Tropical Storm Examples

Question 1

Background, location and size of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 1

August 2005, forming on Florida and hitting New Orleans hardest, category 5. Costliest hurricane ever recorded in USA.

Question 2

Effects of Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 2

• 1,800 deaths
• Thousands of injuries
• Over 1 million became refugees
• Power and water supplies disrupted
• An areas almost as large as the UK declared a disaster zone
• Tourism reduced due to damage eg French Quarter being damaged
• Looting outbreaks
• Many businesses insured, meaning major insurance companies had to issue profit warnings to share holders.
• Around $200 billion damage.

Question 3

Why was New Orleans so vulnerable?

Answer 3

New Orleans low-lying, 80% of city below sea level, between levees of Mississippi River and a lake. Levees also not built to modern standards.

Question 4

Responses to Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 4

Aid rapidly assigned, from many eg countries (ie Afghanistan), federal funds, public donations. Over 250 emergency response vehicles sent to provide food and water. Superdome used as a shelter.
Still critiqued, as most affected were poor, black American urban dwellers. Bush had criticism for being slow to those areas. Many still in poverty.

Question 5

Background, location and size of Typhoon Haiyan?

Answer 5

November 2013, Philippines. Category 5, winds up to 175 mph, storm surges as high as 15m. Much stronger than Katrina. Moved very quickly across the region, and stayed strong due to ideal warm conditions of area.

Question 6

How were The Philippines vulnerable?

Answer 6

• Mountainous areas funnelled storm surges, making them higher than normal as a narrower area.
• Island nature makes it harder for aid and communications.
• Didn’t drop in strength as it travelled over water between islands.
• Due to a typhoon a month earlier, there were very little resources.

Question 7

What are some impacts of Typhoon Haiyan?

Answer 7

• Minimal rain as typhoon moved quickly, so no devastating flood/landslide. Still mudflows taking over coastal areas despite this, such as in Guiuan.
• Over 6,000 deaths, 4 million displaced.
• Tacloban, a city on the island of Leyte, is on a bay where the water was funnelled. 7m high storm surge wall. Many people drowned, and 90% of the wooden walled buildings in poorer areas were destroyed.
• Rotting corpses contaminated water supplies and spread disease, leaving survivors without water/food.
• No power in four provinces, eg Leyte, so difficult to call for assistance and for hospitals to provide adequate care.
• Tacloban airport badly damaged so hard to fly in aid. Many desperate people tried to intercept and steal aid.

Question 8

What were some responses to Typhoon Haiyan?

Answer 8

• Government response slow, locals had to search for bodies.
• International charities sent emergency supplies, eg UK and US sent diggers and heavy lifting gear to clear ground for helicopters.
• A month later, 100,000 still in evacuation centres.
• Cash-for-work programmes, eg labourers to clear debris.
• Red-cross made sanitation a priority, reducing disease.
• Mangroves replanted.
• Philippines in debt, making it hard to fully recover and improve.