Tropical Cyclones: Katrina and Aila Flashcards
Background Info for Aila
- Category 1
- Formed in Bay of Bengal
- Hit Bangladesh
What impact did Aila have on homelessness
750,000 made homeless
How many people and animals were killed by Aila
190 killed and 59,000 cattle killed
What impact did the 3m storm surge of Aila have
- flood lead to disease
- salt water flooded crops and killed them
How much damage was caused in dollars by Aila
$270 million cost of damage
What warning systems were put in place before Aila
- Awareness campaigns to educate locals about tropical cyclones
- 45,000 warning volunteers who live and work in prone areas
How was evacuation prepared for before Aila
- Funding of 3500 Cyclone Shelters, each taking up to 5000 people. Built from concrete and raised above ground
- more needed due to high population in Bangladesh
How did weather forecasts prepare Bangladesh for Storm Aila
- Weather forecasts shared on TV and Radios
- but infrastructure for this is lacking in rural areas so suffer high deaths
How did high rates of illiteracy contribute to the responses to Aila
People didn’t understand or follow warnings from cyclone volunteers
How did the ‘wait and see’ attitude affect the response to Aila
Many people didn’t move to cyclone shelters for fear of losing property and belongings
How did false warnings in the past mean for the response to Aila
Not everyone trusts warning systems with many ignored
How has effective preparation and response in the past impacted the deaths from Aila
- Death tolls have decreased
- Cyclone Bhola killed 300,000 people in 1970
- 190 killed in Aila in 2009
What is the background information to Hurricane Katrina
category 3 and made landfall on south coast having travelled across Gulf of Mexico
How much damage did Hurricane Katrina cause in US dollars
108 Billion US$
How many people died from Katrina
around 1800
How high were the storm surge and wind speeds of Katrina
6m storm surge
around 200km/h wind speed
How effective were the levees and barriers
overwhelmed with 80% of city being flooded, 700 drowned when one levee collapsed
How many evacuated the city
80% of the city were able to evacuate
those who didn’t went to Superdome or stayed at home and worried about looters.
Also elderly, prisoners and homelessness
How did forecasting help prepare the City for Katrina
it monitored Katrina from its formation on 23rd august
allowed to predicted where and when it would make landfall
How effective was forecasting as a response
it accurately predicted the time of landfall so people could evacuate
What was the response from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency)
they were unprepared for the scale of destruction and the number of people who needed help
How was the Superdome response to Katrina
They didnt have enough food or water, demand on space and supplies as more and more people came
