Hazards of Tropical Cyclones (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

Revision Note

Jacque Cartwright

Written by: Jacque Cartwright

Reviewed by: Bridgette Barrett

Hazards of Tropical Cyclones

  • Tropical cyclones are hazards in themselves but the storm also produces specific physical hazards:

    • High winds up to 250km/h uprooting trees, damaging infrastructure, buildings, causing injury and loss of life

    • Intense rainfall leading to flash flooding, damaging property and injuring people from fast-flowing water

    • Storm surges from large areas of low pressure allowing the sea level to rise which, combined with high winds, forces a large mass of water towards land. This erodes beaches, damage sea defences and contaminates farmland and freshwater

    • Coastal flooding caused by intense rainfall and storm surges can affect large areas of low lying land including farmland and the tourist industry

    • Landslides are triggered because soil becomes saturated due to intense rainfall and in areas with steep slopes where the soil can no longer hold its position sliding down the slope

  • Primary effects are the immediate impacts of strong winds, high rainfall and storm surges

  • Secondary effects are the impacts that occur later on after the storm has passed

The Primary and Secondary Impacts of Tropical Storms

Primary Impacts

Secondary Impacts

Buildings and bridges are destroyed

People are homeless, causing distress, poverty, ill-health or death due to lack of shelter. Cost of rebuild 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/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 bringing the increased risk of water bore diseases and death

Rivers and coastal areas flooded

People drown or injured through 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

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Remember that the more settlements and businesses there are, the greater the impacts of the storm because there are more people and properties to be affected by a tropical storm. 

Vulnerability to Tropical Cyclones

  • Some countries are more socially, physically and economically vulnerable to tropical cyclones than others

 Vulnerability to Tropical Storms

Physical 

Economic

Social 

 Low-lying coastlines are vulnerable to storm surges, flooding and high winds

Low levels of development means lack of resources available to respond to storms or protect vulnerable areas from the worst impacts of storms. Also buildings tend to be of poorer build quality and easily damaged

Old and young people are more vulnerable as they are more likely to struggle evacuating. 

Areas where tropical storms form, are hit more frequently as they are in the path of the storm

Financial cost of repairs can be too much for some countries, some people may not have insurance

Lack of education, information, emergency planning and evacuation strategies can induce panic 

A high frequency of storms, leaves little time to recover from previous events

The cost of repairs for developed countries will be higher as the infrastructure and buildings are more complex and damage more intense

Health and well-being are impacted regardless of wealth, but poorer countries struggle to treat injuries and provide basic support

Steep slopes (high relief) increase the risk of landslides

Countries with high levels of development are less vulnerable due to accurate weather predictions, coastal defences to manage storm surges and evacuation procedures

Areas of poverty lead to poor construction of housing which is more easily damaged - regardless of level of development

Lack of infrastructure or accessibility to remote areas due to physical landscape

Harder to rescue people if infrastructure is damaged or is non- existent in some poorer countries

Poorer areas are less likely to have access to shelter, food, clean water and medical care

Worked Example

Explain why some countries are more vulnerable than others to the impacts of tropical cyclones.

(4 marks)

  • Lack of education (1) meaning people don’t know what to do. (1)

  • Lack of emergency planning (1) meaning when the event occurs there is little or no response in a short period of time (1)

  • Low level of economic development (1) meaning there is no resource available to respond (1) resulting in chaos and panic when the event occurs (1) and a lack of resource to rebuild (1) 

  • Some countries experience a high frequency of natural hazards (1) which means that they do not have enough time / money to respond sufficiently (1) so additional money needs to be spent on recovery (1) which limits opportunity for increasing the level of development (1)

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Jacque Cartwright

Author: Jacque Cartwright

Expertise: Geography Content Creator

Jacque graduated from the Open University with a BSc in Environmental Science and Geography before doing her PGCE with the University of St David’s, Swansea. Teaching is her passion and has taught across a wide range of specifications – GCSE/IGCSE and IB but particularly loves teaching the A-level Geography. For the past 5 years Jacque has been teaching online for international schools, and she knows what is needed to get the top scores on those pesky geography exams.

Bridgette Barrett

Author: Bridgette Barrett

Expertise: Geography Lead

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.