34% of people affected by the earthquake are still living in temporary accommodation
Value of Aid from EU
Amatrice vs Gorkha
$1.3 billion vs $274 million
Why do effects and responses differ?
Depth of focus
Population Density
Magnitude
Distance from epicentre
Medical Facilites
Transport Infrastructure
Time of Year
Resources and Finance of the country
Eg, Amatrice used 12 helicopters - Gorkha relied on Sherpas
Where and When was Typhoon Haiyan?
Category?
Philippines
8th November 2013
Category 5
Primary Effects of Typhoon Haiyan?
Deaths?
Homeless?
Crops?
Total Cost?
6300 Dead
1.9 million homeless
$53 million damage to rice
$13 billion total cost
What two places were affected the most by Typhoon Haiyan?
Tacloban - 90% destroyed
Cebu
Storm surges and waves of 2.3m
Typhoon Haiyan
Secondary effects?
Flooding triggered landslides - limiting aid
5.6 million lost agricultural and business jobs
Flooding caused surface and groundwater to be contaminated with sewage - lead to outbreaks of dysentry
Oil barge grounded - 800 000 litre oil spill. It washed ashore contaminating 10 hectares of mangroves and fishing limited. Lead to theft and stampedes for rice supplies leading to 8 dead.
Typhoon Haiyan
Immediate responses?
President televised warning 2 days in advance - 800 000 evacuated
Many into Tacloban stadium that subsequently flooded many dead.
Announced as state of emergency and aid arrived 3 days later by plane.
Curfews to prevent looting
$1.5 billion in foreign aid
Typhoon Haiyan
Long term responses?
Charities built storm resistant housing
Philippines prompted tourism to bring more money into the economy to help with aid
When and What caused the Beast from the East?
How much snowfall and lowest temperature?
22nd February to 5th March 2018
Change in the northern polar jet stream brought freezing temperatures over Northern UK
60 cm snow
-12C
Primary and Secondary Impacts of Beast from the East?
Primary:
School closed for 3 days
10 dead
8260 collisions on roads
Key workers struggled to get to work
Secondary:
Gas deficit as heating required
NHS cancelled non urgent operations
Immediate and Long term responses of Beast from the East?
Immediate:
Red warnings (Scotland) - Met Office
RAF dropped supplies to rural communities
Secondary:
NHS improved action plan
Water companies forced to improve responses to extreme weather
Reasons for Management on the Holderness coast?
Unconsolidated boulder clay slumping when wet
Powerful destructive waves - Long North Sea fetch
Man made groynes: Preventing longshore drift and starving beaches of sediment downshore - leading to increased erosion
3 management strategies in place on the Holderness coast
Bridlington 4.7km sea wall
Mappleton groynes
Spurn Head rock armour
What is a conflict due to Holderness coast management strategies?
Increased erosion due to Mappleton’s groynes has lead to the loss of 100 chalets at Golden Sand Holiday Park
What are the flood management schemes in York
Foss Barrier: Prevents the Ouse backing up the river Foss at the confluence by pumping water from Foss into the Ouse.
However, it failed in 2015 leading to major flooding - £38 million upgrade
Clifton Ings - Undeveloped flood plain capable of holding 2.3 Million cm3 of water. However strong winds can lead to overtopping
Flood relief channels around Acombe - divert water away from York into the Ouse downstream
York Flooding
When?
Cost?
How many properties affected?
2000
£12 million
540 properties flooded
