Preparation for Tropical Cyclones (Edexcel GCSE Geography B)

Preparation for Tropical Cyclones

• Level of preparation depends on accurate forecasting and then communications but also level of development

• Developed countries are able to spend money on preparation and high-tech systems of prediction and notification

• Developing countries may find it difficult to buy satellites and monitoring systems or communicate the information to people likely to be affected

• The 4 P's are used to manage tropical cyclones: prediction, preparation, protection and planning (for the future)

• These aim to:

  • Save lives

  • Protect personal property and infrastructure

Case Study: USA

• Hurricanes frequently occur between July and October in the USA

• The Atlantic coast is the area most at risk including the states of:

  • Florida

  • Texas

  • Georgia

  • 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

• The National Hurricane Centre is based in Miami

  • 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

• 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

• Coastal areas are more vulnerable for two main reasons

  • 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

• The plan is now under review and another proposal is preferred by residents:

  • Layered coastal protection with dunes, coral reefs and mangroves 

Responses

• Immediate responses include:

  • 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

• Longer term responses include

  • 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 

• The levees built to protect New Orleans were breached in a number of places

  • Flooding led to 80% of the city being underwater

• There were many criticisms of the government response including:

  • Delays in rescuing people left in New Orleans

  • Delays in getting food and clean water to those stranded in the city

  • The Mayor Ray Nagin:

    • 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

Forecasting and warnings

• PAGASA the Philippines meteorological service issues weather forecasts and warnings

• When a tropical cyclone is forecast PAGASA issues Tropical Cyclone Bulletins

  • 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 

Flood defences

• 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

Effectiveness of responses

Short term

• Some evacuation allowed people to move from the most dangerous areas

  • 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 coordination was well funded and established quickly

  • Emergency shelter was provided to over 500,000 households

• Distribution of emergency supplies meant that within four weeks

  • 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

Long term

• The 'Build Back Better' scheme ensured that houses were rebuilt to be more resistant to future storms

• Four months later 900,000 people were still displaced, with 17,000 still living in evacuation centres

  • 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