World at Risk Flashcards
What type of plate boundary is the Philippines bordering?
Destructive
What two plates form the Philippines destructive boundary?
Eurasian Plate (continental) and Philippine Plate (oceanic)
What island is Mt Pinatubo located on?
Luzon
How far is Mt Pinatubo from the Philippine capital of Manilla?
55 miles
How long had it been since the previous eruption of Mt Pinatubo?
500 years (approx)
When did Mt Pinatubo erupt?
June 1991
In early June, how was Mt Pinatubo’s eruption predicted?
- Tiltmeters showed that the volcano was bulging, suggesting a magma buildup.
- Increase in seismic activity near the surface of Mt Pinatubo.
What area did the ashcloud of Mt Pinatubo occupy at its peak?
125,000 square kilometres
What hydro-meteorlogical disaster coinceded with Mt Pinatubo’s eruption?
Typhoon Yunya struck the island on the 15th of June, the same day as Mt Pinatubo’s climatic eruption.
What was the impact immediate impact of Typhoon Yunya’s arrival in conjunction with Mt Pintatubo’s eruption?
Torrential rainfall was able to mix with ash to form lahars.
Lahars are thick flows of mixed water and ash that are highly destructive.
How explosive was Mt Pintatubo’s eruption?
It was a 6 on the volcanic explosivity index (VEI).
It ejected 10 cubed kilometres of volcanic material.
How many were killed in the immediate aftermath of Mt Pinatubo’s eruption?
847 people
What was the primary cause of death during Mt Pinatubo’s eruption?
Rooftops collapsing under the weight of ash and volcanic material.
How was farmland impacted by the Mt Pinatubo eruption?
800 square kilometres of rice-growing farmland were destroyed
How were the forests impacted by the Mt Pintatubo eruption?
150 square kilometres of forest were destroyed.
How much was the total estimated damage to crops and property following the Mt Pinatubo eruption?
$374 million dollars
How much did Pinatubo’s regional domestic product fall following the eruption?
Fall of 3%
How many people had evacuated the 30km zone around Mt Pinatubo?
60,000
How many Aeta highlanders were displaced by the eruption of Mt Pinatubo?
20,000
What is the population density of people living in Manilla in the Philippines?
1,600 people per square kilometre
How many people live in slums in Manilla?
2 million
What is GNP per capita in the Philippines?
$4,400
What is the HDI of the Philippines?
0.75
How percentage of people in the Philippines live on a coastal zone?
60%
What is the population of Manilla?
8 million
What is the population of the Philippines?
91 million
What percentage of people live in poverty in the Philippines?
41%
When did Typhoon Haiyan hit the Philippines?
8th November 2013
What city was most impacted by Typhoon Haiyan?
Tacloban
Where is the city of Tacloban?
Island of Leyte
What was the magnitude of Typhoon Haiyan on the Saffir-Simpson scale?
Category Five
What was Typhoon Haiyan’s peak wind speed?
315 km per hour
What was the largest storm surge that occured during Typhoon Haiyan?
5.2m
How much rainfall did Surigao City receive as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
25cm of rainfall in space of 12 hours
Why was the Philippines especially vulnerable at the time of Typhoon Haiyan?
The 7.1 magnitude Bohol earthquake had hit the Philippines just one month before, meaning 350,000 people were already placed and living in vulnerable makeshift camps.
How many typhoons, on average, hit the Philippines each year?
20 typhoons
How did Typhoon Haiyan impact the Philippines communications systems?
All communications into the Visayas region was blocked.
Even the president was unable to contact his Defence Secretary who was staying in Tacloban at the time.
How many deaths were confirmed as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
6, 300
How was air travel impacted by Typhoon Haiyan?
The terminal building of Tacloban’s airport was destroyed by a 5.2m storm surge.
What percentage of Tacloban was damaged by typhoon Haiyan?
90%
How far did flooding occur as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
Flooding up to 1km inland
How many homes were destroyed as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
41,000 homes
How many people were displaced as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
600, 000 people
What notable building was submerged during a storm surge during Typhoon Haiyan?
The Tacloban City Convention Centre was submerged by a storm surge, resulting in death and injury.
How many bags of rice were stolen during a period of looting following Typhoon Haiyan?
33, 000 bags of rice
What environmental disaster occured as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
The typhoon knocked over an oil barge, resulting in a destructive oil spill that hurt the Philippines’ mangrove populations.
How much farmland was destroyed during Typhoon Haiyan?
175, 000 acres of farmland destroyed.
How much money was lost to farmland damage during Typhoon Haiyan?
$85 million
In 2014, how many people were still homeless as a result of Typhoon Haiyan?
1 million people still homeless
How many hotels were destroyed during Typhoon Haiyan?
32 hotels destroyed
How many people were evacuated in preparation for Typhoon Haiyan?
800, 000 people
How much money did the Asian Development Bank give in aid following Typhoon Haiyan?
$500m
How much money did the UK government give in aid to help the Philippines following Typhoon Haiyan?
£50m
How many storm warnings were issued in the Philippines in preparation for Typhoon Haiyan?
Storm warnings issued in 60 out of the Philippines’ 80 provinces.
What warning level was issued by the Philippines government?
Escalated up to warning level 4.
When was the Guinsaugon landslide?
February 17th 2006
What was the direct cause of the Guinsaugon landslide?
A 2.6 magnitude earthquake and a 10 day period of heavy rain (approximately 200cm of rainfall).
How did deforestation increase the Philippines’ risk of landslides?
The Philippines’ had several million hectares of forest in 1930, but now has only 600,000 hectares.
This means ground lacks the biological stabilisation provided by trees.
How many people died as a result of the Guinsaugon landslide?
1, 126
How many primary school children died as a result of the local school being buried by the Guinsaugon landslide?
246 children
How many U.S. troops were available to help with the search and rescue effort after the Guinsaugon landslide?
6,000 troops
How much did the U.S. government donate to help with the Guinsaugon landslide?
U.S. donates $100, 000 worth of disaster equipment
How did Malysia help the Philippines following the Guinsaugon landslide?
They sent a 60 man search and rescue to team to help and find survivors.
When was the Loma Prieta earthquake?
October 17th 1989
What is the name of the plate boundary that California sits upon?
San Andreas plate
What are the two plates involved on the San Andreas fault?
- North American (continental)
- Pacific (oceanic)
What type of boundary is the San Andreas fault?
Conservative
Why was the Marina District in San Francisco Bay particularly vulnerable?
Unreinforced masonry buildings were built on top of loose, saturated sediment.
In the event of an earthquake, this loose sediment will be subject to mass shaking and liquefaction - in other words, the ground begins behaving like a liquid.
How many people died in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
63 deaths
How many people were injured as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
3,753
How many people were made homeless as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
3000 people were made homeless
What freeway collapsed as a result of the Loma Prieta earthquake? How many people were killed as a result?
Cypress Street Viaduct Freeway collapsed as a result of the earthquake, killing 42 drivers and passengers.
What is the total estimated property damage incurred in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
$6 billion
How many bridges were damaged as a result of the Loma Prieta earthquake?
80 bridges were damaged
In the Marina District, how many buildings completely collapsed as a result of soil liquefaction?
35 buildings completely collapsed as a result of unstable ground liquefaction.
How many landslides and rockfalls occurred in the Santa Cruz mountains as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake?
1000 landslides and rockfalls in the Santa Cruz mountains
In response to the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, how did California improve its ability to monitor potential earthquakes?
It expanded its number of accelerometers and seismometers from 75 to over 200.
What sporting event was taking place at the time of the Loma Prieta earthquake?
The World Series 1989 Baseball Tournament
What is the average January temperature in the Arctic?
-35 degrees celcius
At current rates, what percentage of Arctic ice will be lost by 2100?
50-60%
What is meant by ‘positive ice albedo feedback’?
This is the positive feedback mechanism whereby warming global temperatures mean that Arctic ice begins to melt. Ice has a high albedo (reflects solar radiation), whereas water has a low albedo. Therefore, melting ice means more solar radiation will be absorbed by oceans.
How much have temperatures in the Arctic risen over the last 50 years?
3-4 degree celcius