Geography option D - case studies

Haiti earthquake - 12th Jan 2010

High population density, with most of population living in Port au Prince - 2 million people with an average life expectancy of 65 years

Haiti is an LIC, GDP = $2800

Haiti on a major plate boundary leading to intense shaking due to the shallow focus of the quake. It occurred where the the Caribbean plate shifts (rupture of fault).

Impacts:

• 1.3 million people made homeless

• many injured (only 0.23 docs/1000ppl)

• loss of trade and income (damage to clothing industry)

• pollution of water

vulnerability:

• Haiti has no money for repair

• no justice system

• airport and port damaged = slow overseas rescue

Alaska earthquake - 30th Nov 2018

Low population density = low death rates. life expectancy is 85 years

Earthquake happened because Pacific plate is sub-ducting beneath North-American plate. The earthquake was a 7 and was very shallow, with an epicentre 16km from Anchorage - pacific ring of fire.

Alaska is an HIC, GDP = $60,200

Impacts:

• $30 million damage to Anchorage

• many people left without power

• rural area so not lots of facilities

• earthquake occurred in early morning so people were on their way to work.

• Trans-Alaskan oil pipeline shut down

• State and federal assistance needed

• liquefaction = road closures and traffic

Freetown landslide - 14 Aug 2017

Freetown = high population density (over 1m people)

LIC, GDP = $1600

topography: thickly wooded and partially deforested mountains

Tropical monsoon climate (high rainfall in July) combined with poor infrastructure and loss of protective natural drainage systems.

Impacts:

• over 1000 dead, 3000 homeless

• unsanitary waters - cholera outbreak

• $1m damage to communication networks

Vulnerability:

• urban location = very populated

• rush hour = more people and therefore casualties

• 56.8% of people live in poverty so country is less prepared for hazard event

Ponzano landslide - 12th Feb 2017

population of 200 - rural settlement

HIC, GDP: $39000

Landslide triggered by 2m snow melt leading to intense slope saturation coupled with intense rainfall (81mm in 4 days).

Landslide moved 1m a day for 2 weeks

Impacts:

• several buildings collapsed

• 100 people evacuated, 35 ppl lost their properties

• not possible to stop landslide…

Vulnerability:

• close community = lots of personal knowledge

• enough time to evacuate and move away

• rural area - hard for services to reach

Anak Krakatoa volcano - 22nd Dec 2018

Located on Sunda Strait on the pacific ring of fire at convergence of Pacific, Eurasian and Philippine plate.

Volcano had grown in crater of original ‘Krakatoa’ volcano

LIC, GDP: $11,400

Impacts:

• Tsunami

• many in displacement camps

• island biodiversity wiped out

• damage to infrastructure - expensive to repair

• no operational tsunami boys at time

• coastal farming areas inundated with salt - useless for agriculture

Eyjafjallajokul volcano - Apr-Oct 2010

Low population density = no settlements nearby

HIC, GDP: $52,300

North American and Eurasian plate - constructive boundary

Lava melted ice cap, therefore increased river water.

Eruption lasted for 6 months

Impacts:

• increased volcano tourism

• no facilities

• caused a good crop

• 500 farmers evacuated

• huge ash cloud - closure of european airspace = big disruptions $$$

• flash flood as heat melted ice