Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
What is the impact of hurricanes on the natural and built environment
Negative effects of hurricanes
Physical effects of hurricane
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Hurricanes are one of the most prevalent natural disasters of our time. In the last year alone, there have been many, including hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria. All of these had huge impacts on the United States and the Caribbean. They showed how prone the cities are to these type of events, even with advanced warning systems. There are, however, some means of dealing with hurricanes. These include being prepared with protective shutters, barriers, and stronger windows. I think that houses in the high risk areas and flood zones should be stronger and have stricter codes. That will help reduce damage and quicken the recovery time, if and when hurricanes hit. The government should not continue to give subsidized insurance because, the people in these high risk areas will not be able to afford the newer code requirements for their homes in. …show more content…
“Scientists predict a future with more natural disasters due to climate change. Up-to-date building codes can reduce carbon emissions and make the built environment more resilient”( The realpolitik of building codes ). Things are only going to get worse and worse. This past year hurricane Irma was one of the worst hurricanes the United States had seen. Harvey was also a huge hurricane that took the lives of many and made hundreds of people homeless and devastated. Some people used new flooding barriers. They are very expensive but compared to the damage a flood can cost it was only a fraction. “On average, residents can expect to pay about $9,000 to $12,000 to have a three-foot AquaDam built around a house.” ( ) The Aquadam is relatively new form of water damage and flooding protection. It saved this peoples’ home from flooding during Hurricane Harvey. The only downside is the price tag and some of the less fortunate people will not be able to afford it. Technologies and innovations like this can save many homes during a hurricane and
Some of the damage done by Hurricane Katrina could have potentially been avoided if protection systems were installed to the proper extents. In Louisiana, “some parts of the metro area continue to lack hurricane protection built to federal standards” (Webster). Had the greater Louisiana area been better protected, it is very likely that more people would have survived and the total cost of the storm been less. Even in areas where levees...
In 2008 Hurricane Ike made land fall to the east coast line in Galveston Texas. The storm surge water that Ike produced flooded the east coast region of Houston and Galveston. It has been estimated over billions of dollars in damage to home owners, business owners, and cause numerus of deaths. The mass destruction that Ike caused had people coming up ways to prevent or lessen the effects if a storm like this would ever occur in the future. A storm surge project was drafted and submitted to politicians is being delayed due to funding issues. Money should not be the major delay when it comes to saving homeowners, business owners, and a life of a person.
Like Brown told CNN’s Larry King, “I must say, this storm is much bigger than anyone expected.” What should we have to know in case of an emergency, especially if you live in a hurricane evacuation zone. According to Live Science, you have to start with a hurricane plan with your family and find out your zone and local evacuation route. We have to keep in mind the hurricanes are very powerful tropical storms with heavy rains, strong winds and that a hurricane can damage buildings, cars, homes, etc. First of all, always have a hurricane survival kit, during hurricane warning and never ignore evacuation orders. Equally important, prepared your home with flood insurance, buy emergency supplies, plan for your pets, and don’t forget to search for resources for more information about hurricane planning. According to Erik Salna, “Everyone who lives in an area affected by hurricanes needs to take personal responsibility and accountability to be prepared… It has to become a way of life, something you naturally do.” In discussion of how to be prepared in case of a hurricane, one controversial issue has been the disaster of hurricane Katrina. On the one hand, we need to keep in mind that is up to us to try to be prepared in case of a hurricane warning. On the other hand, if you ignored evacuation orders you may regretted later on in life, don’t
Then finally, the storm can be bumped up into a hurricane if the winds reach 75 mph. The National Weather Service is constantly trying to provide us with data and other information about when and where hurricanes are forming. It has been said that the only way to reduce the number of fatalities in serious storms is to give people more warning time for them to go to a safer place. Many times in hurricanes people are told to evacuate their city or state. The more time that people have to do this, the more that people will do this.
Over 80 percent of the city of New Orleans, Louisiana became flooded due to the storm. In some places the flood water was up to 10 to 15 feet deep
For about five years California has experienced above average temperatures and a lack of rain. This lack of rain and snowfall has caused California to become increasingly dry, starting arguments over whose right to water is more important and who needs to be more mindful with their use of water. Farming in California truly began during the gold rush when water was redirected to land where food was grown for those looking for gold (Siegler, 2015). The farmers that have stayed on that land now have senior water rights (“Water wars”, 2015). Farmers that settled their land before 1914 are those with senior water rights (Terrell, 2015). Governor Jerry Brown has called for a cut in water use by one-quarter percent to people living
Most of my knowledge of hurricanes has come from Hurricane Katrina and the devastation I saw portrayed on the news. My other source is from a family-friend who lives in Florida who has had to endure a hurricane or two. Hurricanes are amazing at inflicting pain, poverty, filth, and illnesses on communities. They are a great way to spread pollution with all the debris. With all the houses, vehicles, and other massive objects hurricanes plow over, it is easy for them to be ruined then dumped miles away. Hurricanes not only bring man-made materials from here to there, but also bring plants or animals from the ocean into the mainland. Flooded streets may become the new home to poisonous snakes or dangerous fish or sharks. There are infinitely possibilities of being bitten, drown, or undiscovered. Hurricanes are brutal and violent natural disasters to endure and can be deadly in many cases.
Hurricanes are powerful and destructive storms that involve great rain and wind. The United States of America has dealt with many hurricanes that have cost a great amount of damage. However, there is one hurricane that happened in 2005 that stands out among the others, Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina was one of the worst hurricanes to hit the United States, a category 5 on the Saffir/Simpson Hurricane Scale. An estimated 1836 people died because of the hurricane and the floodings that happened after (Zimmermann 1). Katrina initially beg...
Hurricanes are one of the deadliest and most expensive natural disasters around. They are more common in areas of humid yet moist weather so they are very foreign to certain places. But to the places were hurricanes are the norm, the people take them extremely seriously because they kill people and ruin countless amounts of property. Hurricanes can attack and harm people in so many ways they can kill people, leave them homeless, it leaves children orphaned and disable them. On the west coast of the United States and other places hurricanes aren’t taken as seriously as other more common disasters, such as, earthquakes and volcanoes yet the hurricane can be a lot more damaging that both of those. Hurricanes are cyclones that develop over warm oceans and breed winds that blow yup to 74 miles per hour.
Climate change. The two letter word so feared by scientists, so ignored by the average human being. What is it that makes scientists fear this phrase so much? For the concept of “climate change” has been seen throughout the history of the earths existence. For centuries, our climate has fluctuated through increasing and decreasing amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide and climatic cycles. So what is the big deal? The problem, and the reason why this concept instills fear directly into the core of scientists is the rate at which over the past 1,300 years atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have risen. This unnatural increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, due to the immense amount of anthropogenic burning of oil and coal, affects the transfer
Although these structures do manage to contain the flooding most of the time, they also eliminate the natural sediment from spreading over the land. Southern Louisiana rests on a continental shelf where loose sediments naturally compact, condense and sink. The various constructions simply leads this sediment all the way down to the coast and has allowed the entire deltaic plain to subside. This causes humans to have to constantly upgrade the confinement structures, making them higher and higher with each passing year. The vicious cycle will surely prove to be expensive and not worth the effort.
This is probably the least thought of the effect of a hurricane, but they do occur. Hurricanes affect people's lives because they can do so much damage. Winds can damage houses, trees, and any outdoor property. If the hurricane doesn't destroy where people live then the major flooding after hurricanes might. When homes are destroyed, people may have to rebuild homes and
My parents grew up in small town in Mexico. There was a little river that went through part of the town when they were growing up. Every weekend or so they would go out and would go swimming with their families, it almost became a tradition to go swimming there until they noticed that the river 's water level was becoming smaller and smaller. Today there is no river anymore, instead it 's a road that travels through the town. Every time I visit my family in Mexico it would alway be nice and warm up until this year when I went in December. I remember waking up and getting ready to go to my aunt 's house in clothes for warm weather. As I open the door, the cold air punch me and I saw snowflakes falling down. It 's not supposed to snow in that
Even if the reason of climate change may be the natural cycles, we humans are the major determinant to it. The huge amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is causing the climate change and this amount is rising day by day, as a result of our actions. Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide, generally absorb and emit the heat in the atmosphere to keep the Earth’s climate habitable. However, as we continue to burn fossil fuels, this habitable Earth’s temperature will blow up, and as a result, some species will die out due to various problems which are caused by climate change. According to EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), the most obvious consequence of climate change is the rising sea levels, which will cause some seashore habitats to become unavailable to live to its species.
Hurricanes occur all over the world, at different times, but commonly through June first and late November. However in late August 2005 a catastrophic hurricane struck. This was Hurricane Katrina. With winds traveling over one hundred miles per hour making it a category five on the Saffir- Simpson Hurricane Scale it was said to have cause billions of dollars’ worth of damage. Hurricane Katrina flooded nearly forty thousand homes, and killed at least two thousand people (“Hurricane”). An average category five hurricane has enough energy to power street lamps for more than twenty seven thousand hours (Williams 58). Knowing about Hurricane Katrina, and the devastation of the city in New Orleans would be beneficial. Also, general information on hurricanes can help civilians and people of higher authority better understand and prepare for damage that could once hit their town and community. Because experts know the general information on these storms they can help explain to the public why and how Hurricane Katrina and other hurricanes occur. Hopefully, in the future civilians will know and use this information to their advantage against hurricanes.