Tropical storms case study

Question 1

Where did hurricane Katrina mainly impact?

Answer 1

New Orleans and the gulf coast

Question 2

What made New Orleans susceptible to the hurricane?

Answer 2

-Ranks 70/75 of major US cities for health
-Lower median household income then US average
-Much of New Orleans lies below sea level and is protected by levees
-High inequality, black neighborhoods most impacted

Question 3

Processes to Hurricane Katrina formation?

Answer 3

-Tropical depression on 23 august
-24 august turned into a tropical storm with gulf of Mexico and Bahamas well over 26.5 degrees
-Turned into a CAT 1 just before hitting Florida
-Once over the gulf, reached 280km/h and pressure of 902mb- CAT 5
-Made landfall in Louisiana and Mississippi on 29 august

Question 4

What hazards did Hurricane Katrina bring?

Answer 4

-280 km/h winds destroying roofs, power lines, trees etc.
-Storm surge of up to 6-9M along Mississippi coast overwhelming levees and flooding 80% of New Orleans
-Flood water remained for weeks with some areas experiencing up to 300mm of rain
-Outer bands of hurricane produced tornadoes

Question 5

What were some impacts of hurricane Katrina?

Answer 5

-80% of New Orleans flooded
-1800 deaths from delayed rescue and flooding
-1.5 million displaced
-100 billion in damages
-Oil spills polluting wetlands
-Coastal erosion
-Reduced trust in government

Question 6

What were some of the responses to hurricane Katrina?

Answer 6

-Residents used boats ‘Cajun Navy’ to rescue people
-Community shelters in churches and schools
-Intra-community decision making was strong, often going against authorities
-Mandatory evacuation order with police and firefighters conducting searches
-US coast guard and FEMA deployed

Question 7

What affected the vulnerability of those in Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 7

-Below sea level
-Communities near the Mississippi were more exposed experiencing upto 9m storm surge
-Urban areas removed natural storm surge protection
-High poverty rate
-High population density increased stress on services

Question 8

How was the US prepared for hurricane Katrina?

Answer 8

-Contraflow lanes to increase outbound capacity from New Orleans
-Mandatory evacuation ordered 24 hours before storm
-National Hurricane center gave accurate forecasts
-Louisiana super dome designated as shelter of last resort

Question 9

Why was the preparedness of hurricane Katrina criticised?

Answer 9

-No transport provided for the less well off
-100,000 had no car
-Levee system was inadequate
-FEMA was underfunded and poorly led

Question 10

What was the response for hurricane Katrina?

Answer 10

-US coast guard performed 33,000 rescues
-Helicopters airlifted survivors from roof
-Louisiana national guard was activated however a lot were in iraq at the time
-Field hospitals established
-Civilians with boats aided in rescue

Question 11

How was the recovery stage of the HMC for hurricane Katrina?

Answer 11

-FEMA provided 120,000 trailers for temporary housing across Louisiana and Mississippi
-250,00 residents fled to Houston, Texas
-Government allocated 120 billion in recovery funding
-14.5 billion overhaul of levee system
-Port restored within months as critical to US trade

Question 12

What were the criticisms of the recovery stage of the HMC for hurricane Katrina?

Answer 12

-Took 43 days to pump floodwater out of New Orleans
-Charity hospital used by low income residents never rebuilt
-Recovery was uneven between rich and poor neighborhood’s
-Population not restored to pre storm levels

Question 13

What was done in the mitigation stage of the HMC for hurricane Katrina?

Answer 13

-Systems of levees, floodwalls and pumping systems
-Some land use zoning
-Hurricane awareness programs
-Subsidized insurance for floods

Question 14

What were the criticism of the mitigation stage of the HMC for hurricane Katrina?

Answer 14

-Levee system only designed to with stand CAT 3
-Pumping station powered by electricity which was shut down with storm
-Underfunded levee system as money went to iraq war
-Only 40% had flood insurance

Question 15

Where did Typhoon Haiyan impact?

Answer 15

-Hit the Philippines in 2013 especially Tacloban and Samar

Question 16

What were some socio economics of the Phillipines?

Answer 16

-GDP per capita=$4300
-2023 HDI of 0.720 making it 117/193 countries
-High population density on coastal regions
-Badly built homes

Question 17

Processes of Typhoon Haiyan formation?

Answer 17

-Originated in western pacific ocean
-Developed into a tropical storm whilst moving westwards
-Typhoon intensity by 5 November
-By 6 November it was a CAT 5 super Typhoon with speeds over 250km/h
-Reached Philippines on the 7th destructing Tacloban
-After Philippines it went over Vietnam as a tropical storm and started dissipating

Question 18

What were the hazards of typhoon haiyan?

Answer 18

-315km/h winds at landfall
-gusts up to 380km/h
-600km wide with a 30-40km eye
-5 to 6M of storm surge in one area
-200 to 400mm of rain in a short time
-Urban flooding as drainage overwhelmed, contaminating water supplies
-Landslides in hilly areas of Samar

Question 19

What were the social impacts of typhoon Haiyan?

Answer 19

-6000 to 10000 deaths
-1,000 declared missing
-28,000 injured
-Over 2 million homeless and 6 million displaced
-Areas cut off as communication and power destroyed
-Disease and trauma

-Bodies were still being found in 2020

Question 20

What were the economic impacts of typhoon haiyan?

Answer 20

-$2.9 billion in damages
-Widespread looting as government collapsed

Question 21

What were the environmental impacts of typhoon haiyan?

Answer 21

-Contaminated farmland
-Oil spill after a barge ran aground

Question 22

What were the responses to typhoon haiyan?

Answer 22

-Uk supplied 200,000 tonnes of aid to Tacloban
-USA sent over 13,000 service personnel
-Make shift shelters built by community
-Curfews introduced to reduce looting
-Rebuilding of homes with better materials
-No build zones on the coasts up to 40 meters
-Cash for work programmes
-Increased mangrove density

Question 23

What hindered the responses to Typhoon haiyan?

Answer 23

-Damage to airport and roads
-Lack of communication

Question 24

What characteristics affected the vulnerability of the phillipines?

Answer 24

-Low lying coast
-Lots of islands making aid complicated
-The removal of mangroves
-High poverty and low insurance
-Dense settlements along coast

-Previous experience helped reduce vulnerability
-International aid was quick

Question 25

How did the Philippines prepare for the event of a typhoon?

Answer 25

-Warnings issued several days in advance -Timely forecast and guidance -Authorities ordered evacuation of 800,000 people -Military on standby -Pre positioning of emergency supplies

Question 26

What were the negatives of preparedness?

Answer 26

-Communication to rural areas was inconsistent -Storm surge was underestimated and inundated coastal areas -Evacuation building were also swept away as they were inadequate

Question 27

What did the Philippines do to respond to typhoon haiyan?

Answer 27

-State of national calamity to unlock emergency funding and powers -Military deployed however limited as they were also affected -Police deployed to stop looting -Search and rescue but ended up being body recovery -Red cross raised $1.1 billion -UN helped with funding, medical camps and disease prevention

Question 28

How did the Philippines recover from typhoon haiyan?

Answer 28

-Cash for work programmes to clear debris and stimulate economy -Mobile phone networks quickly restored -No build zones on coastlines but affected fishing communities -NGO's helped with home reconstruction -Asian development bank gave a 500 million loan -UNICEF provided temporary learning spaces

Question 29

Criticism of recovery in phillipines?

Answer 29

-Temporary shelters ended up staying for years -

Question 30

What was done in the Philippines to try mitigate typhoon Haiyan and other TS?

Answer 30

-Basic sea walls and coastal protection but not for 5-7 meters -National building codes including requirements for wind resistance -Evacuation centres -Hazard mapping and risk zoning for storm surge -National disaster risk financing and insurance to help for recovery -Public education and awareness culturally embedded due to frequency

Question 31

What negatively impacted mitigation attempts in the phillipines?

Answer 31

-Evacuation centres not adequate for high storm surge -Urban drainage was poorly maintained -Low utilisation of insurance as Philippines is a LIC -Reduction of mangroves and deforestation led to less waves being absorbed