Natural Hazard- case studies

Question 1

what were the causes of the somerset level floods in 2014

Answer 1

• a quick succession of prolonged atlantic storms with persistant rainfall and strong winds was the primary reason (350 mm of rainfell in december, 10 mm above average)
• rivers could not cope with amount of rain
• high tides and strom surges swept water up the rivers from bristol channel so prevented water from reaching sea
• less dredging of river channels leading up to 2014 so channels had risen due to sediment accumulation so reduced capacity of rivers
• land changed to farming so it is less able to retain water, causing it to run over the surface, not absorbed

Question 2

what were the impacts of the somerset floods

Answer 2

social= over 600 homes evacuated and 16 farms evacuated resulting in requiring tempoparay accommodation, moorland and village cut off after roads flooded , power supplies cut off during low temperatures
economic= cost of flood damage was over £10 million, 14,000 hectares flooded for 3 to 4 weeks, 1000 live stock evacuated, £ 1 million lost by local businesses, railway and main roads closed
environmental= contamination of flood water by sewage and chemicals, large amounts of debris left so needed to be cleaned, soil was damaged after being underwater. took over 2 years to restore soil before crops could be grown

Question 3

what were the immediate responses of the somerset flood

Answer 3

• warnings given to protect property
• rescue boats used to help stranded people
• army sent in with specialist equipment
• 65 pumps used to drain 65 million m3 of floodwater
• £15 m to meet immediate costs of protecting lives and properties

Question 4

what were the long term responses of somerset floods

Answer 4

• river banks raised and reintorduced dredging, constructing a tidal barrage and additional pumping stations
• scheme is a 20 yr plan for somerset and will total £100 million

Question 5

what was the background of typhoon haiyan

Answer 5

• category 5 typhoon hit phillipines, close to tacloban
• 8th november, 2013 at 4.30 am
• 195 mph winds

Question 6

what were the primary effects of typhoon haiyan

Answer 6

• 6190 people died, 29000 injured
• 90% of tacloban destroyed
• 14.1 million people affected
• 30,000 fishing boats destroyed
• 400mm of rain fell over few days- caused flooding
• 1.1 million homes damaged

Question 7

what were the secondary effects of typhoon haiyan

Answer 7

• infection and disease spread due to contaminated water
• looting and violence broke out in tacloban
• power supplies cut off for months in some areas
• flooding caused landslides which slowed relief efforts
• morgues became overwhelmed so mass burials for thousands to limit spread of disease
• 6 million people lost source of income

Question 8

what were the immediate responses of typhoon haiyan

Answer 8

• 1200 evacuation centres set up to help homesless
• canada and usa provided military aircrafts to help search and rescue
• 1 million food packs and 250,000 litres of water disturbed
• 11.5 billion of foreign aid pledged

Question 9

what were the long term responses of typhoon haiyan

Answer 9

• cash for work programme paid people to clear debris and rebuild tacloban
• oxfam replaced fishing boats,recovering a vital sector
• build back better intended to upgrade damaged buildings to protect from future disasters
• rice farming and fishing quickly reastablished

Question 10

what was the background of nepal earthquake (LIC)

Answer 10

• 25th april
• magnitude 7.9
• destructive plate margin
• GDP is 109th out of 193 countires

Question 11

what were the primary effects of nepal earthquake

Answer 11

• 3 million people left homeless
• 1.4 mill needed for food,water and shelter
• 9000 people died and 20,000 injured, overall 8 million people affected
• 7000 schools destroyed and hospitals overwhelmed
• cost of damage over $5 billion
• 2 million people without clean water and sanitation

Question 12

what were the secondary effects of nepal earthquake

Answer 12

• triggered avalanche which left 250 people missing, 18 died
• mountain roads blocked by landslides preventing emergency aid reaching remote areas
• did not cause a tsunami
• lack of clean water caused outbreaks of typhus, killed 13 people

Question 13

what were the immediate responses of the nepal earthquake

Answer 13

• search and rescue teams sent by india and china to help people trapped by debris but lack of tools made efforts slow
• oxfam provided medicine, food and temporary water supplies
• red cross