Hurricanes II Lecture Notes PDF

Hurricanes II Hurricane Dorian's eye seen from the International Space Station. © Maureen Padden  The People Factor Survey results taken during Hurricane Sandy warnings: 90% made some preparations (extra...

Hurricanes II Hurricane Dorian's eye seen from the International Space Station. © Maureen Padden  The People Factor Survey results taken during Hurricane Sandy warnings: 90% made some preparations (extra water, gas in cars) 50% of people who owned storm shutters put them up 20% of people under evacuation orders planned to go Most thought the winds would cause most damage, not ooding ©McGraw-Hill Education © Maureen Padden fl  Wind speed plus speed of storm Wind speed minus Wind speed speed of storm © Maureen Padden  A Hurricane’s Differing Wind Speeds Greater wind speeds are on the side of the storm where: Rotation is in same direction as forward motion. Lesser wind speeds are on the side of the storm where: - in the northern hemisphere, highest Rotation is in opposite direction as forward motion. wind speeds and largest storm surges observed in the N or NE quadrant © Maureen Padden  Storm Surge Location Relative to Eye of Hurricane Storm surge highest to right of eye as it hits land because wind speed highest © Maureen Padden © Maureen Padden © Maureen Padden  Hurricane Katrina - original settlement above sea level - subsidence of New Orleans - sits in bowl up to 7 meters below Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River The engineered levee and ood control system had been designed to handle hurricanes of a Category 3 strength. © Maureen Padden fl  New Orleans Between Lake Pontchartrain and Gulf of Mexico - sits in bowl up to 7 meters below Lake Pontchartrain and Mississippi River © Maureen Padden On course for New Orleans, Hurricane Katrina strengthened to a category 5 storm; however, it made landfall on August 29th as a Category 3 storm. © Maureen Padden Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans’ Failed Levee © Maureen Padden Source: Jocelyn Augustino/FEMA  Planning and Evacuation - majority of people complied with evacuation orders - many residents, predominately in very poor neighborhoods, did not - many of these people did not have transportation or the necessary nances. © Maureen Padden fi  Planning and Evacuation - few buses were sent for the estimate 100,000 people without access to transportation - main evacuation centres (Superdome and Convention Center) did not have adequate resources for the number of residents who took shelter there. © Maureen Padden Much of the damage was caused by storm surge that raised the level of Lake Pontchartrain and the canals that typically drain water from the city. Twelve major breaches to levees drowned portions of the city below 4 metres of water. The pumps that lift water out of the city failed. © Maureen Padden © Maureen Padden Relief to survivors did not come quickly. People waited up to 4 days for food, water and medical supplies. - water contaminated by oil spills, trash and human bodies - hospitals treated many people with gastrointestinal problems and dehydration - mould grew rapidly in buildings that had been submerged © Maureen Padden  Death and Losses 1,836 con rmed deaths due to Hurricane Katrina More than 1 million displaced 39% of those who died were older than 75 years. New Orleans faced considerable nancial crises including loss of businesses, and loss of tax base to pay teachers, police and other city employees. Less than ½ of residents had ood insurance. © Maureen Padden fi fl fi  Hurricane Maria (2017) Devastated Dominica Maria struck Dominica as a category 5 hurricane. No electricity, clean water, or communications 31 people died. Tourism-based economy lay in ruins. Dominica’s slow recovery: Widespread poverty Inaccessibility © Maureen Padden  Hurricane Maria (2017) Devastated Puerto Rico Maria struck Puerto Rico as a category 4 hurricane. Damage in Puerto Rico: No electricity, clean water, or communications Fatalities rose due to heat and no medical access. Nearly 3,000 people died. Tourism-based economy lay in ruins. © Maureen Padden  Puerto Rico’s Slow Recovery from Hurricane Maria (2017) Power was not fully restored a year after the hurricane. 283 schools closed: Enrollment dropped due to slumping economy. Families emigrated to mainland United States. Puerto Rico’s slow recovery: Widespread poverty Inaccessibility © Maureen Padden  Indian Ocean and Southern Hemisphere Cyclones Ganges River delta and Bay The track of Cyclone Bhola (1970) of Bengal are high-risk areas. Cyclone Bhola (1970) killed over 600,000 people. Cyclones in later years killed hundreds of thousands. Millions at risk due to few resources and poor logistics. © Maureen Padden  Bay of Bengal Many inhabited islands Low-elevation farmlands Bay narrows northward, thus concentrates cyclone energy Storm surge is especially high during high tide. © Maureen Padden