A. Tropical Storms and Philippines Flashcards
(65 cards)
1
Q
Where are tropical storms called Hurricanes?
A
When they form over the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Americas)
2
Q
When are tropical storms called Cyclones?
A
When they form over the Indian Ocean and around Australia
3
Q
When are tropical storms called Typhoons?
A
When they form around Japan, East Asia and the Philippines
4
Q
Between which latitudes do tropical storms form?
A
5-30°N, 5-30°S
5
Q
What minimum temperature does an ocean have to reach to form tropical storms?
A
27°C
6
Q
In which direction do tropical storms rotate north of the Equator?
A
Anticlockwise
7
Q
In which direction do tropical storms rotate south of the Equator?
A
Clockwise
8
Q
What is the minimum wind speed required for a tropical storm to be considered a hurricane / cyclone / typhoon?
A
74 mph
9
Q
What are the primary hazards of a tropical storm?
A
- High wind speeds (minimum 74mph)
- Storm surge (typically 6 metres)
- High rainfall (average 9 trillon litres per storm)
10
Q
What are the secondary hazards of a tropical storm?
A
- High wind speeds lead to flying debris
- Heavy rain leads to river flooding and mass movement
- Storm surge can lead to contamination of water sources / soil with saltwater
11
Q
How many people were killed by the October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
- 250 people killed in 7 countries - 111 in the USA alone
- Outbreak of cholera in Haiti killed over 40 people and infected over 5000 people
12
Q
What were the primary hazards of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
- Category 3 Hurricane = wind speeds up to 110 mph
- Storm surge up to 9 metres in Cuba
- Rainfall up to 260mm = flooding across areas affected
13
Q
What were the short-term social impacts of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
- Cholera outbreak in Haiti killed 40 people and infected over 5000 people
- Refugee camps in Haiti were flooded
- 10 million people in the USA were left without power
14
Q
What were the short-term environmental impacts of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
Key roads and streets were inundated with salt water, contaminating freshwater supplies and leaving roads flooded
15
Q
What were the short-term economic impacts of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
- Losses due to damage and closure of businesses totaled over $65 billion
- New York Stock Exchange was closed for two days
16
Q
What were the long-term social impacts of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
- Over 70 evacuation shelters were opened in NYC
- 100,000 homes on Long Island were damaged or destroyed
17
Q
What were the long-term environmental impacts of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
70-80% of crops in Haiti were washed away - food shortage
Government estimated that ~$24 million would be needed to replace food
18
Q
What were the long-term economic impacts of October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
A
US cities such as Atlantic City struggled from lack of tourism and damage after hurricane - 15m piece of boardwalk washed away, many businesses could not reopen after the storm.
19
Q
How many people were killed in the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
A
Over 6300 killed across the Philippines
20
Q
What were the primary hazards of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
A
- Category 5 typhoon = wind speeds up to 195 mph
- Storm surge up to 7.5m high (5m in Tacloban)
- Massively powerful floods
21
Q
What were the short-term social impacts of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
A
- Almost all fatalities in Tacloban city
- Powerlines and communications destroyed leaving millions without electricity
22
Q
What were the short-term economic impacts of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
A
- 90% of all buildings in Tacloban were destroyed by Typhoon
- Overall cost $12 billion
23
Q
What were the short-term environmental impacts of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
A
- Over 600,000 hectares of farmland affected
- Roads blocked by debris and falling trees made aid more difficult to distribute
24
Q
What were the long-term social impacts of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
A
- Rice prices rose by 11.9% after 2014 and there was fighting over food / supplies
- 5 million homes destroyed / made uninhabitable
25
What were the **long**-term **economic** impacts of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
- **3/4** of farmers and fishermen left without income
- Key infrastructure destroyed leading to slower recovery
26
What were the **long**-term **environmental** impacts of the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
- **Oil barge** left stranded at **Estancia** leaked **800,000** litres of oil, contaminating the sea and mangroves **10km** inland
- Destruction of **1.1 million tonnes** of crops and **$53 million** worth of rice and seeds led to food shortage in the Phillippines
27
How did prediction and warning increase **preparedness** for October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
Satellite monitoring allowed the hurricane to be predicted a week before landfall in the USA - gave time to evacuate
28
How did community evacuation increase **preparedness** for October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
- **More than a million** people were evacuated - Red Cross sheltered **over 11,000** people across **16 states**
- Residents from barrier islands in New Jersey had to evacuate
- **70 evacuation shelters** opened in NYC
29
Why was Haiti's **response** to the October 2012 Hurricane Sandy limited?
Haiti had already used much of its emergency supplies to recover from the **August 2012 Hurricane Isaac**, and was still recovering from the 2010 earthquake.
30
How did governments / NGOs **respond** to the October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
- The UN and World Food Programme pledged humanitarian aid to **500,000** people in Cuba
- US Senate approved an emergency relief package of **$60 billion**
- US House of Representatives approved an emergency package of **$9 billion**
A number of organisations contributed to relief effort:
- NBC = **£23m**,
- Disney ABC = **$17 million**,
- News Corporation = **$1m**
Guernsey donated **£25,000** to ActionAid UK's Haiti appeal
31
How did NYC **recover** from the October 2012 Hurricane Sandy?
- **40,000** people in NYC had to be rehoused due to low temperatures following Hurricane Sandy- no electricity / heating.
- A **$648 million** housing recovery programme in NYC was established to help homeowners with the cost of repairs
- NYC committed more than **$1 billion** in response and recovery schemes - **14,000** insurance claims made
- NYC offered **$20 million** in loans/grants to businesses
32
How was land use planning limited as a **mitigation** strategy in New Jersey?
Land use planning was difficult to implement because of New Jersey's tourism industry - **$40bn** industry employing **500,000** people
New Jersey is also further North than the typical hurricane zone
33
Which hazard resistant design building features were implemented as **mitigation** after Hurricane Sandy?
Hazard resistant design features:
- Elevated buildings
- Monolithic dome structures
- Strengthened windows / doors
34
What were the key features of the response to the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
- Huge fundraising appeal raised **$799** million (not nearly enough to cover **$8 billion** in damages)
- Emergency response coordinated by UN and WHO
- Social media e.g. Google Person Finder used to locate family / friends
- International aid offered by US aircraft carrier George Washington
35
How was the response to November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan limited?
- Damage to infrastructure such as Tacloban Airport made rescue difficult and distribution of aid challenging
- Only **20%** of people who needed aid within the first **10 days** recieved it
36
How did a lack of security limit the **response** to the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
- Residents of Tacloban still didn't have clean water / sanitation **5 days** after storm, leading to riots and looting - government criticised for slow response
- Security was so poor that aid agencies delayed going in with supplies - aid didn't reach Tacloban until **7** days after typhoon
- Only **1/13** police reported for duty during the Typhoon - looting meant that many were reluctant to leave their homes
37
What features defined the recovery from November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
- Grants given by Oxfam to help fishermen buy new boats
- Cash for work schemes used to rebuild city
38
What was the 'Build Back Better' scheme, and how did it fail as a mitigation strategy?
'Build Back Better' is a scheme of rebuilding with storm protection and a **40m** no-build zone along the coasts of the Philippines
Arguably not feasible due to Philippines' low economic status - cities want to develop their coastlines!
39
How was the infrastructre of the Philippines not **prepared** for November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
Not enough storm shelters were available:
- Only **500,000** were able to use them
- Provisions were basic and not well stocked with essentials
40
How was the evacuation for the November 2013 Typhoon Haiyan not enough to **prepare** for the typhoon?
The path of the typhoon was monitored by satellite and warnings were given, however evacuation orders were not mandatory - many remained in their homes, afraid of looting.
Lives were saved when local officials such as the Mayor of Guiuan urged people to evacuate
41
How many islands make up the Philippines?
And how much coastline?
The Philippines consists of over **7,000** islands with **36,000km** of coastline
42
Why are earthquakes and volcanoes prevalent in the Philippines?
Earthquake and volcanoes are prevalent in the Philippines as the country is located on a series of active fault lines due to a destructive plate boundary between the Philippine and Eurasian plate
43
Why are typhoons and cyclones prevalent in the Philippines?
Typhoons and cyclones are prevalent as the Philippines is surrounded by several large bodies of warm water...
- the Philippine Sea
- the Pacific Ocean
- the Celebes Sea
- the South China Sea
... where they can form.
44
Why do river floods occur frequently in the Philippines?
River floods occur frequently in the Phillipines due to the monsoons, created because the temperature of the surrounding oceans enables increased rates of evaporation.
- Annual rainfall is seasonal and ranges from **960mm - 4,000mm** per year
These monsoons quickly overwhelm the Philippines rivers, aided by poor drainage systems and deforestation, leading to floods.
45
Why do mass movements occur frequently in the Philippines?
Mass movements occur regularly in the Philippines as the country both has a very steep relief with mountainous terrain, and is located on active fault lines which make it prone to earthquakes.
46
What is sustainable management?
Sustainable management is management of hazards that meets the needs of the present generation without sacrificing the ablility of future generations to meet their own needs.
47
Which social factors make sustainable management in the Philippines more difficult?
| (Human Factors)
- Population has grown from **19 million in 1950** to **103 million as of 2018**. This pushes people into more vulnerable areas, resulting from more deaths due to a higher population in disaster-prone areas
- Rapid urbanisation has meant that more people live in informal housing, such as **11% of the population in Manila**. This means that houses are more prone to collapse and create casualties
- Population distribution is largely coastal and therefore prone to hazards such as typhoons / storm surges
48
How does deforestation make sustainable management in the Philippines more difficult?
| (Human Factor)
Deforestation increases flood deaths - only 3% of original forest left!
49
How do economic factors make sustainable management in the Philippines more difficult?
| (Human Factors)
- **The Philippines is an LIC** with a GDP per capita of **$2,951**. This reduces the capacity to manage hazards due to a lack of finances e.g. to build hazardproof infrastructure, provide hazard education, mitigation disaster kits or respond to disaster quickly.
- **The Filipino Government has little reserve capital** - high disaster frequency means that the government always has to spend reserves to finance repairs for latest disaster
- **Widespread corruption** within the Filipino Government
- **Lack of access to technology** makes monitoring more difficult
50
How many people were killed by the Pinatubo 1991 eruption?
- **847** people were killed by the eruption
- **300** were killed by roofs collapsing under the weight of ash
51
How many people lost their homes during the 1991 Pinatubo eruption?
1 million people
52
How was the 1991 Pinatubo eruption predicted?
**3 months** before the eruption, lots of SO2 and ash were emitted, and small earthquakes were created
- Seisometers and tilt meters were installed on the volcano and hazard maps were drawn out
53
What mitigation strategies were implemented before the 1991 Pinatubo eruption?
People were evacuated from the area within **10km** of the volcano
- This was increased **2 weeks** before the eruption to **within 20km** of the volcano
- This was increased **2 days** before the eruption to **within 40km**
Government provided evacuation camps for evacuees
54
How successful was the management of Pinatubo 1991?
- Effective management and advanced forewarning responsible for saving about **5000 lives**
- **20,000** people evacuated from within a **20km** radius
- Cost of preparation only **US$56 million** = still high but far lower than potential damages
- High rate of casualties persisted - **847 killed** - but far lower than expected
55
How successful was the management of 2013 Typhoon Haiyan?
Ineffective preparation and poor security increased impacts of disaster:
- Not enough storm shelters were provided, and too few people were evacuated
Lives were saved when local officials such as the Mayor of Guiuan urged people to evacuate
56
Through which scheme does the Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC) encourage community collaboration?
The Integrated Community Disaster Planning Programme
57
Which 6 steps are included in the Philippines National Red Cross (PNRC) 's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
- Partnership with municipial and provincial government units
- Formation and training of community disaster action teams
- Risk and resource mapping
- Community mitigation measures
- Training and education
- Sustainability
58
Why is partnership with municipial and provincial government units important for the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
Partnership with municipial and provincial government units creates preparedness through local planning.
It also allows the PNRC to gain technical and financial support for mitigation measures and ensure the project's long-term sustainability.
59
Why is the formation and training of community disaster action teams important for the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
Community volunteers (the core of the programme) are trained in vulnerability and capacity assesments and disaster management to prepare a disaster action plan
60
Why is risk and resource mapping important for the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
This identifies the most important local hazards and which mitigation measures are possible
61
Why are community mitigation measures important for the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
Community mitigation measures are initiated by the community based on the disaster action plan, from **physical structures** (i.e sea walls) to **health measures** (clean water supplies) to **planning tools** (evacuation plans)
62
Why is training and education important for the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
This allows the training of disaster teams and dissemination of information to the whole community
63
Why is sustainability important for the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
Long-term impact of the scheme is only ensured by incorporating the recommendations of community disaster action plans into local government units (LGUs) and their land use planning / annual budgeting.
These LGUs have paid up to 75 per cent of the costs of these mitigation measures, as well as providing specialist equipment and technical design input.
64
How large is the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
The PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme covers **75 rural communities** in **16 municipalities** across **5 provinces**
65
What are the impacts of the PNRC's Intergrated Community Disaster Planning Programme?
- From **1995 to 2000,** the project directly benefitted **154,700 people**.
- During **2000**, a typhoon hit a project area on **Limasa Island** in **Southern Leyte province**. The community safely evacuated **300 people** without injury or loss of life.
- Red Cross hazard mapping has helped to **capture local knowledge** of natural hazards and transfer this information to municipal planners for incorporation into land use planning.
- Construction of physical mitigation structures by community volunteers has created a **sense of solidarity** among people that, together, they can reduce vulnerability to disasters.
