Storm Hazard: Case Study Flashcards
(19 cards)
Describe the background info of hurricane Katrina
South East USA
Formed in Bahamas and moved North west and struck Louisiana and Mississippi.
Winds of 200 km/h
Storm surge of 8.5km in Mississippi
How did the storm surge of hurricane Katrina affect New Orleans?
Heavy rainfall overwhelmed levees and caused 80% of the city to flood.
What were the social impacts of hurricane Katrina?
- 1836 killed
- 300,000 houses destroyed
- 3 million without electricity
- 5 died due to contaminated water
What was the economic impacts of Hurricane Katrina?
- 230,000 jobs lost from damaged businesses.
- 5300km^2 of forest destroyed causing $5 billion lost income from logging.
Cost of damage: $300 billion.
What were the environmental impacts of Hurricane Katrina?
- Coastal conservational areas destroyed (Breton National Wildlife refuge)
- Flooding damages caused oil spills
Was America able to predict hurricane Katrina?
Yes, the National Hurricane Centre predicted the hurricane and issued warnings on where and when it would hit.
How did FEMA prepare for Hurricane Katrina?
-US Coast Guard prepared helicopters and boats for affected areas.
-Mandatory evacuation: 80% of New Orleans evacuated before hurricane hit land.
What does FEMA stand for?
Federal Emergency Management Agency
What was the response of FEMA after the hurricane had passed?
- Shelters set up (26,000 sheltered).
- Coastguard rescuers 50,000 people.
- Search and Rescue teams.
- Charities collected $4 billion aid.
Describe the background info on Cyclone Nargis.
Storm formed in Bay of Bengal and
approached Myanmar (one of least developed countries in the world).
What was the wind speed of cyclone nargis?
215mph
What was the height of the storm surges caused by cyclone nargis?
5m
What was the wind speeds of hurricane Katrina?
200km/h
What was the storm surge height of hurricane Katrina?
8.5m
What were the social impacts of cyclone nargis?
-140,000 killed.
-2.5 million left homeless
-70% had no access to clean water which leads to disease.
What were the economic effects of cyclone nargis?
- 6000km^2 agricultural land damaged.
- 40% of food stores destroyed
- Million lost their livelihoods.
Total cost = US$ 4 billion
What were the environmental impacts of cyclone nargis?
-Mangrove forests destroyed.
-Flooding caused erosion and salinisation.
Was Myanmar prepared for cyclone nargis?
No they don’t have a hurricane monitoring centre. India warned them soo Myanmar issued warning on television but they didn’t say how soon it would be or how to prepare or evacuate.
Did Myanmar accept foreign aid?
Initially they refused, but accepted aid donations from organisations like UN refugee agency and charities.
Aid workers were not allowed into the country until 2 weeks after the disaster increasing the number of deaths.
