Hurricane. Perspectives on Storm Disasters

58 Pages·2014·4.682 MB·English

by  Andrew Langley

DISASTER DOSSIERS

Hurricane

Perspectives on storm disasters
DISASTER DOSSIERS
Hurricane
Perspectives on storm disasters
Andrew Langley
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Contents
Dossier : HUrriCANe sANDY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
DeADLY sTorM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
iN THe DisAsTer ZoNe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Dossier : sANDY's iMPACT oN NorTH AMeriCA . . . . . 18
THe eMerGeNCY serViCes reACT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Dossier : HoW To sUrViVe A HUrriCANe . . . . . . . . . . .26
TeLLiNG THe WorLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28
Dossier : THe BHoLA CYCLoNe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
sCieNTisTs AT Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Dossier : HUrriCANe kATriNA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
reCoVerY AND reCoNsTrUCTioN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42
Dossier : HUrriCANe MiTCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46
WHAT HAVe We LeArNeD? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .48
TiMeLiNe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
GLossArY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
FiND oUT More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
iNDex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
Some words are printed in bold, like this. You can find out
what they mean by looking in the glossary.
DOSSIER:
HURRICANE SANDY
Hurricane Sandy was one of the biggest and deadliest Atlantic storms ever
recorded, killing at least 147 people. It lasted just 10 days, from 22 October
to 31 October 2012. Building in the Caribbean, Sandy swept northwards,
causing wind damage, flooding and death in Jamaica, Cuba, Hispaniola
and other islands. Then the hurricane landed on the north-eastern coast
of the United States, its full force hitting the states of New Jersey and New
York. Besides the ferocious winds, it created a massive surge of water, which
flooded much of New York City. Hurricane Sandy brought mayhem to 24 US
states, as well as parts of eastern Canada.
CANADA 8:00 a.m. Fri This map shows the track of
MN Hurricane Sandy northwards from
WI NY the Caribbean to its landfall in
MI New York City
IA PA 8:00 a.m. Thu the north-eastern United States
IL IN OH MD 8:00 a.m. Wed and eastern Canada.
KS MO KY WV VA 8:00 a.m. Tue ATLANTIC OCEAN
NC
OK TN
AR SC 8:00 a.m. Mon Even giant tankers were helpless
MS AL GA against the storm surge. Many
TX LA 8:00 a.m. Sun
were swept onto the coast and
FL
8:00 a.m. Sat left grounded.
THE BAHAMAS
8:00 a.m. Fri
Gulf of Mexico
CUBA 8:00 a.m. Thu
HAITI DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
2:00 p.m. Wed Caribbean Sea
JAMAICA
4
QUICK FACTS
WIND SPEEDS: highest wind speed in Caribbean: 184 km (114 mi.) per
hour over Cuba. Highest speed over US land: 128 km
(80 mi.) per hour
TOTAL AREA CROSSED: 5.18 million sq. km (2 million sq. mi.)
DEATHS: 285 (138 of these were from disease and other causes)
HOMES DESTROYED: 1,025,000 (of these, 650,000 were in the United States)
TOTAL COST: estimated at $72 billion, making Sandy the second
costliest Atlantic hurricane, after Katrina in 2005
HURRICANE SANDY TIMELINE
22 OCTOBER
A tropical depression (area of low air pressure) forms in the south-western
Caribbean Sea. By 5.00 p.m. it has grown into a tropical storm, named Sandy.
24 OCTOBER
Sandy strengthens into a Category 1 hurricane, with winds of up to 128 km (80 mi.)
per hour and moves north. It causes massive damage in Jamaica, and floods in Haiti
and the Dominican Republic.
25 OCTOBER
Now a Category 2 hurricane, Sandy crosses eastern Cuba, damaging many houses
and killing 11 people
26 OCTOBER
The hurricane tracks across the Bahamas, bringing more devastation
27 OCTOBER
Sandy briefly weakens to a tropical storm before strengthening again to Category 1.
It turns north towards the US coast.
28 OCTOBER
The hurricane meets a cold weather system, which creates more energy and it starts
to change into a superstorm
29 OCTOBER
Sandy makes landfall, striking New Jersey and New York. Its huge storm surge
causes extensive flooding, while the winds fell trees and buildings.
5
Deadly storm
A hurricane like Sandy is one of the
most gigantic and powerful natural
The power of nature
events on Earth. This mass of rainclouds,
thunderstorms and high winds may cover “A tropical cyclone
an area of many hundreds of square [hurricane] releases
kilometres. The mass rotates around a energy equivalent to a
central point called the eye. This is a hydrogen bomb explosion
calm area, usually about 32 kilometres (20 every minute of its
miles) wide, with much lighter winds. existence! These gigantic
vortices [spirals] are
The winds outside the eye may reach
responsible for more
speeds of more than 250 kilometres (155 death and destruction
miles) per hour, enough to snap trees and than any other natural
destroy buildings. The clouds drop vast event.”
amounts of rain, creating flash floods. John Whittow, British expert on
Wind and rain can also combine with geography and earth sciences
tides to produce a storm surge, pushing
huge waves onto coastlines.
Eye
T
h
u
n
d
e
r
cl Low-pressure
ou area
ds
Descending cold air
Ocean
Rising warm, moist air
Hurricane winds This diagram shows the structure
of a hurricane. Warm, moist air
Wind direction spirals up in the centre of the
6 storm system, and cold air rushes
in to fill the gap below.
Speeding up: from depression to hurricane
Type Wind speed
Tropical depression less than 61 km (38 mi.) per hour
Tropical storm 63–117 km (39–73 mi.) per hour
Hurricane 119 km (74 mi.) per hour or more
Major hurricane 170 km (111 mi.) per hour
(There are also different categories of hurricanes – see page 35.)
A hurricane is born
Hurricane Sandy’s short and deadly life began in the same way most
Atlantic Ocean hurricanes begin life. A long, thin region of low air pressure
(see box below) moves out of the tropical region of the Atlantic east of the
Caribbean. This is called a tropical depression, and it contains clouds and
thunderstorms. The ocean warms this air, causing it to rise up. It takes with
it water droplets, which evaporate in
the warm air. Cooler, dryer air flows
into the gap left by the evaporated
water, causing powerful winds. Air pressure
This moist air is funnelled into Air is not weightless. Gravity
the sky. As it rises, the water in pulls the gases in the
it changes from water vapour to atmosphere towards Earth
water droplets, and heat is expelled and presses them down on
into the surrounding air. Cooler air the surface. This creates air
pressure. But this pressure
comes in to replace the rising air,
is always changing. When
but is warmed and then rises itself.
the Sun heats the ocean or
Gradually, the wind speeds grow
land, they pass this warmth
and the depression strengthens into
to the air above them. When
a tropical storm.
air is warmed, its molecules
Every year, hundreds of these storm move further apart, it
systems come spinning out of the becomes less dense and its
pressure drops. This low-
tropical regions of the world, just
pressure air rises (rather
north and south of the equator.
like a hot air balloon), and
Most of them fade away without
colder, higher pressure air
causing any significant damage.
rushes in to take its place.
But some (usually between 40 and
50) grow in size and wind speed
and become full-blown hurricanes.
Sandy was one of them. 7
The hurricane season
Nearly all hurricanes begin in the tropical regions on either side of the
equator. These are the warmest and wettest parts of the world. There are
seven hurricane areas, called hurricane basins. They are named after the
three major oceans that cover the tropics. Major storms develop from the
seven hurricane basins every year. Each basin has a slightly different
hurricane season:
Hurricane basin Season
Atlantic Ocean (including the North Atlantic, 1 June to 30 November
Gulf of Mexico, and Caribbean Sea)
Pacific Ocean, north-east (from Mexico to the 15 May to 30 November
mid-Pacific)
Pacific Ocean, north-west (from the mid- No common start or end
Pacific to Asia and the South China Sea) date, as storms are likely
throughout the year
Pacific Ocean, south (from the mid-Pacific to 1 November to 30 April
Australia)
Indian Ocean, north (including the Bay of April to June and
Bengal and Arabian Sea) September to early
December
Indian Ocean, south-west (from Africa to the 17 November to 20 April
mid-Indian Ocean)
Indian Ocean, south-east (from the South November to May
China Sea to Australia)
Why do hurricanes spin?
All hurricanes spin at enormous speeds. This spinning is created by the
rotation of Earth, which makes large moving objects (such as storms
and winds) veer off course and travel in a curve. This is called the
Coriolis Force. In the Northern Hemisphere, the Coriolis Force causes
winds to curve to the right. As a result, hurricanes turn anti-clockwise.
In the Southern Hemisphere, the Coriolis Force pushes winds to the left.
Here, hurricanes spin clockwise.
8
Hurricane hotspots
Some places suffer more than their fair share of
What's in a name?
hurricane strikes. In the Caribbean, Hurricane Sandy
was just the latest in a long line of storms to strike The word “hurricane”
the Bahamas. Some Bahamian islands have been is only used to
hit by over 80 hurricanes since 1871 (when records describe storms in
began). On the east coast of the United States, the North Atlantic and
North Carolina is most vulnerable. Cape Hatteras, north-east Pacific.
In the north-west
for example, has seen over 100 hurricanes in the
Pacific, they are
same period – even though Sandy gave it a miss in
called typhoons. In the
2012.
Southern Hemisphere
Other areas around the world are especially at risk and the Indian Ocean,
from these violent storms. The southern coast of they are simply called
China, the Philippines, Mexico, Japan and Australia cyclones. However,
have all been in the path of a large number of the correct term,
which is used by
tropical cyclones. One of the worst-hit countries
scientists, is “tropical
is Bangladesh, in Asia. Here, the winds drive huge
cyclones”.
storm surges up the Bay of Bengal, flooding vast
areas of low-lying land. Since 1983, the country has
been devastated by at least 14 major cyclones.
NORTH
EUROPE
AMERICA
PACIFIC
ASIA OCEAN ATLANTIC
1 OCEAN
2
AFRICA 3
4
Equator
SOUTH
5
7 AMERICA
6
INDIAN AUSTRALASIA
OCEAN
ANTARCTICA
1. Atlantic basin 5. South-west Indian basin
2. North-east Pacific basin 6. South-east Indian basin This map shows the
3. North-west Pacific basin 7. Australian/South-west Pacific basin major basins in which 9
4. North Indian basin
tropical cyclones occur.