Geography case studies

• Haiti


  3rd-5th October
• Disaster event


  3rd-5th October
• Deaths: Over 1000
• Deaths: Over 1000
• Economic costs: $1bn
• Economic costs: $1bn
• Life expectancy: 64
• Life expectancy: 64
• GDP: $1,710 per year
• GDP: $1,710 per year
• Haiti


  • Very fragile and vulnerable to disasters
  • Evacuations for some very high-risk areas
  • Poor rural areas did not receive warnings
  • Poor infrastructure (low quality mud roads damaged by rainfall) and low car ownership prevented effective evacuation
  • Has been hit by earthquakes, drought, famine, and hurricanes in the last ten years. It keeps struggling to repair the damage before the next disaster hits
• Haiti


  • Very fragile and vulnerable to disasters
  • Evacuations for some very high-risk areas
  • Poor rural areas did not receive warnings
  • Poor infrastructure (low quality mud roads damaged by rainfall) and low car ownership prevented effective evacuation
  • Has been hit by earthquakes, drought, famine, and hurricanes in the last ten years. It keeps struggling to repair the damage before the next disaster hits
• Rescue problems


  1. Emergency rescue teams struggle to reach the hardest hit areas

  2. Number of people in shelters increased from 2700 to 4000 in one day
• Rescue problems


  1. Emergency rescue teams struggle to reach the hardest hit areas

  2. Number of people in shelters increased from 2700 to 4000 in one day
• Over 1000 died
• Government response in Haiti
• Cholera epidemic due to lack of clean water supplies
• USA (Florida)
• 30,000 houses destroyed in 'Sud' province
• Disaster event


  6th-9th October
• 80% of buildings destroyed in some areas
• Deaths: 33
• Long-term unemployment
• Economic costs: $4-6bn
• Massive loss of trade in exports
• Life expectancy: 79
• Storm wiped out many crops – Haiti's government does not have the funds to stockpile more food
• GDP: $52,000 per year
• $1bn economic costs
• Prediction and Preparation in USA

  • National Hurricane Centre in Florida tracks and predicts hurricanes using satellite images and planes
  • Early warnings went out on radio and TV
  • People owned US 'red cross' weather radios
  • Residents stocked up on food, water, and petrol
  • Houses were improved with shutters and plywood boards – lessened destruction
  • Mass evacuations of coastal areas – saved lives
  • Traffic re-routed by army to allow people to escape
  • Storm surge broke through some levees to flood many homes
• Very slow government response
• Rescue problems in USA

  1. 600,000 people without power

  2. 15,000 emergency energy employees sent to respond

  3. 147 shelters for 22,300 people
• Much rescue was by charity NGOs (Non-governmental organizations)
• No access to the most rural locations
• Government response in USA