A2 Weather and Climate

A2 Weather and Climate

The Facts:

• Must have wind speeds over 74mph
• Form over warm oceans with a temperature of 27degrees C
• As hot air rises it turns to vapour causing heat  so the air is forced upwards spiraling
• Fuel = warm tropical oceans and seas
• Movement can be predicted but not stopped
• Can die off on colder water and on land
• Form in 7 areas of the world
• Requires a sustained heating over a wide area with sea level depths of over 50-70 meters
• In order to move their must be a large moisture supply to provide latent heat released by condenstation
• Has an eye of 30-50km in diameter with clear skies and high temperatures
• Average life span is 7 to 14 days

Background:

• 23rd August 2005
• Source - Bahamas
• Speed - 280km/h (max)

Social Effects:

• Took weeks for water and power supplies to be restored
• Thousands homeless
• Water flood depths of 20 ft
• Most valuable and vunurable saved first
• Food and water supplies lacked
• Road Destruction - Aid distribution problems
• Dehydration

Economic Effects:

• Looting from storm struck shops
• Repair costs very high

Enviromental Effects:

• 90% of housing destroyed in Mississippi
• 80% of New Orleans underwater
• Bridges, roads, railway lines destroyed
• Holes formed in dams
• Burst Leeves- Increased flooding

Political Effects:

• Bush called for police to: 'Shoot to kill any looters'
• New Orleans mayor ordered the complete evacuation of the town
• People felt let down by the goverment

Background:

• 27th April 2008
• Made landfall on May 2nd (on the Irraddy Delta)
• Originally tracked to go over Bangladesh so farmers advised to speed up crop harvest.
• Air pressure dropped to 962mb
• 180mph winds

The Clean Up:

• Lack of clean up by goverment
• Refused international aid for first few eeks
• Temporary shelters
• Racial discrimination
• 2 weeks after disaster 50 indian medical staff accepted in to help
• =Forced relocation
• Forced Labour
• Army arrested some of those who tried to help others

Effects:

• 600mm of rain
• 146,000 dead or missing
• 10mn USD of damage
• Entire coast flooded (2 million live on land under 5 meters above sea level)
• 10,000+ orphans
• Some towns lost 90% of housing and 70% of population
• Soil became to salty so rice crops failed
• 2.5mn made homeless
• Junta (army) refused aid
• Only got aid 2 weeks later from selected countries only like India, Bangladesh etc
• Population displeased with how the government dealt with the situation
• Aid had only reached 25% of population 2 weeks after the storm