Case studies

• Montserrat

  • Soufriere Hills, Caribbean
  • 1997 eruption killed 20 people
  • Active, complex stratovolcano
  • Became active in 1995
  • Have made more than half of Montserrat uninhabitable
  • Last eruption was 2013
  • Between 1995-2000 66% of the population left
• Chaiten, Chile

  • A break of more than a 9000 year silence
  • Triggered by a 6.2 earthquake
  • 2nd of May 2008
  • Fully evacuated by the 3rd of May
  • 50km exclusion zone
  • 90-day freeze on existing loans to aid businesses
• Nevado Del Ruiz, Colombia

  • Volcanic eruption and lahar
  • 13th of November 1985
  • 23000 dead
  • 6 billion (USD) in damage
  • The heat from the eruption caused 43 million tons of water to melt leading to a lahar
  • 500000+ still living at risk in the surrounding areas
  • 21000 out of 29000 inhabitants of the Armero died
• Ontake, Japan

  • 27th of September 2014
  • 63 died
  • no indicators before the eruption
  • phreatic eruption
  • 1 out of 110 Japanese active volcanos
  • worst eruption in Japan for 90 years
• Mt Etna, Sicily, Italy

  • 77 people died
  • 27000 left homeless
  • 6km lava trail
  • pyroclastic material was released
  • A canal was made to divert lava from the villages
  • The government gave a tax break to those affected
  • 100 times more CO2 was released than any Italian volcano
• Sendai Tsunami, Japan

  • 11th of March 2011
  • Caused by a 9.0 earthquake that lifted the sea floor by 35 metres
  • 10 metre high waves affected 2000km of coastline
  • 20800 killed
  • Caused a nuclear meltdown (Fukushima)
  • $300 billion in economic loss (most expensive in history)
  • 130000 left homeless
  • 332000 buildings damaged/destroyed
• Palu tsunami, Indonesia

  • 22nd of December 2018
  • Caused by a 7.5 earthquake
  • 3 waves struck, the tallest being 6 metres
  • 2100 died in Palu alone
  • 68000 homes destroyed
• Haiyan Hurricane, Philippians

  • 3rd of November
  • 6300 dead in the country alone
  • 190kmh wind speeds sustained
  • Category
  • Over 27000 people injured
  • More than 16 million affected
  • 13 feet storm surge
• Hurricane Nargis, Myanmar

  • Category 4
  • Made landfall on the 2nd of May 2008
  • 2.4 million severely affected
  • 605 rice paddy fields were flooded
  • Killed 200000 farm animals
  • 138373 deaths
  • Winds of 159mph
  • $12.9 billion in damage
• Hurricane Hugo

  • 9th-25th September 1989
  • Wind speeds of up to 160mph
  • Category 5
  • $11 Billion in damages
  • North-East Caribbean and South-East USA
  • 2 million people affected
  • 28000 left homeless
• Hurricane Katrina

  • Category 5
  • 1392 deaths
  • Between $97.4 and $145.4 billion in damages
  • Over 850000 homes destroyed
  • 20ft storm surge
  • Over 70 countries offered aid
  • Late August 2005
• Cyclone Yasi

  • 26th January - 6th February 2011
  • Sustained wind speeds of 155mph
  • Caused $3.6 billion worth of damage
  • Most costly Australian cyclone
  • Category 4
  • 10000 people evacuated
• European avalanches

  • 1999 - worst avalanches in 100 years
  • 75 dead
  • 150m wide, 6 metres high
  • Travelled at 90kmh
  • Caused by 2m of snow in 3 days
  • Destroyed 18 chalets in Chamonix
• Leyte mudslide, Philippines

  • 2006
  • Happened after 10 days of heavy rain (La Niña)
  • Killed over 1000 in 1 village
  • Partially caused by a 2.6 earthquake
  • Australia and China pledged $1 million each
• Aberfan

  • 1966
  • A night of heavy rain caused an overfilled spoil heap to liquify and collapse, flowing into the village
  • A primary school took the full force of the waste
  • 144 dead - 116 of those were students at the school
  • The remaining spoil heaps were removed
• Vajont Dam, Italy

  • October 1963
  • A rockslide of almost 270 million cubic metres entered the reservoir
  • Waves caused by the displacement reached over 330 feet above the top of the dam
  • 2056 dead and more missing
  • Villages of Longarone, Paragon, Villanova, Rivalta and Fae were completely demolished
  • The dam was constructed on unstable slopes of limestone and clay bands
• Christchurch Earthquake

  • February 2011
  • 6.3 magnitude
  • 5km depth of focus
  • 185 deaths
  • vertical and horizontal shaking destroyed 1000 major buildings
  • Liquefaction caused buildings to sink in eastern suburbs
  • Economic cost of $40 billion
  • An earthquake in 2010 had already weakened the buildings
• Haiti earthquake

  • 7.0 magnitude
  • 13km depth
  • 200000 deaths
  • 1.5 million left homeless
  • Aid was delayed due to the airport control tower being destroyed
  • Cholera outbreak
  • 3 years late 280000 still living in ‘temporary’ camps
  • Economic cost of less than $9 billion
• Lake Nyos, Cameroon

  • Volcanic crater lake
  • 21st August 1986
  • 1746 people died from suffocation
  • 3000 livestock died from suffocation
  • Volcanic activity beneath the lake cause a build up of CO2
  • The CO2 flowed down the side of the hill
  • The lake now has pipes going from the bottom to the surface to release the CO2 and stop a build up
• Moore tornado

  • May 20th 2013
  • 210 mph was the highest wind speed
  • Stayed on the ground for 29 minutes
  • Created a 17 mile path of destruction
  • 24 people died and 212 injured
  • Very few homes neither of the schools had purpose-built storm shelters
  • Estimated $2 billion in damages
  • 1150 homes destroyed