CASE STUDY OF UTTARAKHAND DISASTER
The State of Uttarakhand is vastly covered by high Himalayan Mountains comprising the Himadri and Shivalik ranges. The existence of such mountainous terrain in the state makes it prone to many natural disasters such as Landslides & Floods. Also, the fact that the entire area of Uttarakhand is categorized as Seismic Zone IV which makes it prone to major Earthquakes. Several major and minors rivers originate in the hills of Uttarakhand. Two major rivers, i.e. Ganga & Yamuna have their sources in the upper reaches of Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers respectively.
The flood disaster of 2013 is attributed to continuous heavy rainfall in the state from 15th June, 2013 to 17th June, 2013. Many regions in the state such as Kedarnath, Rudraprayag and Gaurikund etc. experienced up to 300% more than average rainfall. These heavy rainfalls resulted from the collective devastation of both torrential monsoon rains as well as Westerly disturbances. These rains reaped havoc throughout the state, especially in the hilly regions. Most devastation was caused in Rud...
Case study: the flooding that occurred in Minden Hills in the spring of 2013, flooded the downtown core. The picturesque cottage town has the Gull River flowing through it. The river overflowed in April because of many reasons: a couple of days of rain, the third largest amount in over a century, but it also happened because the frost in the ground stopped the water from going into the Earth, the lakes and rivers being full from the spring thaw, and the rapid
A major flood on any river is both a long-term and a short-term event, particularly any river basin where human influence has exerted "control" over the ri...
In the binational area of El Paso, Texas and Ciudad Juarez flooding has become a way of life due to the scarcity of rain and desert climate. Fortunately, meteorologist, geologist and city planners are continuously working to improve city prior to a storm in order to mitigate any financial hardships during and after a flood. The city has to take in account past events in order to improve infrastructure. They also rely on meteorologist to study how the weather is reacting so they can anticipate the next system and how it will hit this region. The primary expert that contributes to this vital research are the Geologist, who have brought to light the cause and effects during drastic climate events. In this report, it will document infrastructure affects, stormwater management, Climate Whiplash and thoughts from the geologist on the desert-flood relationship.
Regina:The Early Years. (2014). Cyclone of 1912. Regina: The Early Years 1880 -1950. Retrieved March 7, 2014, from http://scaa.usask.ca/gallery/regina/central/cyclone.html
On February 1, 2003, the Space Shuttle Columbia was lost due to structural failure in the left wing. On take-off, it was reported that a piece of foam insulation surrounding the shuttle fleet's 15-story external fuel tanks fell off of Columbia's tank and struck the shuttle's left wing. Extremely hot gas entered the front of Columbia's left wing just 16 seconds after the orbiter penetrated the hottest part of Earth's atmosphere on re-entry. The shuttle was equipped with hundreds of temperature sensors positioned at strategic locations. The salvaged flight recorded revealed that temperatures started to rise in the left wing leading edge a full minute before any trouble on the shuttle was noted. With a damaged left wing, Columbia started to drag left. The ships' flight control computers fought a losing battle trying to keep Columbia's nose pointed forward.
The destruction caused by these natural disasters made the people feel despair as well as suffer. After the monsoon Rukmani thought about the destruction caused, “Many of our neighbours fared much worse than we had. Several were homeless, and of a group of men who sheltered under a tree when the storm began six had been killed by lightning” (Markandaya 41). Markandaya shows the suffering through the homeless, and the despair through death of people who must have families grieving for them. The author also wrote, “The drought continued until we lost count of the time. Day after day the pitiless sun blazed down, scorching whatever still struggled to grow and baking the earth hard until at last it split and great irregular fissures gaped the land” (Markandaya 76). Markandaya shows the destruction of the land and crops through the use of imagery and details. In sum, the author shows the despair and suffering through natural disasters and the peoples reaction to
"Infochange India." Hirakud Dam Causing Rather than Preventing Orissa Floods? N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Jan. 2014. .
Natural Disasters can occur anywhere at anytime. Some are more predictable than others, but they all bring hardship to everyone’s life. Examples of natural disasters are Earthquakes (Haiti 2010), Tornadoes, Tsunami, Hurricanes, Wild Fires, Winter Storms, Heat waves, Mudslides and Floods. Regardless of what kind of disaster occurs, bottom line, everyone needs to be prepared mentally and physically to deal with the aftermath. Education is the first step to prepare you to deal with any major disaster. Three of the major disasters that can potentially disrupt normal day to day operations in our lives, are Hurricanes, Tsunamis and Tornadoes.
In 1970, East Pakistan, about the size of Wisconsin, had a substantial population of 66 million, meaning that each square kilometer holds about 400 people (Disaster 174). It is located precisely where two large river systems, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, unite to form the biggest delta in the world, the Ganges River Delta. A delta is a triangular deposit of sediment at the mouth of a river, naturally where it diverges. The two rivers conduct silt from as far as the Himalayas to the floodplains of Bangladesh, which are about 1,200 miles apart. Being one of the world’s most fertile croplands, the floodplain is densely populated. Farmers are forced to move farther and farther out into the delta, triggering them to face the perilous monsoon season, which is from June to October. One third of East Pakistan is no more than twenty feet above sea level, maximizing the death toll of life-threatening storms (History 3). The a...
The hazards that an earthquake can present are dependent on many different aspects, for example, the human factors, being factors that are influenced by humans that will affect an earthquake, are the level of development in the relevant country, the standard of infrastructure, while the physical factors are ones which are natural and cannot be controlled, being the magnitude and location of the quake and lastly the time the quake occurs. In order to properly assess whether the impact of earthquake hazards depends primarily on human factors, it is necessary to look at a range of case studies which will provide a balanced overview.
Just after midnight on 3 December 1984, a dense gas cloud formed and rolled through the city of Bhopal and its surrounding villages. The people that inhaled the gas immediately started feeling its affect. They coughed uncontrollably, the gas burning their eyes, noses, and throats. The gas then attacked their central nervous system and, if they were unable to escape the cloud, they fell dead.
The increase in unpredictable natural disasters events for a decade has led to put the disaster preparedness as a central issue in disaster management. Disaster preparedness reduces the risk of loss lives and injuries and increases a capacity for coping when hazard occurs. Considering the value of the preparatory behavior, governments, local, national and international institutions and non-government organizations made some efforts in promoting disaster preparedness. However, although a number of resources have been expended in an effort to promote behavioural preparedness, a common finding in research on natural disaster is that people fail to take preparation for such disaster events (Paton, 2005; Shaw 2004; Spittal, et.al, 2005; Tierney, 1993; Kenny, 2009; Kapucu, 2008; Coppola and Maloney, 2009). For example, the fact that nearly 91% of Americans live in a moderate to high risk of natural disasters, only 16% take a preparation for natural disaster (Ripley, 2006).
Flooding has always been part of the natural environment of Thailand. Since historical times populations that live within the urban and rural floodplains have learned of ways to adapt and survive (Balancing 2). With the economic development of many areas within the floodplain regions over the later part of the last century many areas have become further susceptible to seasonal rains and flooding.
Good morning everybody, by now all of you will have seen the morbid and shocking images on television. Known to man as one of the most damaging, disastrous and detrimental typhoons in history, Super Haiyan ravaged through our entire country leaving nothing to spare. Within a split second those which were known as our most prized possession were instantly consumed by the monstrous typhoon. Our initial reports show that this monstrosity left a wake of massive destruction that is unthinkable, unprecedented and horrendous. Thousands of neighbourhoods were left in ruins, thousands more were injured among those were children struggling with all their might to deny the horrible fact that their parents were lying on the ground, lifeless, cold, pale . The devastation is so staggering that I struggle to find words to describe the horrific events that have occurred.
Earthquakes belong to the class of most disastrous natural hazards. They result in unexpected and tremendous earth movements. These movements results from dissemination of an enormous amount of intense energy in form of seismic waves which are detected by use of seismograms. The impact of earthquakes leaves behind several landmarks including: destruction of property, extensive disruption of services like sewer and water lines, loss of life, and causes instability in both economic and social components of the affected nation (Webcache 2).