Tropical cyclone case studies

• Name 5 different methods of planning and preparing for cyclones

  • Weather forecasting

  • Satellite technology

  • Warning systems

  • Storm-surge defences

  • Evacuate strategies
• What category cyclone was cyclone Sidr and where did it form?

  • Category 5 cyclone

  • It formed over the bay of Bengal on 11th November 2007
• What speed was the wind when cyclone Sidr made landfall?

  160 mph
• How high was the storm surge that formed from Cyclone Sidr?

  5m high
• What economic impacts did Cyclone Sidr have? (2)

  • Damages cost $2.3 billion - Very long term and difficult to recover from

  • Millions of people lost their livelihoods; rice crops were flooded with saltwater and nearly 2 million livestock and poultry were killed - Arguably the most devastating effect

  The rice harvest is in December so it was impossible to produce enough rice in such a short period of time for harvesting
• What social impacts did Cyclone Sidr have? (2)

  • More than a million people were made homeless

  • 3447 people were killed; many were fishermen
• What environmental impacts did Cyclone Sidr have? (2)

  • Freshwater was contaminated with sewage; more than 10,000 contracted typhoid, a waterborne disease.

  • A quarter of the Sundarbans - an area of protected mangrove forest -were damaged killing Bengal tigers and spotted deer
• Describe and evaluate Bangladesh's use of Weather forecasting

  • Weather forecasts were shared on the radio and on the TV

  • Many people outside the capital Dhaka do not have access to technology especially in rural areas

  • 1 in 2 people (50%) have a phone
• Describe and evaluate Bangladesh's use of satellite technology

  • Uses digital images from space to transmit live weather updates to three radio stations. Track the path of the cyclone might take

  • Extremely expensive - Bangladesh announced they wanted to spend $150 billion USD
• Descirbe and evaluate Bangladesh's use of warning systems

  • Village meetings, posters and leaflets to warn people and help them prepare.

  45000 cyclone volunteers have been trained