Storm hazards case studies Flashcards
Hurricane Harvey case study: When
17th August 2017 - 2nd September 2017
Hurricane Harvey case study: Details of the hurricane
- began slow-moving tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico
. -Category 4 hurricane, threatening millions of residents with 130-mph winds, heavy rains, and a massive storm surge that swamped coastal areas.
- It stalled around southern Texas for days as a weakening hurricane, producing catastrophic flash and river flooding
. - The storm dumped more than 27 trillion gallons of rain over Texas
- wettest Atlantic hurricane ever measured
- 1/3 of Houston was completely flooded and the weight of the water sank the city temporarily by two centimetres
Hurricane Harvey case study: Primary impacts
- 300,000 structures + 500,000 vehicles damaged/destroyed in Texas alone.
- Nearly every structure in Port Aransas was damaged, significant damage from storm surge also occurred
- In Rockport, entire blocks were destroyed by the hurricane’s violent eyewall winds
- 20 % of Rockport’s population displaced
Hurricane Harvey case study: Socio-economic (secondary) Impacts
- t $125 billion damage, second-most costly hurricane to hit the U.S. since 1900.
- densely populated areas, impede economic activity to a larger degree as more individuals are displaced, disrupting the labor supply and production
- affected Gulf Coast, responsible for a large portion of the U.S. petroleum refining capacity, increasing energy prices by 2.8%
- vast rise in levels of depression and anxiety of affected by the hurricane= loss of a loved one or livelihood
Hurricane Harvey case study: Who was most severely affected and why?
- 13 million people were affected
- Americans filing for unemployment benefits after the storm two-year high amid a surge in applications from Texas
- Several dozen schools remained closed more than a month into the school year, pending repairs
. - Since many residents lived outside the flood plain, most people affected were uninsured
- 15% of homes in Harris County had flood insurance.
- Wealthier homeowners are more likely to have flood insurance and be able to pay for clean-up sooner
. - low-income residents face substandard infrastructure and higher exposure to pollution and toxic waste
- more affluent people have a greater capacity to evacuate.
- Renters and public housing tenants also struggled with finding places to go.
- The elderly population was extremely vulnerable as they have much less mobility, complicated medical conditions, and an unstable income.
Hurricane Harvey case study: Immediate responses
- (FEMA) pre-positioned supplies and personnel in the state
- Within 30 days, $1.5 billion in federal funds was paid to Texans impacted
- The Coast Guard deployed personnel, aircrafts, boats and cutters, rescuing 11,022 people
- FEMA 28 Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams deploy to Texas to assist state and local agencies
. - FEMA supplied 3 million meals, 3 million litres of water to the state to distribute
- The American Red Cross provided $45 million
Hurricane Harvey case study: Longer-term recovery
- Center for Disaster Philanthropy awarded $6 million to support long-term recovery
- restoring health services for vulnerable survivors; expanding health services, for stress and trauma; and preparing health facilities for future disasters
. - The CDP Hurricane Harvey Recovery Fund raised more than $14 million for medium- to long-term recovery in Texas
-U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Texas would receive just over $5 billion for long-term rebuilding efforts.
Hurricane Harvey case study: Evaluation of responses - Good
- Harvey predicted and allowed preparation and evacuation, keeping death toll relatively low
- government was incredibly fast at paying Texans that were impacted (30 days, more than $1.5 billion in federal funds was paid to Texans impacted)
- Rescue missions began very quickly
- huge amount of money raised helped struggling communities and federal funds were also distributed very quickly
Hurricane Harvey case study: Evaluation of responses - Bad
- Of $1 billion raised for recovery 30 % yet to be distributed by Aug 2018
- U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced Texas would receive just over $5 billion for long-term rebuilding efforts, but hadn’t arrived by November
- people in Texas didn’t have flood insurance, so received little to no compensation
. - Trump requested $44 bn in aid for recovery for all the hurricanes that had hit estimated that $121bn was needed for full recovery). The Governor of Texas Greg Abbott said this was “inadequate” and the White House responded saying, “Up until this point, Texas has not put any state dollars into this process” - this was disputed by Abbott’s office who claimed they had spent or incurred over $1bn
Cyclone Idai case study: When + Where
- March 2019
- Made landfall in Mozambique
- strong winds and severe flooding in Madagascar, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe
Cyclone Idai case study: Details of cyclone
- Category 2 Saffir-Simpson scale
- maximum sustained winds of 195km/h
- Rainfall in the city exceeded 200mm, while the heaviest rainfall more than 600mm near Chimoio
Cyclone Idai case study: Primary impacts
- In Beira City, where hurricane made landfall, flooded zone was 80 miles x 15 miles, isolating people and creating an ‘inland ocean’.
- This flooding was partly due to a 2.5m storm surge that ‘totally destroyed’ around 90% of Beira City.
- Towns further inland e e.g., Buzi, were flooded by rivers bursting their banks.
- >700,000 ha of agricultural land damaged, food shortages in a country that is already at high risk of famine
. - Estimated 1,300 people died from primary impacts
Cyclone Idai case study: Secondary socio-economic impacts
- infrastructure damage, sanitation severely worsened
- Cholera cases 4000 in Mozambique 3 weeks after the cyclone first hit
- 40 health centres in Mozambique were damaged or destroyed
- Mozambique also recorded >3000 cases of diarrhoea within 3 weeks
- Over 1 million people without electricity
- communication and rescue efforts impeded
- Total damage to buildings and infrastructure = US$2bn
- Beira City second most important port for international trade in Mozambique, country’s ability to earn foreign currency was diminished.
- 2 HEP plants were destroyed in Malawi
- Malawi lost 84% of its HEP
Cyclone Idai case study: Who was most severely affected?
- Poorer people and women hit harder as more likely to be involved in unpaid work
Cyclone Idai case study: Immediate responses
- people evacuated by boat before cyclone struck, people in rural areas didn’t respond to the warnings or weren’t aware
. - The South African air force and the Indian army drove the initial rescue effort
- The government received support from international donors for a disaster fund of $18.3m, main source of funding was specifically for search and rescue within the first 72 hours
- More than 130,000 newly homeless people were taken into reception centres
