Impacts & Responses to Tropical Cyclones (Edexcel GCSE Geography A)
Revision Note
Written by: Jacque Cartwright
Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett
Impacts of Hurricane Sandy & Typhoon Haiyan
If a tropical cyclone makes landfall, it can have devastating impacts
These impacts are categorised as:
Primary impacts are caused by the tropical cyclone itself, as a result of strong winds, high rainfall and storm surges
Secondary impacts are caused by the primary impacts and occur later, after the storm has passed
The Primary and Secondary Impacts of Tropical Cyclones
Primary Impacts | Secondary Impacts |
|---|---|
Buildings and bridges are destroyed | People are homeless, causing distress, poverty, ill-health, or death due to a lack of shelter. The cost of rebuilding can be expensive and some people may not have insurance |
Roads, railways, ports, and airports are damaged | Blocked or destroyed roads prevent rescue and emergency vehicles and aid from getting through |
Electricity lines are damaged or destroyed | Life support systems, hospitals, shops and homes left without power supplies |
Gas lines broken | Risk of fires and explosions |
Sewage overflows | Clean water supplies contaminated, increasing the risk of waterborne diseases and death |
Rivers and coastal areas flooded | People are drowned or are injured by rushing water. Crops, livestock and habitats were destroyed, leading to a shortage of food and potentially famine |
Businesses destroyed | Economic impact to business owners and potential unemployment |
There are different social, economic and environmental impacts that tropical cyclones can have on countries, depending on their level of development
Impacts of Hurricane Sandy on the USA
Impacts | |
|---|---|
Social | Out of a total death toll of 150, 72 people were killed directly by the hurricane in the US Around 200,000 homes were destroyed, with New York declaring that 30–40,000 people were made homeless Electricity lines were damaged, affecting around 8 million residents and forcing many to evacuate their homes Schools were closed for days |
Economic | Estimated property damage of around US$65 billion. In New York City, economic losses were estimated at more than US$18 billion The government had to pay for diesel and petrol to be brought in as supplies ran out Loss of income from cancelled events: the New York Marathon had to be cancelled, impacting many businesses Businesses were lost due to the damage, with an estimated job loss of 30,000. Many businesses did not have insurance to cover floods and storm damage 15,000 flights were cancelled into New York and the East Coast airports disrupted trade both internally and internationally |
Environmental | 1.5 billion tonnes of untreated sewage from flooded areas around New Jersey and New York City contaminated the Raritan river The storm surge caused significant damage to coastal nature reserves such as the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware In parts of New Jersey, 10 meters of beach was lost, exposing the coast to future coastal erosion and damaging habitats 300,000 gallons of oil spilled into the New Jersey waterways when industrial sites were flooding |
Impacts of Typhoon Haiyan on the Philippines
Impacts | |
|---|---|
Social | 6201 people died, and 1.1 million homes lost More than 4 million people were displaced. Two months later, 21,000 families were still in 380 evacuation centres, waiting to be rehoused by the government in bunkhouses that needed to be built Casualties: 28,626 from lack of aid. The UN feared possibility of the spread of disease due to a lack of food, water, shelter and medication Overall, over 16 million people were affected |
Economic | Estimated at $13 billion, Tacloban city was decimated Major sugar and rice-producing areas were destroyed Between 50,000 and 120,000 tonnes of sugar and over 130,000 tonnes of rice were lost The government estimated that 175,000 acres of farmland was damaged (worth $85 million) |
Environmental | Loss of forests and trees, and widespread flooding Oil and sewage leaked into local ecosystems. Lack of sanitation in days following led to a higher level of pollution Coconut plantations were 'completely flattened' (coconut equates to nearly half of the Philippines agricultural exports and is the world's biggest producer of coconut oil) Fishing communities were severely affected |
Worked Example
For a tropical cyclone you have studied in named developing country, explain two social impacts.
(4 marks)
Answer:
One social impact of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines (1) was the high death toll of over 6000 people (1) and many more thousands were missing. A second social impact was the destruction of over a million homes, (1) leaving many people homeless. (1)
Responses to Hurricane Sandy & Typhoon Haiyan
Responses to tropical cyclones can come from
Individuals
Organisations
Governments
They can also be divided into immediate and long-term responses
The Immediate and Long-term Responses to Tropical Cyclones
Immediate Responses | Long-term Responses |
|---|---|
Evacuate people before the tropical storm arrives | Improve long-term forecasting techniques to give people more time to evacuate in the future |
Rescue people before the storm cuts people off from flooding and treat injured people | Provide aid, grants or subsidies to residents to repair and strengthen their properties |
Recover any dead bodies to reduce and prevent water- and air-borne diseases | Repair and improve flood defences (flood gates, levees, etc.). |
Set up temporary shelters for the homeless and post notices where they are being housed for missing family members | Repair homes or rehouse people who have lost their homes or been damaged |
Provide temporary supplies of power, food and water, and restore communication systems as soon as possible | Repair, replace and improve infrastructure |
Overseas aid may be sent in the form of workers, supplies, equipment or financial donations | Improve building regulations so that more buildings can withstand the impacts of tropical storms or change planning rules to restrict homes being built in risky areas |
Tech companies are encouraged to set up disaster response tools to let people confirm their safety, report damaged areas and be alert about risky areas | Encourage economic recovery in the area and encourage people to return with incentives or tax breaks |
Responses to Hurricane Sandy
Response | |
|---|---|
Individual | Residents evacuated The 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief with Bruce Springsteen and Bon Jovi Donations to the Red Cross Communities supported each other and helped with rescue and rebuilding Blood was needed and many people donated |
Organisational | Flight cancellations were put in place National park service closed at least five sections Power companies attempted to prevent long-term power failures by being prepared to repair storm damage and by having employees work longer hours American Red Cross provided 7,000 emergency shelters across the region Direct Relief provided medical supplies to support medical relief and recovery efforts FedEx transported medical supplies to affected areas for free |
Governmental | Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided 7,000 people to establish 65 Disaster Recovery Centres and gave over US$600 million in direct assistance to individuals impacted by the storm National Guard and U.S Air Force put as many as 45,000 personnel in at least seven states on alert for possible duty in response to the preparations and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy Closures and cancellations of activities in schools Metro services: rail and buses were cancelled US$50.5 billion Hurricane Sandy relief bill was passed through legislation to help rebuild and support victims New York set up a new local government office to support the rebuild |
Responses to Typhoon Haiyan
Responses | |
|---|---|
Individual | 'Cash for Work' schemes gave locals money to help clear the debris Money was donated towards the relief effort, although 5 days went by before any aid was received and only 20% of victims received aid An increased number of cyclone shelters have been built further away from coastal areas |
Organisational | The Philippines Red Cross delivered basic food aid, e.g. rice and canned food International aid agencies responded quickly with food, water and temporary shelters The UN donated financial aid, supplies, and medical support. The UN admitted its response was too slow amid reports of hunger and thirst among survivors Oxfam helped finance replacement of the fishing boats |
Governmental | The Philippines declared 'a state of national calamity' and asked for international aid the next day UK sent shelter kits to provide emergency shelter for a family The French, Belgians, and Israeli's set up field hospitals to help the injured US$475 million sent as aid and US sent 13,000 soldiers |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Always use facts and figures in your exams. The more detail you can add, the more marks you will gain.
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