hazards case studies

• What type of volcano is Montserrat?

  Composite volcano
• The Montserrat volcano is located at a destructive plate boundary.
• When did the main eruption of the Montserrat volcano occur?

  June 25, 1997
• The pyroclastic flow speed of the Montserrat eruption reached 180 km/hr.
• How many people died during the Montserrat eruption?

  19 deaths
• The population of Montserrat declined by over 30% after the eruption.
• The coral reefs near Montserrat were damaged due to ash entering the ocean.
• What type of aid did the UK government provide to Montserrat after the eruption?

  Emergency aid and military assistance
• Cyclone Nargis occurred in Myanmar on May 2nd, 2008.
• What category was Cyclone Nargis?

  Category 4
• Cyclone Nargis had a wind speed of 215 km/hr.
• How many deaths were caused by Cyclone Nargis?

  138,366 deaths
• Cyclone Nargis caused an estimated $10 billion in damages.
• What environmental impact did Cyclone Nargis have on mangrove forests?

  Coastline erosion increased
• Aid workers were denied access to Myanmar for over a week after Cyclone Nargis.
• What type of storm was Hurricane Katrina?

  Tropical storm
• Hurricane Katrina occurred between August 23rd and August 31st, 2005.
• What category was Hurricane Katrina?

  Category 5
• Hurricane Katrina had a storm surge of 8.2m.
• How many deaths were caused by Hurricane Katrina?

  1836 deaths
• Hurricane Katrina caused $125 billion in damage.
• What environmental impact did Hurricane Katrina have on the Gulf of Mexico?

  Oil spills
• The US government was criticized for its poor response to Hurricane Katrina.
• The Australian Black Saturday bushfires occurred on February 7th, 2009.
• What record temperature was recorded in Melbourne during the bushfires?

  46 °c
• The humidity during the bushfires was less than 10%.
• How many people were killed in the Australian bushfires?

  173 people
• The Australian bushfires caused an estimated $4.4 billion in damages.
• How many acres of forest were denuded by the bushfires?

  4.1 million acres
• 20,000 firefighters were deployed to combat the Australian bushfires.
• When did the earthquake in Haiti occur?

  January 12, 2010
• The earthquake in Haiti had a magnitude of 7.0.
• The depth of the earthquake in Haiti was 13km.
• How many deaths were caused by the earthquake in Haiti?

  230,000 deaths
• The earthquake in Haiti caused $8 -$14 billion in total damages.
• Only 10% of the $13 billion pledged by G8 reached the Haitian government due to corruption.
• When did the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami occur in Japan?

  March 11, 2011
• The Tohoku earthquake had a magnitude of 9.0.
• The depth of the Tohoku earthquake was 30km.
• How many deaths were caused by the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami?

  15,900 deaths