Hazards of Tropical Cyclones (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)
Revision Note
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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