What are the effects of hurricanes on humans?

Answer 1

The effects of hurricanes listed here are both directly and indirectly caused by it.

Firstly, a hurricane is made up of a low-pressure core with rain and wind clouds surrounding it. The low-pressure core may bring in lots of water from the sea or ocean, called a storm surge. A storm surge is something like a mini-tsunami, but not to be confused with the real tsunamis. The wind-driven waves from the water body smash onto shore, and their heights vary with the strength of the hurricane. Heights reaching up to more than 13 metres in the case of Cyclone Mahina were recorded before. These storm surges cause a lot of damage to coastal areas. The waves may destroy houses, beachfront resorts and even piers and jetties completely. Fishing boats vital to the fishing industry may be washed onto shore and smashed apart, leaving many fishermen out of job.

Secondly, as the hurricane moves inland, depending on the strength of the building structures, the wind of the hurricane may smash and flatten many houses and buildings if they are poorly-constructed or if the hurricane is too strong for the structure to withstand. The construction of disaster-proof structures here play an important role, as they determine the amount of damage done to architecture. During Hurricane Katrina in USA, less than 10% of houses were destroyed, whereas during Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, more than 95% of houses were destroyed.

Other than buildings, infrastructure such as roads, bridges, airports and seaports may be affected. Telecommunication cables including telephone, cellphone, internet, television and radio wires snap when strong winds blow across it and cause severe disruptions to communications. Electricity cables may snap as well, and people may be killed when it falls onto them. People cannot carry on with their daily lives without these.

Thirdly, trees are uprooted by the strong winds, and entire forests may be destroyed. These damages are quite costly as well, because it leaves the logging industry out of job for a long time, as trees take relatively long to grow back to their original sizes. Due to the destruction of forests, many animals living there may lose their natural habitat, adding to more animal deaths which were already caused by the hurricane itself.

Fourthly, severe floods will occur due to the high amount of rainfall the hurricane brings with it, together with the storm surges. The effects of these floods may vary with geographical locations, elevations and urban development.

If a hurricane strikes a piece of land surrounded by water bodies, the flooding would most likely be more serious as water from the water bodies are brought in from all sides by wind-driven waves. For example, New Orleans is surrounded by an industrial river, the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, and when Hurricane Katrina struck, which resulted in massive floods all across the city, it took 43 days for water to be pumped out.

Elevation of an area will determine how long water will be trapped in the area after flooding. In low-lying areas like Bangladesh, where most of its land lies below sea-level, it is prone to floods after a cyclone hits. Water will usually be trapped in the area for a long time before it either gets pumped out or dries up. On the contrary, in high-elevated areas like mountainsides, floodwater would most likely drain out quite quickly.

Urban development plays a huge role in whether how much a flood could impact an area. In major cities and concrete jungles, as the name suggests, increase the impacts of floods unlike areas like farms, forests, national parks or grassplains, because the water is unable to get drained out naturally like soil absorbing water.

Sometimes, floods can cause landslides in deforested areas. The floodwaters will soak up the soil to its saturation point, and due to the fact that no trees or plants are anchoring the loose soil, landslides can easily occur, adding to more damages.

Last but not least, hurricanes will definitely cause injuries, and most of the time deaths. The causes of these are numerous. In most cases, people are killed because the buildings that they are in collapses on them. Storm surges and floodings can also cause casualties by drowning people. Landslides may also cause many deaths. If the government is ineffecient and does not provide the victims with aid quickly or act quick enough, there might be a disease outbreak and people might die from contamination of food and water as well as unhygenic living conditions. :(

Most of time, if people do not have sufficient knowledge on hurricanes, they would not know of a hidden threat of one. A hurricane has a low-pressure core in the centre surrounded by rain clouds, and the diameter usually ranges from 20 to 40 miles. Citizens would usually be relieved after a storm has passed and come out of their houses to investigate. However, the storm that has passed is only the first storm at the front of the hurricane. The calm that they are experiencing is actually the calm in the low-pressure core. After this, a second storm at the back of the hurricane will strike again and many people will die from this.

• A category 1 hurricane (Wind Speed: 74 - 95 MPH.)Beginning damage to unanchored trailer homes, shrubbery, and trees. Some coastal road flooding. Little damage to building structures.

• A Category 2 hurricane (Wind Speed: 96 - 110 MPH ):Noticeable damage to trailer homes, piers, and vegetation. Coastal and low-lying escape routes flood 2 - 4 hours before arrival of hurricane. Buildings sustain roofing material, door, and window damage.

• A Category 3 hurricane: (Wind Speed: 111 - 130 MPH):Trailer homes most definitely destroyed. Some structural damage to small homes and utility buildings. Flooding near coast destroys smaller structures; larger structures damaged by floating debris. May be flooded up to 6 miles inland.

• A Category 4 hurricane( Wind Speed: 131 - 155 MPH):Major erosion of beaches. Major damage to lower floors of structures near the shore. Terrain continuously lower than 10 feet. May flood up to 6 miles inland and require evacuations.

• A Category 5 hurricane (Wind Speed: Over 155 MPH):Complete roof failure on many homes and industrial buildings. Some complete

  building failures. Major damage to lower floors of all structures located less

  than 15 feet and within 500 yards of the shoreline. Massive evacuation of

  low ground residential areas may be required.

Answer 2

It kills people and destroys their homes, leaving devastated and traumatised people. When the hurricane alert tell us that we should go away from that area where the hurricane is going to occur, we should immediately do what they say.......

Answer 3

Hurricanes effect many things such as,

damaging people's houses,

killing people,

could knock your city(town.ect.)off of the map.

very sick people could be stuck in their house when the hurricane comes and would drowned in their homes.

There are many terrible effects of hurricanes.

If you know a hurricane is coming,

get out of you city,town, as far away as you can get.

save yourself.

you WILL die fat american

Answer 4

First,hurricanes last for days,possibly hitting several locations.

Second,a hurricane is hundreds of kilometers wide.

Third,hurricanes can result in huge waves that cause severe damage and floods in areas farther inland.and just to let you know hurricanes get their energy from warm ocean water.when water vapor from the ocean condenses,it realeses energy.under the right conditions,this energy builds and drives the winds of a hurricane.

Answer 5

The potential effects of hurricane are :-

1)destroys houses, buildings, monuments,etc.

2)destroys nature.

3)takes away a large toll of life with it.

OR YOU CAN WRITE IN THE FOLLOWING SIMPLE WAY..

Hurricane destroys whatever comes in its way.

Egs. houses,buildings,monuments,nature,etc. It takes away a large toll of life with it

Answer 6

uproots trees,causes a lot of damage when its on the shore,and destroys property and kills many people