CS: Cyclone Nargis (a large scale tropical disturbance)

Question 1

General

Answer 1

• Cyclone Nargis made landfall on 2nd May 2008, + struck Burma, affecting the Irrawaddy delta + surrounding low lying coastal areas

Question 2

Hazards from cyclone (1)

Answer 2

• cyclone formed multiple, powerful storm surges (large rises in sea lvl, caused by low pressure + high winds, pushing water towards coast), estimated to be 3.5-5m tall, + travelled up to 40km inland in some areas
  
  • this led to severe coastal flooding, as surge pushed seawater inland, resulting in 90-95% of buildings in delta being destroyed, w Irrawaddy delta taking most of damage, bc 2.5M ppl lived in flood prone homes that were only 10ft above sea lvl
  • also, flooding resulted in 146,000 deaths + caused damage estimated at $10M
  • also, flooding caused saltwater to inundate major rice fields, which destroyed harvests between 2008 + 2009

Question 3

Hazards from cyclone (2)

Answer 3

• Cyclone caused intense rainfall, in which >600mm of rain fell in only 3 days, which led to severe river floods
  
  • e.g. Irrawaddy river overflowed its banks, causing farmland + villages to flood, in which some areas were flooded for weeks bc of blocked drains slowing water retreat
• intense rainfall also triggered mass movements, inc landslides + mudflows in hilly areas of SE Burma, which led to destruction of homes + blocked transport routes in small settlements on unstable slopes

Question 4

Hazards from cyclone (3)

Answer 4

• cyclone created high winds of up to 215km/hr, w gusts >240km/hr in coastal + delta regions
  
  • this resulted in widespread destruction of infrastructure, in which 20% of buildings in Labutta had their roofs ripped off
  • also, it devastated agri, flattening crops (e.g. rice crops), + killing livestock from falling debris, + so led to food shortages

Question 5

Secondary impacts on lives + property

Answer 5

• coastal + river flooding led to food shortages + famine risk, in which >1.5M faced food insecurity, as saltwater inundated major rice fields
  
  • also, floodwaters mixed w sewage + dead bodies, contaminating water + resulting in disease outbreaks, like cholera
• cyclone also resulted in an estimated damage of $10B, as many sectors, such as farming + fishing, were lost

Question 6

Prediction + monitoring

Answer 6

• cyclone was successfully tracked by India Meteorological Department, using satellite imagery, which allowed warnings to be issued 48hr in advance
• despite this, Burmese gov failed to effectively communicate warnings to public, + so many underestimated risk + didn’t take action, bc of lack of prior experience, worsening impacts

Question 7

Preparedness

Answer 7

• Burma was unprepared bc had no recent experience w cyclones of this scale, thus lacked sufficient evacuation plans + public education ab risks of cyclones
  
  • this led to its high NO° of casualties, thus proving to be a social disaster, + so highlights need for improved cyclone warning systems + disaster education programmes in future

Question 8

Solutions to improve preparedness in future.

Answer 8

• to help mitigate impacts of future cyclones, hazard maps can be created to display areas most at risk
• this can be used to build infrastructure in, + move important buildings to, low flood risk areas
• also, houses could be built w evacuation plans, + contain emergency kits, however, bc of Burma’s lack of financial stability, it may struggle to invest in these preparation methods