Geography, Natural Hazards, Hurricanes

Background

• MEDC
• In the Mississipi Delta
• Mainly effected New Orleans, Lousiana,USA
• By American standards the city was poor
• In 2003 there was an estimated population of 469,032

• 23rd August, begins as a tropical depression over Bahamas, where ocean temps are 27 degrees or more
• 24th August, depression intensifies and is upgraded up to a Tropical Storm
• 25th August, strikes Florida, winds of 130 km/h, however it cools slightly and becomes less powerful
• It is then channeled up through the gulf of Mexico, the warm waters intensify it into cat. 5, with winds of around 290km/h
• When it hits lousiana it causes storm surges, bringing rain and gale force winds
• 4th most powerful recorded in Atlantic
• Self Perpetuating

Effects

• communications failed
• major roads damaged
• 1000 people killed
• Sanitary levels fell
• Affected oil production: stopped for 6months, destroyed platforms and refinaries

Responses

• Levees failed - built only to stop cat.3
• Rupture of defences caused millions of gallons to spill into the city
• Flooded businesses and housesw with 10ft
• Storm surges breached defences in 20 places
• Thefts
• Carjacking
• Many poorer people couldn't get out
• FEMA tried to provide food and water and help with rent

• near India, in asia, warm seas
• Wealth - 10-20% of world average
• 30-40% of pop have a safe water supply
• 10-25% of pop are illiterate
• health care - 10 -50 doctors per 100000 people
• 10-50 of every 100 people are employed in agriculture
• low lying delta area
• lss of mangroves to produce prawn farming, takes away a layer of protection

• The cyclone started as a tropical storm, due to the warm seas
• similarly to hurricane katrina, it was intensified by the bay of bengal
• The tidal surge was up to 12ft high

Short Term

• death
• loss of homes
• no food or water
• sickness
• wet, raining, muddy,
• 95% of homes destroyed
• powerlines down
• roads destroyed
• coastal areas flooded

Long Term Effects

• Homeless
• Long time to rebuild

• 7 day rations provided
• bedding and clothing
• Forein aid was eventually let in but too little too late for many
• water purifying
• international doctors brought in
• aid sent form UN

Umanitarian disaster

• military government wouldn't allow aid in