case studies

USA (MEDC) North America, New Orleans

formed over the atlantic ocean and made it's way over port of florida, back on the ocean, up through mississipie and alabama , through tennese and finally through kenturkey. it lost it's strength; there was no more warm water.

primary effects- 1800 killed, storm surge and heavy rain flooded the city, by 31st august 80% of the city was under 3m of water, buildings were extensively damaged-300000, 1m were homeless, no clean water, food or toilet facilities, communications networks failed and local tv stations were disrupted, 1.7m people without electricity, most major roads and 2 major bridges were damaged, and coastal habitats destroyed and eroded.

secondary effects-  nearly everyone in new orleans lost their jobs- 23000, drowned bodies were a health risk, many suffered emotionally losing family, friends and homes, looting and disorder became serious problems, about 13% of the population had not returned home 5 years later, repair and construction cost= $10.5 billion, oil and natural gas production and imports were affected, prices for oil and petrol rose.

how it was managed- most of management and aid in response to hurricane katrina came from within the USA (internal federal aid). the storm was predicted by the national hurricane centre and the gave a very accurate plot of hurricanes track and expected landfall. this allowed evacuation, but many people were left behind and many refused to move. had FEMA preparations that ranged from logistical supply deployments to a mortuary team with refrigerated trucks.

options for future- flood defences were left in tatters, they failed due to poor design, bad construction and poor maintenance. levees and floodwalls have now been repaired and strengthened, floodgates have been built and pumping stations improved.

Irrawaddy Delta, Myanmar (Burma), Asia (south east)

Myanmar was hit by cyclone nargis on the 2rd of may 2008, was one of the most powerful storms in history, high winds, heavy rainfull, storm surge.

causes- warm ocean water, the air warms up and rises quickly, creates low pressure, which sucks in the air from the trade winds, humid air forms storm cloud.

primary effects- 140,000 deaths, 2.4 million effected, 95% of buildings in the Irrawaddy Delta destroyed, over 2 million homeless, transport links swept away, power lines down.

secondary effects- cost of rice increased by 50%, $10 billion needed to rebuild, damaged agricultural land caused crop failure, disease spread, stress and trauma from family deaths.

affected- poor farming population that live in the low lying Irrawaddy Delta, aid workers who were not welcomed into the country.

responses- preparation was limited as it was costly, charities around the world and launched appeals to help, goverment was slow to accept help and respond, 10 days after aid had only been given to 1/3 of the population, the army harrassed volunteers, aid was not distributed evenly or effectively.

future- allow mangrove forests to regrow for a natural barrier against storm surges.

pressure built up at conservative boundary between the caribbean plate and the gonave platelet, there was a shallow focus and the epicentre was very close to the capital city so shaking was much more violent.

primary effects- 230,000 deaths, 300,000 injured, 1.5 million people left homeless, roads and bridges destroyed, 20,000 businesses lost, $10 billion of damage, schools and hospitals damages.

secondary effects- rebuilding is harder as power lines are down, months of sleeping on the streets, many don't have basic food supplies or clothes, looting and violence, daamged water supplies increases the risk of disease, stress and trauma.

affected- as people left to go and stay with family disease spread across the city, goverment were also affected as businesses were lost and it was expensive and took a long time for repairs.

how it was resolved-Hati issued a plea to world leaders, the UK send rescue teams, the USA sent 100,000 troops, oxfam handed out food, george clooney organised a TV charity night, simon cowell produced a charity single, the public donated millions.

hati response- dig out survivors, collect dead bodies, help charities to rebuid

future- goverment debated rebuilding the capital away from the plate boundary and requested help from richer countries to build stronger homes.

the shaking lasted for 5 minutes, the epicentre was 100km off the coast under 6km of water. it was caused by the sudden release of pressure which had built up on the boundary.

primary effects- 95% of buildings were destroyed, 10,000 people,  were missing and the entire town was wiped off the map, Train lines were severely damaged, The death toll has reached a staggering 15,850 deaths with 6,011 injured and 3,287 missing according to the National Police Agency. shaking was so intense that it caused liquefraction.

secondary effects-  tsumani, nuclear disaster.

tsumani- there were two particuallly powerful waves, they were caused by the earthquake but were not direct earthquake effects. it caused many deaths, 10,066 confirmed dead, 17,452 still missing, presumed dead. wave hit he coast within 5 and 20 minutes, they expect tsumanis in the area and have sea walls, evacuation procedures, however the wave was much bigger than expected.

this happened as the: land had sunk due to the earthquake, the deep water in some places failed to slow the water down, the inlet tunnled the water, the man-made structures, especially buildings concentrated the flow of water.

tsumani was so damaging as it carried debris, it had backwash effect and dragged alot of debris and people back out to sea.

nuclear disaster- the fukushima nuclear power plant is on the coast and allows the seawater to be used for cooling. it was shut-down when the earthquake struck, however there is a constant need for the nuclear fuel to cool, so diesal generators kicked in but it turned off. the fuel heated up and there were loadsof explosions and release of radiation.

radiation could have a huge impact on- ecosystems, farming and fishing products that the local economy relies on, and increases the risk of a variety of cancers.

wateraid is working to help communities in 3 ways- provide clean water (tapstands, ropewells), improve sanitation (latrines and toilet blocks), and develop hygiene education.

a water network is being constructed. training and education of basic hygiene revolving, low-cost credit schemes have also been introduced which enable women to buy buckets with lids to prevent water from contamination.

why is it happening?- to reduce unnecessary and preventable deaths, to allow girls/women to go to school, to train local people to manage and maintain their own development in the long run.

effects-  socially:death rates reduced. due to diarrhoea e.g education to wash hands with soap after the loo & before eating. people with new skills and are empowered by building and maintain their own schemes. extra income spent on diet, childrens education. enviromentally: toilet waste being used as fertiliser. it can then break down and increase crop yeild, reducing pressure on the laand and deforestation, land degradation. economically: schemes are finanaced/sourced locally, so there are not huge costs to maintain schemes. allows improved yeilds meaning greater disposable incomes/spending leading leading to LT development.

who is affected?- locals: DR decreases, yeilds and income increase government- higher taxes (to develop country further e.g. education, health care).

how to be managed- by locals: with help from wateraid they train and educate locals to lead their own development. which empowers the locals and increases success of schemes.

options for future- maintain work to reach more of the population in the most remote parts. offer micro-loans to broaden base of economy e.g. small-scale manufacturing.

what is happening?- vietnamese government have tried to attract more nike production to help develop their economy more quickly. nike welcomes this as it can decrease their prodution costs in countries where wages are lower.

why is it happening/changing?- nike has chosen to locate partnerships with factories where it can make higher profits. production costs are lower. vietnam is on the main trade routes from eastern asia (china, korea, japan) by container ship to europe.

effects- socially: creates substantial employment in vietnam; improves the skills base of the local population; th ecompany image and it's advertising, may help undermine national culture; there are concerns about the political influence of nike and other MNC's. economically: pays higher wages than most local companies; the success of a global brand has helped to attract other MNCs to vietnam; exports are a positive contribution to the balance imports and exports; and nikes contribution to local tax base helps pay for improvements to infrastructure. however investmement could be transferred quickly. enviromentally: urban sprawl, river & air pollution.

who is affected?- workers, government, Nike

what is happening?- relief, land-use, river features.

why is it happening?- steep valley sides in upper course= rapids and waterfalls, addition of tributaries incresaes river size, flatter land in lower coarse= meanders and building developments on flood plain, wide tidal estuary=mud flats and sand banks adapted to suit the needs of heavy industry and shipping, building dams, irrigation schemes, widening or straightening river channels, river adapted for human use.

effects- changes to any part of the drainage basin may affect the natural flow of the river within it and changing one part of the river system may have significant effects on other parts. increased demand for water for agriculture, industrial and residential use.

who is affected?- habitats, enviroment, industry.

how can it be managed? by whom?- the enviroment agency, government.

what are the options for the future?- ensure demand for water is met by careful management of it, control water flow to ensure sustainability

what i happening or changing?- couples in urban areas were only allowed one child to control rapid population growth. there were exemptions, rural areas, multiple births, disabilities, mixed race parents.

why is it happening/changing?- before 1979 couples were encouraged to have lots of children to increase food production and build a strong army. the population was increasing too rapidly, as a result there was a famine and the population was considered unsustainable.

effects- birth rate slowed, population growth now about 0.7%, increase of abortions particularly in girls, abortion rates incresaed mainly of girls, gender imbalance, more males than females, spoilt children, huge pressure on one child to look after 4 grandparents fewer economically active to support an elderly population, people who followed the policy were rewarded with free healthcare, education for their children, benefits and priority housing.

affected- couples, rural families, children, families.

managed by whom?- chinese government, couples, individuals.

future options- the policy slowed the population growth rate in china. couples can now have more than one child.