1.3.3 Effects of Tropical Storms

• Primary & Secondary Effects

  • Primary effects are the immediate impacts of strong winds, high rainfall and storm surges. (Storm surges are large rises in sea level caused by the low- pressure and high winds of a storm, pushing sea level in the front of a storm onto land.)
  • Secondary effects are the impacts that occur later on after the storm has passed.
• The Primary Impacts of Tropical Storms.

  • Buildings and bridges are destroyed
  • Roads, railways, ports, and airports are damaged
  • Electricity lines are damaged/destroyed
  • Gas lines broken
  • Sewage overflows
  • Rivers and coastal areas flooded
  • Businesses destroyed
• The Secondary Impacts of Tropical Storms (1)

  • People are homeless, causing distress, poverty, ill-health or death due to lack of shelter. Cost of rebuild can be expensive and some people may not have insurance
  • Blocked or destroyed roads prevent rescue and emergency vehicles, and aid from getting through
  • Life support systems, hospitals, shops and homes left without power supplies
  • Risk of fires and explosions
• The Secondary Impacts of Tropical Storms (2)

  • Clean water supplies contaminated bringing increased risk of water bore diseases and death
  • People drown or injured through rushing water. Crops, livestock and habitats destroyed, leading to shortage of food and potentially famine
  • Economic impact to business owners and potential unemployment
• Exam Tip

  The more settlements and businesses there are, the greater the impacts of the storm because there are more people and properties to be affected by a tropical storm. 
• Immediate & Long-Term Responses

  • Immediate responses are:
  • When a tropical storm is forecasted (predicted) to hit an area
  • As the tropical storm is happening
  • Immediately after the tropical storm has passed
  • Long-term responses are:
  • Restoring an area to past conditions
  • Reducing the impact of future storms 
• Immediate Responses (1)

  • Evacuation of people before the tropical storm arrives
  • Rescue people before the storm cuts people off from flooding and treat injured people
  • Recover any dead bodies to reduce and prevent water/air borne diseases
  • Set up temporary shelters for the homeless and post notices where they are being housed for missing family members
• Immediate Responses (2)

  • Provide temporary supplies of power, food and water and restore communication systems as soon as possible
  • Overseas aid may be sent in the form of workers, supplies, equipment or financial donations
  • Tech companies encouraged to set up disaster response tools to let people confirm their safety, report damaged areas and alert about risk areas.
• Long-term Responses (1)

  • Improve long-term forecasting techniques to give people more time to evacuate in the future
  • Provide aid, grants or subsidies to residents to repair and strengthen their properties
  • Repair and improve flood defences - flood gates, levees etc. 
  • Repair homes or rehouse people who have lost their homes or been damaged
• Long-term Responses (2)

  • Repair, replace and improve infrastructure
  • Improve building regulations so that more buildings withstand the impacts of tropical storms or change planning rules to restrict homes being built in risk areas
  • Encourage economic recovery in the area and encourage people to return with incentives or tax breaks.
• Case Study - Super Typhoon Haiyan 2013

  • Typhoon Haiyan (locally called Yolanda) was one of the strongest ever-recorded tropical storm to hit Philippines 
  • It made landfall on the 8th of November 2013 as a Category 5, with sustained winds of over 195 mph (315 km/hr)
  • Philippines, in the South China Sea, faces annual typhoons from the southwest.
  • Warm sea temperatures, at 30°C during Haiyan, fuel storm intensity.
  • Global sea level rise (20cm since 1900) worsens storm surges.
  • Groundwater depletion causes land sinking, worsening flooding.
  • Tacloban's bay shape amplifies storm surges, increasing damage.
• Typhoon Haiyan's Characteristics

  Lowest pressure : 895 mb

  Peak strength : Category 5

  Strength at landfall : Category 5 with 195 mph winds

  Highest sustained wind speed : 196 mph

  Radius of typhoon strength winds : 53 miles

  Rainfall : 400 mm

  Storm surge height : 5-6 m
• IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Total economic loss : $13 billion

  Homes damaged or destroyed : 1.1 million

  Displaced people : 4 million

  Number of deaths : 6201

  Number of people missing : 1785

  Number of injured people : 28,626

  Number of people affected : 16 million
• Short-term IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Impacts : Social

  • 6201 people died 
  • 1.1 million homes lost
  • more than 4 million displaced
  • Casualties 28,626 from lack of aid
  • 16 million people affected
  • UN admitted its response was too slow, amid reports of hunger/thirst among survivors.
• Long-term IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Impacts : Social

  • UN feared possibility of the spread of disease, lack of food, water, shelter and medication
  • Areas less affected; influx of refugees into the area
  • Two months later, 21,000 families were still in 380 evacuation centres, waiting to be rehoused by the government in bunkhouses that needed to be built.
• Short-term IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Impacts : Economic

  • Estimated at $13 billion
  • Major sugar/rice producing areas were destroyed
  • Between 50,000 and 120,000 tonnes of sugar was lost
  • Over 130,000 tonnes of rice were lost
  • Government estimated that 175,000 acres of farmland was damaged (worth $85 million)
• Long-term IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Impacts : Economic

  • The Philippines declared 'a state of national calamity’
  • Asked for international help the next day
  • President Aquino was under growing pressure to speed up the distribution of food/water/medicine
  • Tacloban city was decimated
  • Debt is a major obstacle for the Philippines, the country is locked in a debt cycle, with more than 20% of government revenue spent on foreign debt repayments.
• Short-term IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Impacts : Environmental

  • Loss of forests/trees, and widespread flooding
  • Oil and sewage leaks; into local ecosystems
  • Lack of sanitation in days following lead to a higher level of pollution
  • Coconut plantations were said to be 'completely flattened' (coconut equated to nearly half of the Philippines agricultural exports / is the world's biggest producer of coconut oil
  • Fishing communities were severely affected.
• Long-term IMPACTS of Typhoon Haiyan

  Impacts : Environmental

  • An estimated 90 per cent of the rural population in typhoon-affected areas are small-scale farmers
  • With 33 million coconut trees felled, international help has been sought to mill the 15 million tons of timber,lying rotting on the ground, attracting pests that threatened healthy trees
  • Without a crop, families would not have cash to enable local markets to function.
• The Short-term RESPONSES to Typhoon Haiyan

  • The Philippines declared 'a state of national calamity’, asked for international the next day
  • International aid agencies responded quickly with food, water and temporary shelters
  • The Philippines Red Cross delivered basic food aid e.g. rice & canned food
  • UK sent shelter kits to provide emergency shelter for a family
  • Over 1200 evacuation centres set up for the homeless 
  • The French, Belgian and Israeli's set up field hospitals to help the injured
  • $475 million sent as aid and US sent 13,000 soldiers.
• The Long-term RESPONSES to Typhoon Haiyan

  • The UN donated financial aid, supplies and medical support
  • 5 days went by before any aid was received and only 20% of victims received aid
  • UN admitted its response was too slow
  • Rebuilding of the airport, ports, roads and bridges
  • 'Cash for Work' schemes gave locals money to help clear the debris
  • Oxfam helped finance replacement of the fishing boats
  • Increased number of cyclone shelters have been built further away from coastal areas