reduce the impact of a tropical cyclone
Data from satellites and radar tracks the movement of storms, computer models then predict the path the storm will take | Allows time for evacuation which will reduce the number of deaths and injuries. It also means people can protect their homes and businesses from strong winds and flooding | things that are built to protect people from the hazard | Design buildings with secure roofs which use reinforced concrete Raise buildings on stilts Build levees (along rivers) or sea walls along the coast | Buildings are less likely to be destroyed, so less people will die from collapsing buildings and falling debris Buildings will not be flooded This reduces the risk of flooding from overflowing rivers, or from storm surges |
having things in place before the event to better cope with the event | Teach people how to prepare properly, what to put in a survival kit (e.g. first aid kit, bottled water) and how to evacuate safely | People who know how to react are more likely to survive, as they will evacuate safely Survival kits can help those who are trapped to survive whilst waiting for help |
evaluate past events to find new solutions or identify improvements | Build new homes and businesses away from areas at risk, such as the coast Train emergency services on how to react to a storm Plan evacuation routes | Areas of poverty leads to poor construction of housing which is more easily damaged: regardless of level of development |
Worked example
Suggest one way that the government of a developing country could help its people cope with a tropical cyclone..
- Predict – monitor and track the storm so warnings can be given, (1) this gives people time to evacuate the areas that are most at risk. (1)
- Protection – build storm shelters so people have somewhere safe to go. (1) These would be raised of the ground and have strong windows and doors. (1)
- Build a sea wall (1) to protect against storm surges. (1)
- Build houses on silts, so homes are protected from the storm surge. (1)
- Planning – educate the people about tropical storms (1) so they know what to do if a storm hits. (1)
- Answer must relate to a developing country
Case Study: USA
- Hurricanes frequently occur between July and October in the USA
- North and South Carolina
- Miami in Florida is the most vulnerable city with a 16% risk of experiencing a hurricane in any year
- The high risk has led to a range of planning and preparation strategies
Forecasting and warnings
- Issues forecasts and warnings
- Produces educational materials to help people prepare and know what to do in the event of a hurricane
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) operates 17 satellites some of which provide weather forecasting data
- Forecasts are communicated via TV, radio and the internet
- These are able to track the path of the hurricane as well as predict wind speeds and storm surges
Evacuation plans
- Florida and many other areas have evacuation plans and risk zones created using hazard mapping which identifies the areas most at risk
Risk zones in the Miami area of Florida
- Hurricane warnings and evacuation orders are broadcast via TV, radio and online
- Evacuation routes are clearly sign posted
- The National Hurricane Centre runs a National Hurricane Preparedness Week each year to educate people regarding the risks and how they can prepare
Flood defences
- One of the main risks from hurricanes are storm surges
- Sea level rise
- The clearance of natural defences - coral reefs, sand dunes and mangroves - for development and agriculture
- The USA has invested in defences to reduce the impacts of storm surges
- Previously ideas such as sea walls and levees were seen as the best defences - a six mile sea wall along the Miami coastline has been proposed by the US Amy Corps of Engineers
- Layered coastal protection with dunes, coral reefs and mangroves
- Evacuation of people from at risk zones
- Search and rescue for people who are missing after the storm
- Provision of shelter, medical assistance, food and clean water
- Rebuilding and repair of buildings
- Repairing roads, rail, energy and water infrastructure
- Evaluate success of evacuation, forecasts and warning systems to improve them for future hurricanes
- Improve buildings to increase hurricane resistance
Hurricane Katrina
- A category 5 hurricane which made landfall near New Orleans on 23 August 2005
- Approximately 1800 people died
- Damage was estimated at up to US$145 billion
- Flooding led to 80% of the city being underwater
- Delays in rescuing people left in New Orleans
- Delays in getting food and clean water to those stranded in the city
- Failed to implement his flood plan
- Refused to use school buses to help evacuate people
- FEMA were criticised for the slow rate of response
- More people turned up at the Superdome a 'refuge of last resort' than expected which meant prepared supplies ran out rapidly
- Communication systems failed so people couldn't reach emergency call centres
Changes after Katrina
- Partnerships with private companies to ensure that communication systems do not fail
- Improvements in recruitment and staff training at FEMA
- Levees were rebuilt at a cost of $14 billion
- New evacuation plans to ensure people without transport are able to leave
Case Study : Philippines
- The location of the Philippines in south-east Asia makes it vulnerable to tropical cyclones
- The tropical cyclone season is from June to September
- It is perhaps the most vulnerable country in the world in terms of tropical cyclones being composed of many islands
- PAGASA the Philippines meteorological service issues weather forecasts and warnings
- These increase from 6 hourly to 3 hourly as the tropical cyclone approaches land
- PAGASA uses Japanese and Korean weather satellites for forecasting
- A storm surge warning system has also been developed
- Government has worked with translators to ensure warnings can be communicated effectively
Evacuation and planning
- Prior to typhoon Haiyan 750,000 people were evacuated
- There are evacuation routes in major urban areas
- Hazard mapping is used to identify areas most at risk
- A no build zone along the coast in Eastern Visayas
- Mangrove replanting
Typhoon Haiyan
- Typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) was one of the strongest ever-recorded tropical storm to hit the Philippines
- Landfall was on the 8th of November 2013
- Sea level rise (since 1900, has increased 20cm around the world) is a factor as higher seas are known to contribute to greater storm surges
- Over abstraction of groundwater has caused parts of the country to sink
The path of Typhoon Haiyan
Effectiveness of responses
- The storm was so large that nowhere was entirely safe
- Local governments in some areas failed to recognise the risks and did not order evacuations in vulnerable areas
- Emergency shelter was provided to over 500,000 households
- Three million people had received food assistance
- More than 35,000 people received shelter assistance
- In Tacloban City 80% of people had access to clean water
- There are many regional languages in the Philippines which meant warnings did not get to everyone
- The ' Build Back Better ' scheme ensured that houses were rebuilt to be more resistant to future storms
- The shelter response was underfunded and took longer to implement than expected
- Remote communities did not receive the help they needed due to poor distribution of aid
- In some areas such as northwest Leyte, there were increases in diarrhoea due to contaminated water supplies
In an 8 mark question you may be asked to assess the effectiveness of a country's preparation for, and/or response to, a tropical cyclone you must ensure that you consider the following:
- What the main methods of preparation in that country are
- Are they effective?
- What the main responses to a specific tropical cyclone were
- Were they effective?
If you just state the preparation and/or responses you will not be awarded the higher marks. The key word in the questions is assess.
You've read 0 of your 10 free revision notes
Get unlimited access.
to absolutely everything:
- Downloadable PDFs
- Unlimited Revision Notes
- Topic Questions
- Past Papers
- Model Answers
- Videos (Maths and Science)
Join the 100,000 + Students that ❤️ Save My Exams
the (exam) results speak for themselves:
Did this page help you?
Author: Bridgette
After graduating with a degree in Geography, Bridgette completed a PGCE over 25 years ago. She later gained an MA Learning, Technology and Education from the University of Nottingham focussing on online learning. At a time when the study of geography has never been more important, Bridgette is passionate about creating content which supports students in achieving their potential in geography and builds their confidence.
Skip to content
Get Revising
Join get revising, already a member.
Hurricane Katrina Case Study
My notes for the case study of hurricane katrina,2005.
- Created by: Jasveen
- Created on: 03-06-11 15:08
- Natural hazards Natural hazards
No comments have yet been made
Similar Geography resources:
Geography - Physical: Case Studies 3.0 / 5 based on 1 rating
Case Study 2 0.0 / 5
GCSE Geography Case study : Hurricane Katrina 0.0 / 5
Tropical Storm Case Study MEDC 0.0 / 5
AQA Geography A Unit 1 Case Studies 4.0 / 5 based on 1 rating
Hurricane/Coastal Flooding Case study 0.0 / 5
Climatic Hazards Revision 4.0 / 5 based on 1 rating
Geography topic 1 - natural hazards 0.0 / 5
Why do the effects of tropical storms vary between developing and developed countries 0.0 / 5
learning checklist 4.0 / 5 based on 1 rating
COMMENTS
Hurricane Katrina was an extremely destructive and deadly Category 5 hurricane. It made landfall on Florida and Louisiana, particularly the city of New Orleans and surrounding areas, in August 2005, causing catastrophic damage from central Florida to eastern Texas. Fatal flaws in flood engineering protection led to a significant loss of life in ...
This took over a month. The US Congress (government) allocated $62bn to be spent in aid helping feed and re-house the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The US federal and state governments have spent $20 billion rebuilding New Orleans' flood defence systems, with levees, gates, pumps and floodwalls. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the US ...
Katrina was one of the most intense Atlantic Basin hurricanes on record. By 29 August, some power was lost and it hit the coastline as a Category 4 event with sustained wind speeds of 145 mph (235 kph) plus stronger gusts. At 6.10 am on 29 August Katrina's second landfall was at Buras-Triumph, Louisiana.
View mindmap. The US government spent over $800 million on rebuilding flood defences. Around $34 billion has been set aside for the re-building of things like houses and schools. During the storm, coast guard, police, fire service, army and volunteers rescued over 50,000 people. Around 25,000 people were given temporary shelter at the Superdome.
This took over a month. The US Congress (government) allocated $62bn to be spent in aid helping feed and re-house the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The US federal and state governments have spent $20 billion rebuilding New Orleans' flood defence systems, with levees, gates, pumps and floodwalls. The severe effects of Hurricane Katrina were met ...
Causes: · Hurricane Katrina began as a very low pressure weather system, which strengthened to become a tropical storm and eventually a hurricane as it moved West and neared the Florida coast on the 25th August. · New Orleans is low lying land so the levees broke from the storm surge causing more damage. · High water temperatures in the gulf ...
Created on: 24-04-10 15:05. GCSE Geography Case study : Hurricane Katrina Word Document 1.49 Mb. Geography. Natural hazards Natural hazards. GCSE.
Hurricane Katrina Case Study: A-Level and GCSE Geography. Subject: Geography. Age range: 14-16. Resource type: Assessment and revision. File previews. pptx, 6.88 MB. 11 slide PowerPoint Presentation to act as a basic case study for Hurricane Katrina. Suitable for GCSE, AS and A-Level. Tes paid licence How can I reuse this?
Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall but what made it deadly was where it hit and the physical and human geography of that region. . At least 1,836 people died in the actual hurricane and in the ...
This is a GCSE lesson on effects of tropical cyclones using hurricane Katrina as a case study. Key facts about the lesson are: 1. The lesson first introduce students to some of the effects of hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons. Then it defines these effects as primary and secondary effects.
this contains 9 lessons on weather & climate including clouds, types of rainfall, variations in UK weather, reasons for differing weather in the tropics between deserts and rainforests, tropical storms a case study on drought in the Sahel and and in depth case study on Hurricane Katrina. This is aimed at GCSE or Year 9 but could be adapted for ...
2,400 businesses in New Orleans closed down or went bankrupt between 2005 and 2006. Hundreds of thousands became homeless and sewers overflowed and entered water supplies. The estimated total amount of damage was around $125 billion. In August 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit the US states of Mississippi and Louisiana.
case study. Particularly, hurricane Katrina was one of the most devastating hurricanes faced by the US in the last century and is the costliest one ever to be recorded. Katrina made landfall along the Central Gulf Coast in Louisiana on Aug 29, 2005, as a Category-3 hurricane with a windspeed of 125 MPH. It resulted in a storm
Revision notes on 1.2.3 Preparation for Tropical Cyclones for the Edexcel GCSE Geography: B (1GB0) syllabus, written by the Geography experts at Save My Exams. ... Hurricane Katrina. A category 5 hurricane which made landfall near New Orleans on 23 August 2005; ... 2.2.1 Case Study of the Development of an Emerging Country; 3. Challenges of an ...
How much did the repaired and improved flood defences for New Orleans cost (completed in 2013) ? 14.5 billion dollars. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like Why can tropical storms form near Louisiana and Mississippi?, Where did Hurricane Katrina initially form?, Where did the Hurricane move to? and more.
Hurricane Katrina was the largest natural disaster in the United States in living memory, affecting 92,000 square miles and destroying much of a major city. Over 1,800 people died and tens of thousands were left homeless and without basic supplies. Katrina evolved into a series of connected crises, with two basic causes.
Fullscreen. Hurricane Katrina. Mississipi and Louisiana, USA. August 2005. Primary Effects: More than 1800 people killed. 300 000 houses destroyed. Large areas were flooded - 80% of New Orleans. 3 million people left without electricity.
11 slide PowerPoint Presentation to act as a basic case study for Hurricane Katrina. Suitable for GCSE, AS and A-Level. ... Hurricane Katrina Case Study: A-Level and GCSE Geography Distance Learning. Previous Next. Luke's Study Shop. 0 Followers. Follow. Grade Levels. 9 th - 12 th, Higher Education, Adult Education, Homeschool.
Hurricane Katrina- Tropical Storm Case study. Hurricane Katrina is the costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall but what made it deadly was where it hit and the physical and human geography of that region.. At least 1,836 people died in the actual ...
Hurricane Katrina Case Study Word Document 33.94 Kb. Geography; Weather and climate Natural hazards; GCSE; AQA; Download. Save to favourites ... Geography - Physical: Case Studies. 3.0 / 5 based on 1 rating. Case Study 2. 0.0 / 5. GCSE Geography Case study : Hurricane Katrina. 0.0 / 5. Tropical Storm Case Study MEDC. 0.0 / 5. AQA Geography A ...
My notes for the case study of hurricane katrina,2005. 4.0 / 5 based on 11 ratings. Created by: Jasveen Created on: 03-06-11 15:08