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Harvey, a once in a millenium event
What: A case study of Hurricane Harvey Why: It is a case study that has affected us in many ways and has many synoptic links relevant to many geographical areas- Hazards, flooding, effects of urbanization and effects of climate change How: By studying the causes, effects and responses of hurricanes with specific reference to Hurricane Harvey Starter activity: Think- pair- share
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L1: What was the track of Hurricane Harvey?
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Task: Use the worksheet below to describe the track of Hurricane Harvey.
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| tracking_hurricanes.docx |
Read Nasa's report on Hurricane Harvey
L2: The effects of Hurricane Harvey
The effects from Harvey can be split into many different sources- from the winds, from the tornadoes that accompanied the hurricane, from the storm surge, from the flooding from the rain bands and from the flooding from the release of the release of the reservoirs.
- The most expensive in U.S. history at over $190 billion, surpassing Hurricane Katrina.
- Harvey has also swamped one-third of oil refining capacity of the US. It could be weeks before refineries return to full operation. This has caused huge concerns about fuel supplies. Prices for refined products like gasoline have jumped.
- Death toll more than 60
- 1 million cars lost
- 50,000 homes destroyed
- 150,000 homes damaged
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Watch the videos:
Make notes on the effects of Hurricane Harvey. |
| hurricane_impacts.pptx |
Mrs Bennett's Hurricane Harvey Experience
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Hurricane Harvey Websites to check out
https://www.cnn.com/specials/us/hurricane-harvey
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-harvey-forecast-texas-louisiana-arkansas
https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/news/tropical-storm-harvey-forecast-texas-louisiana-arkansas
L3: What factors caused Harvey to be such a disaster for Houston?
1. The rate of Urbanisation- Houston is the largest U.S. city to have no zoning laws, part of a hands-off approach to urban planning that may have contributed to catastrophic flooding from Hurricane Harvey and left thousands of residents in harm’s way.
Growth that is virtually unchecked, including in flood-prone areas, has diminished the land’s already-limited natural ability to absorb water, according to environmentalists and experts in land use and natural disasters. And the city’s drainage system — a network of reservoirs, bayous and, as a last resort, roads that hold and drain water — was not designed to handle the massive storms that are increasingly common.
The impermeable surfaces — asphalt and concrete — reduced the area’s ability to absorb excess water.
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2. The amount of rain- Hurricane Harvey, which dumped an estimated 27 trillion gallons of water on Texas and Louisiana, looks to be one of the most damaging natural disasters in U.S. history.
Over the course of five days, Hurricane Harvey dropped a record-breaking amount of rain on southeastern Texas. The slow-moving storm brought prolonged precipitation, often with staggering intensity. During one five-hour period, the rain in Houston exceeded the average amount that would be expected for an entire year in Los Angeles. 5. The link to climate change- There's a well-established physical law, the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, that says that a hotter atmosphere holds more moisture. For every extra degree Celsius in warming, the atmosphere can hold 7% more water. This tends to make rainfall events even more extreme when they occur. Another element that we can mention with some confidence is the temperature of the seas. "The waters of the Gulf of Mexico are about 1.5 degrees warmer above what they were from 1980-2010," Sir Brian Hoskins from the Grantham Institute for Climate Change told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "That is very significant because it means the potential for a stronger storm is there, and the contribution of global warming to the warmer waters in the Gulf, it's almost inevitable that there was a contribution to that." Researchers are also quite confident in linking the intensity of the rainfall that is still falling in the Houston area to climate change. |
3. The permeability of the soil- Houston is a city built on a low-lying coastal plain, on “black gumbo,” clay-based soil that is among the least absorbent in the nation. How would this increase the risk of flooding?
4. The size of the population- Houston has faced sharp criticism for telling its 2.3 million residents to stay put amid the unprecedented flooding, but local officials point to the lessons learned from the melee that ensued in September 2005 when the city evacuated from Hurricane Katrina. Of the more than 100 people who died during Hurricane Rita, at least 60 of those deaths were in connection to the evacuation. |
L4: How do we reduce the risk of the effects of Hurricanes?
What: Reducing the risks from hurricanes
Why: To help understand where is the riskiest place to live in the USA
How: Understand the 3 Ps of hurricane protection
1. Watch the video and make notes on how homes can be designed to withstand hurricanes
2. Complete the 'Three Ps' and classify the information as either prediction, protection or planning
3. Play the stop disasters game and try and use the Three Ps information to protect the town- record the decisions made on the worksheet 'my hurricane protection shopping list' .
Why: To help understand where is the riskiest place to live in the USA
How: Understand the 3 Ps of hurricane protection
1. Watch the video and make notes on how homes can be designed to withstand hurricanes
2. Complete the 'Three Ps' and classify the information as either prediction, protection or planning
3. Play the stop disasters game and try and use the Three Ps information to protect the town- record the decisions made on the worksheet 'my hurricane protection shopping list' .
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Mid Term Assessment: Reporting on Hurricane Harvey
| mid_term_assessment_hurricane_harvey.pdf |
| hurricane_harvey_mid_unit_assessment_mark_scheme1.docx |
Hurricane Harvey and TOK
Obviously, for our school and local community Hurricane Harvey is an issue of the highest significance and will continue to be so for a long time to come. But it has also had almost blanket news coverage in many other parts of the world such as the UK and New Zealand while there have been were signifiant disasters in such as flooding in India, Nepal and Bangladesh which have unfortunately killed far more people.
Why do some issues receive more news coverage than others?
When is a disaster not a disaster?
Additional Information on Hurricane Harvey 2017
— geogabout (@geogabout) August 28, 2017
What were the effects in a Coastal area:
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/28/us/rockport-texas-hurricane-harvey-damage/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2017/08/28/us/rockport-texas-hurricane-harvey-damage/index.html