Severe weather conditions - like hurricanes or drought - can have a devastating effect on communities. It is impossible to prevent weather from affecting a region but there are measures that can be taken to minimise the impact.
HurricanesThe strongest tropical storms are called hurricanes, typhoons or tropical cyclones. The different names all mean the same thing, but are used in different parts of the world. If these huge storms start in the Atlantic, off the west coast of Africa, they are called hurricanes.
In an average year, over a dozen hurricanes form over the Atlantic Ocean and head westwards towards the Caribbean, the east coast of Central America and the southern USA (Florida in particular). Hurricanes may last as long as a month and although they travel very slowly - usually at about 24 km/h (15 mph) - wind speeds can reach over 120 mk/h (75 mph).
Map showing route of Hurricane Mitch, 1998
Effects of tropical stormsThe intense winds of tropical storms can destroy whole communities, buildings and communication networks. As well as their own destructive energy, the winds generate abnormally high waves and tidal surges. Sometimes the most destructive elements of a storm are the subsequent high seas and flooding.MEDCs are better placed to reduce the effects of tropical storms because they have more financial, educational and technological resources to help deal with them. They better able to observe and predict storm behaviour and can invest in infrastructure to withstand storms - as well as spending more money on repairing the damage caused. How hurricanes form
Cross section diagram of a hurricane Preparation and predictionPreparation and prediction techniques to help cope with hurricanes can be very different in MEDCs and LEDCs.
MEDCsBangladeshi villager affected by cyclone Sidr
MEDCs have the resources and technology, such as satellites and specially equipped aircraft, to predict and monitor the occurrence of storms. They are also equipped to train the emergency services appropriately and to educate people about necessary precautions.
Storm warnings can be issued to enable the population to evacuate or prepare themselves for the storm. People can prepare by storing food and water or boarding up their windows.
LEDCsLEDCs are often less prepared. They may rely on aid(sometimes reluctantly) from MEDCs for the rescue and recovery process, as was the case with Cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh, November 2007. Case study: Hurricane Katrina (2005)The path of Hurricane Katrina
ImpactsFlooding caused by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans 2005
There was much criticism of the authorities for their handling of the disaster. Although many people were evacuated, it was a slow process and the poorest and most vulnerable were left behind.
$50 billion in aid was given by the government.
The UK government sent food aid during the early stages of the recovery process.
The National Guard was mobilised to restore and maintain law and order in what became a hostile and unsafe living environment. DroughtDroughts occur when a long period of abnormally dry weather leads to a severe water shortage. Droughts are also often caused by the activity of humans as well. Human activities that can help trigger droughts include:
Parched ground during drought in Namibia
Map showing location of Sahel
Food for distribution Yabelo area, Southwest Ethiopia
The Sahel region of Africa has been suffering from drought on a regular basis since the early 1980s. The area naturally experiences alternating wet and dry seasons. If the rains fail it can cause drought.
In addition to natural factors, the land is marginal. Human activities such as overgrazing, over-cultivation and the collection of firewood can lead to desertification, particularly when combined with drought conditions.
The result is crop failure, soil erosion, famine and hunger, which then means that people are less able to work when their need is greatest. It becomes a vicious circle and can result in many deaths, especially among infants and the elderly. In Niger in 2004, the situation was made worse when a plague of locusts consumed any remaining crops. In these cases, people rely on food aid from the international community.
On its own, food aid is unsustainable in the long term. What is really needed is development aid, which involves educating the local community in farming practices. Case study: the impact of drought in the UK (2004)The years 2004-06 were one of the driest periods on record in the UK.
Southeast England is particularly vulnerable to drought because it has a high population density. There are 13 million people living in the region and the demand for water resources is high. There are few reservoirs, which means there is a heavy reliance on groundwater supplies. Two consecutive dry winters meant that these supplies were not replenished.
Drought warning in Devon
There are three main factors that affect the formation of tropical storms. First, tropical storms can only form over warm ocean water as it is the moisture from these oceans that fuels them. So they are mainly limited tropical regions. Second, wind shear can essentially tear a storm apart, so tropical storms usually do not form often in places with strong wind shear. As an example, the southern Atlantic ocean experiences a lot of wind shear, making tropical storms there extremely rare. Third, tropical storms need a strong Coriolis Effect to form as this is what drives their rotation. As a result tropical storms cannot form on the equator, and rarely form very close to it.
Tropical storms form over warm ocean water. They weaken rapidly if they hit land.
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Both hurricanes and tropical storms are given names.
Tropical storms are strongest at the center. Hurricanes are strongest in the eyewall.
Tropical storms can cause erosion.
The warmer earth's temperature is, the more frequent and energetic tropical storms will tend to become.
Tropical storms generally move away from the equator, though the direction of travel varies. They are called tropical storms because the form in or near the tropics over warm ocean water and have tropical characteristics such as a warm core whereas extratropical systems (outside the tropics) generally have a cold core.
it affect travel because of sand storms because it can clog up the plans engines
There are three main factors that affect the formation of tropical storms. First, tropical storms can only form over warm ocean water as it is the moisture from these oceans that fuels them. So they are mainly limited tropical regions. Second, wind shear can essentially tear a storm apart, so tropical storms usually do not form often in places with strong wind shear. As an example, the southern Atlantic ocean experiences a lot of wind shear, making tropical storms there extremely rare. Third, tropical storms need a strong Coriolis Effect to form as this is what drives their rotation. As a result tropical storms cannot form on the equator, and rarely form very close to it.
No. Tropical storms develop over warm ocean water and don't remain tropical storms more than a couple hundred miles inland. Even then, Minnesota gets its fair share of nasty storms, including tornadoes, even if it does not get tropical storms.
Not exactly. A tropical storm is indeed a kind of storm, but not all storms are tropical storms.
The difference between tropical storms and Hurricanes are simply the strength and/or size. Some tropical storms strengthen, and develop into Hurricanes, while some Hurricanes, as they weaken, fall into the area of tropical storms.
Tropical storms in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise while those in the Southern Hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Tropical storms in the northern hemisphere rotate counterclockwise while those in the Southern Hemisphere rotate clockwise.
Hurricanes and tropical storms are both named. Hurricanes have more detailed and already thought of names, while tropical storms aren't as important.
Tropical storms and hurricanes are different intensity levels of the same type of storm: a tropical cyclone. The difference is that a tropical storm has winds of 39-73 mph and a hurricane has winds of 74 mph or greater.