geography case studies

TYPHOON HAIYAN
information for introduction (1)

category 5 typhoon, struck the Philippines close to Tacloban on 8th November 2013 at 4.40pm
originated in the northwest Pacific ocean, one of the most powerful typhoons to affect the Philippines

TYPHOON HAIYAN
information for introduction (2)

wind speed of 31km per hour was recorded
14.1 million people were affected

TYPHOON HAIYAN
information for introduction (1)

category 5 typhoon, struck the Philippines close to Tacloban on 8th November 2013 at 4.40pm
originated in the northwest Pacific ocean, one of the most powerful typhoons to affect the Philippines

TYPHOON HAIYAN
information for introduction (2)

wind speed of 31km per hour was recorded
14.1 million people were affected

TYPHOON HAIYAN
primary effects: homes

strong winds battered 1.1 million homes and people were made homeless, particularly around Western and Eastern Visayas, 4.1 million were made homeless

TYPHOON HAIYAN
primary effects: storm surge

Leyte and Tacloban experienced a 5 metre storm surge and 400mm rainfall flooded an area of up to 1km inland

TYPHOON HAIYAN
primary effects: farming

1.1 million tonnes of crops destroyed, 1 million farmers and 600,000 hectares of farmland affected

TYPHOON HAIYAN
primary effects: economic loss in farming

rice and seed stocks were squandered in the storm surges, leading to a $53 million loss
over 1/3 of farmers and fishers lost their income leading to a total $724 million loss

TYPHOON HAIYAN
primary effects: additional facts

electricity was interrupted
airport badly damaged
90% of Tacloban was destroyed
6190 died and 29000 injured
overall cost of damage was $12 billion

TYPHOON HAIYAN
social secondary effects: diseases and survivors

infection and disease spread, mainly due to contaminated surface and ground water
survivors fought for food and supplies, eight died in a stampede for food supplies

TYPHOON HAIYAN
social secondary effects: power, education and sewerage

power supplies were cut off for months in some areas
education was disrupted and many schools were destroyed
seawater, chemicals and sewerage contaminated surface and groundwater

TYPHOON HAIYAN
secondary economic effects: oil and airports

an oil tanker ran underground, causing an 800,000L oil leak that contaminated fishing waters
the airport was badly damaged and roads were blocked by debris and trees

TYPHOON HAIYAN
secondary economic effects: looting and rice

looting was rise due to lack of food and supplies
rice prices had risen nearly 12% by 2014

TYPHOON HAIYAN
secondary environmental effects: oil and flooding

leak from the oil barge led to ten hectares of mangroves being contaminated
flooding caused landslides

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: televised warning

the government issued a televised warning, warning people to prepare and evacuate
800,000 people were evacuated following this

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: stadium in Tacloban

many found refuge in a stadium in Tacloban however many people died when it flooded

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: equipment and supplies

the government provided essential equipment and medical supplies

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: curfew

a curfew was introduced two days after the typhoon to reduce looting

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: evacuation centres

over 1200 evacuation centres were set up to help the homeless

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: restoration

three days after the storm, the main was reopened and emergency aid arrived
power was restored in some regions after a week
1 million food packs and 250,000L water was distributed within 2 weeks

TYPHOON HAIYAN
immediate responses: international aid

over $1.5 billion of foreign aid was pledged, 33 countries and international organisations promised help (roughly $88.87 million)

TYPHOON HAIYAN
long term responses: cash for work

a cash for work programme paid people to clear debris and rebuild Tacloban

TYPHOON HAIYAN
long term responses: Oxfam

the international organisation charity Oxfam replaced fishing boats

TYPHOON HAIYAN
long term responses: Build Back Better

Build Back Better is the governments response to the typhoon launched in 2014 in attempt to upgrade damaged buildings to protect them from future disasters

TYPHOON HAIYAN
long term responses: additional info

set up a no building zone along the coast in Eastern Visayas
new storm surge warning system has developed
mangroves replanted to absorb future storm surges

BEAST FROM THE EAST
introduction (1)

in February 2018, a meteorological event called stratospheric warning distributed the jet stream, allowing cold winds from Russia to travel as far as the UK

BEAST FROM THE EAST
introduction (2)

there was a considerable rise of temperature of around 50 degrees, 18 miles above the Earth at the North pole

BEAST FROM THE EAST
introduction (3)

sudden stratospheric warning caused a weakening on the jet stream, leading a change of direction of the winds from the UK from west to east to east to west, allowing a cold air mass from Russia to cover the UK

BEAST FROM THE EAST
Storm Emma

a weather system originating from the Azares and travelling north to the UK

BEAST FROM THE EAST
how did Storm Emma make the situation worse

on 1st March 2018, the weather front brought blizzards, gales and sleet as it hit the cold air brought down by the Beast from the East

BEAST FROM THE EAST
primary effects

ten people died
up to 50cm of snow fell on high ground
rural areas experienced temperatures as low as -12 degrees

BEAST FROM THE EAST
secondary effects: schools

thousands of schools were forced to close across the UK, including more than 125 in North Yorkshire and more than 330 across Kent and hospital operations were cancelled

BEAST FROM THE EAST
secondary effects: airlines

British airways cancelled hundreds of short haul flights from Heathrow and London City Airport also cancelled many services

BEAST FROM THE EAST
secondary effects: nation grid

issued a ‘gas deficit warning’ prompting a fear of shortage but households were reassured domestic supplies would not be affected

BEAST FROM THE EAST
secondary effects: motorcycling

hundreds of motorists on the m80 near Glasgow were stuck up to 13 hours with the some spending the night in their cans and others abandoning vehicles
around 1000 vehicles were standstill, talling back 8miles in both directions

BEAST FROM THE EAST
responses: red weather warnings

issued covering parts of Scotland, Devon, Somerset and South Wales, prompting Devon and Cornwall police to declare a major incident

BEAST FROM THE EAST
responses: environment agencies

issued flood warnings for parts of Cornwall’s south coast, residents were told to expect tides around 400mm

BEAST FROM THE EAST
responses: royal air force (1)

drafted to help relief efforts in snow hit Lincolnshire

BEAST FROM THE EAST
responses: royal air force (2)

RAF vehicles at their crews transported doctors and stranded patients after local police admitted they struggled to cope

BEAST FROM THE EAST
responses: NHS

in Edinburgh, soldiers were deployed to help transport about 200 NHS clinical and support staff to and from the Western General Hospital

JAPAN
information for introduction (1)

the Japan 2011 Earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter Scale struck off Japan’s northeast coast, about 250 miles from Tokyo at a depth of 20 miles

JAPAN
information for introduction (2)

the magnitude 9.0 earthquake happened on 2.46pm on March 11 2011

JAPAN
primary effects: death and injury

almost 16000 people died and 26000 people were injured and 130927 people were displaced and 2562 remained missing

JAPAN
primary effects: damage

330000 buildings, over 2000 roads, 56 bridges and 26 railways were destroyed or damaged
300 hospitals were damaged and 11 were destroyed

JAPAN
primary effects: blackouts

over 4.4 million households were left without electricity in North East

JAPAN
primary effects: transport

Japan’s transport network suffered huge disruptions

JAPAN
primary effects: landfall

some coastal areas experienced land subsidence as the earthquake dropped at the beachfront in some places more than 50cm

JAPAN
primary effects: land movement

due to tectonic shift, the quake moved parts of the North East Japan 2.4m closer to North America

JAPAN
primary effects: plate shifts

it has been estimated by geologists that the Pacific Plate has slipped westwards by between 20 and 40m

JAPAN
primary effects: seabed shift

the seabed near the epicentre shifted by 24m and the seabed off the coast of the Miyagi province has moved by 3m

JAPAN
primary effects: earth axis moves

the earthquake moved the Earth’s axis between 10 and 25cm shortening the day by 1.8 microseconds

JAPAN
primary effects: liquefactions

liquefaction occurs in many parts of Tokyo built on reclaimed land, 1046 buildings were damaged

JAPAN
secondary effects: economy

the earthquake was the most expensive natural disaster in history, with an economic cost of $235 billion

JAPAN
secondary effects: tsunami (1)

waves up to 40m in high devastated entire coastal areas and resulted in the loss of thousands of lives
this caused a lot of damage and pollution up to 6 mile inland

JAPAN
secondary effects: tsunami (2)

the tsunami warnings were only followed by 58% in coastal areas who headed to higher grounds

JAPAN
secondary effects: nuclear power

seven reactors at the Fukushima nuclear power station experienced a meltdown, levels of radiation were over eight times of the normal levels

JAPAN
secondary effects: transport (1)

rural areas remained isolated for a long time as the tsunami destroyed major roads and local trains and buses

JAPAN
secondary effects: transport (2)

sections of the Tohoku Express way were damaged, railway lines were damaged and some trains were derailed

JAPAN
secondary effects: aftermath

the Japan’s move forward committee thought that young adults and teenagers could help rebuild parts of Japan

JAPAN
secondary effects: coastal changes

the tsunami was able to wave further inland due to a 250 miles stretch of coastline dropping by 0.6m

JAPAN
why do people choose to live in a high risk area? (1: confidence)

confidence about their safety due to the protective measures that have been taken

JAPAN
why do people choose to live in a high risk area? (2: land)

75% of Japan is mountainous and flat land is mainly found in coastal areas, which put pressure on living space

JAPAN
why do people choose to live in a high risk area? (3: farms)

the northeast has a fertile farmland and rich fishing waters, there are good services, schools and hospitals

JAPAN
why do people choose to live in a high risk area? (4: comfort)

they have lived there all their lives, are closed to family and friends and have attachment towards area

JAPAN
immediate responses: rescue workers

rescue workers and around 100,000 members of the Japan Self Defence Force were dispatched to help with search and rescue

JAPAN
immediate responses: evacuation zone

the government ordered a 20km evacuation zone around the Fukushima nuclear power plant to reduce the threat of radiation exposure to local residents

JAPAN
immediate responses: international aid

Japan received international help from the US military and search and rescue teams were sent from New Zealand, India, South Korea, China and Australia

JAPAN
long term responses: Act on the Development of Tsunami resilient communities (1)

in December 2011, the central government enacted the ‘Act on the Development of Tsunami resilient communities.’ according to the principles that human life is important

JAPAN
long term responses: Act on the Development of Tsunami resilient communities (2)

promotes the development of tsunami resistant communities based on the concept of multiple defences which combines the infrastructure development and other measures targeting the larger tsunami

JAPAN
long term responses: economic growth

over the last 20 years the economy has stagnated and been in and out of recession
earthquake wiped off 5-10% off the value of Japanese stock markets and there has been a global concern over Japanese ability to recover from the disaster

HAITI
introduction

measured 7.0 on the Richter Scale struck on the Northwest of Haiti near the town Leogane, Ouest department approx. 25km west of Port-Au-Prince, the capital city

HAITI
primary effects (1)

as of February 12th 2010,an estimated 3 million people were affected; the Haiti government reports between 217000 and 230000 died

HAITI
primary effects (2)

an estimated 300000 were injured and an estimated 1000000 made homeless

HAITI
primary effects (3)

they also estimated 250000 residencies and 30000 commercial buildings had collapsed or severely damaged

HAITI
secondary effects (food, water and power)

2 million people were left without food and water, regular power cuts occurred

HAITI
secondary effects (crime, shelter and disease)

crime increased: looting become a problem and sexual violence increased
people moved into temporary shelters
by November 2010, there were outbreaks of cholera

HAITI
immediate responses (aid and rescue)

due to the port being damaged, aid was slow to arrive
USA sent rescue teams and 10000 troops

HAITI
immediate responses (other)

bottled water and purification tablets were provided
235000 people were moved away from Port-Au-Prince to less damaged cities
£20 million was donated by the UK government

HAITI
long term responses (aid)

relied on overseas aid

HAITI
long term responses (homes)

new homes were built to a high standard, over 1 million people still lived in temporary shelters one year after the earthquake

HAITI
long term responses (port)

the port needed rebuilding, which requires a large amount of investing

LAGOS
introduction (1)

Lagos is the largest city of Nigeria, located in the southwest on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea

LAGOS
introduction (2) population

Lagos’ population increases by approximately 600,000 each year, the state government estimates it as 17.5 million

LAGOS
looks

from above the city looks like any other modern city, the city centre skyline is dominated by modern high rise offices surrounding by miles of sprawling suburbs linked by busy roads

LAGOS
reality

at street level, the air is filled with noise from generators that power the city due to unreliable energy supply, motorbikes and taxis

LAGOS
regional importance (1)

provides hospitals, schools, universities, employment, leisure and recreation opportunity
thriving art and culture scene
10% of Nigerian population

LAGOS
regional importance (2)

transport hub with an airport and port providing raw materials for local industries
history of economic growth: generates highest money in all states of Nigeria

LAGOS
national importance (1)

Lagos is home to around 80% of Nigerian industry and generates about 30% of GDP
80% of Nigeria’s imports and 70% of its exports pass through the docks

LAGOS
national importance (2)

as Nigeria’s financial centre the city is home to most financial institutions and stock exchange
most large corporations and TNCs have their Nigerian headquarters in Lagos

LAGOS
international importance (1)

the Lagos international trade fair has become a major international business forum attracting people from across the continent

LAGOS
international importance (2)

city has been a venue for major sporting events
global city with substantial and growing foreign born population
ICT centre of Africa with largest market on the continent

LAGOS
rapid urbanisation in Lagos

occurred during the 1970s oil boom when thousands of people migrated to the area seeking employment opportunity

LAGOS
causes of population growth: rural-urban migration

main driver of growth in Lagos over the past 50 years

LAGOS
cause of population growth: rural-urban migration (push-pull factors)

push factors such as lack of employment opportunities and low wages encourage people to leave the countryside
pull factors such as the prospects of low paid work and the attraction of an urban lifestyle bring them to the city

LAGOS
causes of population growth: natural increase (1)

due to the city’s youthful population, since most migrants are young
Nigeria is becoming an increasingly urbanised country, by 2015 just over half the population lived in rural areas

LAGOS
cause of population growth: natural increase (2)

due to rural-urban migration the majority will be urban in the next few years

LAGOS
social pull factors (1)

more healthcare centres and hospitals and a better range of medicine in Lagos
68% of the population has a secondary education

LAGOS
social pull factors (2)

people can use electricity in Lagos for cooking and lighting, access also means people can develop business
water treatment plants provide safe water piped directly to the area of the city

LAGOS
social push factors

education and health service are poor in rural areas
land shortage due to population growth

LAGOS
economic pull factors (1)

rural Nigeria is very poor so people come to the city for jobs
rapid city growth means there are lots of construction jobs

LAGOS
economic pull factors (2)

Lagos is home to many of the country, banks, government departments and manufacturing industries
thriving film and music industry

LAGOS
economic push factors

fewer job opportunities exist other than farming