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Management of hurricane katrina
Disaster management HURRICANE
Hurricane a brief essay
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The Great Hurricane of 1938, or known to many as the Long Island Express, was known as one of the most disastrous hurricanes to hit New England. It wasn’t the high winds, heavy rain, and high waves/storm surge that gave this hurricane its title in history. The Great Hurricane had a fourth deadly weapon; the element of surprise. It was the beginning of September, a time where many packed up their summer clothes, boarded up their houses, and left to return back to the real world leaving their summer homes behind. When symptoms of a storm approached New England, many locals convinced themselves and others that it was just the normal “line storm” which occasionally comes in September. It wasn’t until Sept 21 that people realized the so-called impossible was actually happening and they weren’t prepared. The misinterpretation by the people and Weather Bureau’s naïve manager’s decisions cost many lives and losses in New England. In this essay I will argue that Washington’s Weather Bureau’s interpretation error gave the New England residents a false sense of security for the hurricane of 1938 by using three class readings and the book Sudden Sea by R.A. Scotti.
In the reading “Genesis” from the book Divine Wind I have learned that most storms need a trigger to develop into a hurricane. An example of a believed trigger is the atmospheric disturbances known as African easterly waves. They develop over the sub-Saharan Africa, thanks to the Sahara Desert’s heat, and move off the west coast. Most will keep traveling west and somewhat northward. The easterly waves may turn into hurricanes when, “especially in late summer and early fall, the amount of convection associated with a particular wave increases, and winds near the surface evolve f...
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...icane instead of sending out reports calling it a “tropical disturbance”.
It is understandable that they did not have the technology we have today. But Charles Pierce did calculate a theory that not only occurred once before; the Great September Gale of 1815, it was supported by obvious evidence pointing to the path of the hurricane. The carelessness of believing in experience rather than evidence, misleading storm update reports, and misinterpretations from the Weather Bureau gave New England residents and visitors a false sense of security about the true nature of the Great Hurricane of 1938. Although we have new and advanced technology for storm readings, we still cannot detect a hurricane before twenty-four hours notice. Hopefully, one day the warning time will lengthen so another disaster like the Long Island Express doesn’t repeat itself for the third time.
On August 29th, 2005, Hurricane Katrina, the most expensive hurricane in American history, made landfall in Louisiana with winds of one hundred and twenty-seven miles per hour (“Hurricane Katrina Statistics Fast Facts”). The sheer magnitude of the amount of lives and property lost was enormous, and it was triggered simply by warm ocean waters near the Bahamas ("How Hurricane Katrina Formed"). Nature was indifferent to whether the raging winds and rain would die off in the ocean or wipe out cities; it only follows the rules of physics. A multitude of American authors has attempted to give accounts and interpretations of their encounters with the disinterested machine that is nature. Two authors, Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau, had rather contrasting and conflicting interpretations of their own interactions with nature. Crane’s work, “The Open Boat,” is story based on his experience as a survivor
The development of the storm was initiated by an apparent tropical wave that had given way of the African Coast around August 5th. The cloud pattern of the storm slightly resembled that of an inverted “V” began traveling westward, then northward, across the Atlantic Ocean and was recognized as a tropical disturbance 4 days later, August 9th. The following 5 days or so the storm continued to travel showing no sign of circulation. On August 14th the United States Air Force sent a reconnaissance aircraft into the storm for surveillance, with a growing concern. What was about to be Tropical storm Camille was still south of Cuba with expectation to become much more potent. At the point of infiltration by the aircraft the planes barometer revealed a 999 millibar pressure center with 55 mile an hour surface winds. At this point the disturbance was inaugurated to be a “tropical storm.” As the intensification process ensued, and the squall shifted northwestward at a slow speed of 9 miles per hour, but gained a great amount of force in...
“When I saw my house three weeks after the storm, I was glad it stood, but I knew it was time for change. Now, five years later, I have learned that for me to enjoy the beauty of this place, there is a cost to bear. I love this place and am here to stay, but I have to invest more than I had imagined. The hurricane has greatly affected our lives, but not only in a bad way.” Gene understands that the story does not end with just the damage, but also what it contributes to the future.
Hurricanes are born over the warm waters of tropical oceans and are formed by a low-pressure system caused by the heating of water. The heat causes the air to rise and form lower pressures in a feedback loop, making the hurricane stronger. Heavy rain results from a condensation of water and strong winds develop from warm air rushing to the eye of the hurricane. Essentially, greater storms and winds occur when the hurricane feeds of the rising temperature of the water. In addition, researchers studied disturbances and intense thunderstorms in the atmosphere over Western Africa and believe they are partly to blame for extreme hurricanes affecting the United States and Canada. While these are all the main ingredients of a perfectly natural process, they were not the primary causes of the damage done by Hurricane
Formerly, New Orleans and surrounding areas had eluded the calamity of the storm, which was later proven wrong. A flood warning was announced after it was predicted that the river would ‘’rise 60ft,’’ which would overflow a levee. A few of the barriers surrounding the city ‘’broke or were washed away’’ within one day of landfall, flooding the ‘’Sinking City’’. The
WHITE HURRICANE November gales are a curse on the Great Lakes. In 1835, a storm was said to have "swept the lakes clear of sail." Lake Erie was blasted by 60 mph winds on November 22 and 23, 1874. On Nov. 25, 1905 a November gale sank or stranded more than 16 ships. On Nov 11, 1940 (Armistice Day Storm) a storm wrecked 12 vessels.
Hurricane Hugo was a tragic natural disaster that completely altered the lives of many people affected by it. In 1989, the year I was born, my parents and I lived on an oceanfront lot in Myrtle Beach. When Hugo struck, most of the city was flooded, with some areas under twenty five inches of water. A clear evacuation plan was presented, which most of the city’s residents followed, traveling north to Greenville. When we returned to our house, we found nothing but rubble and debris piled up in twelve inches of salt water. The President flew to the areas affected by Hugo to view the devastation, and immediately gr...
On Friday evening, September 7, 1900, many of the 37,000 residents of Galveston, Texas, were settling down to dinner, few if any of them concerned about the steady 15 mph northerly wind rattling their windows. Within 48 hours, at least 8,000 of the townspeople would be dead, victims of the single worst natural disaster in U.S. history. Relatively few people are aware that the deadliest natural disaster in the United States was the hurricane that struck Galveston Island on September 8, 1900. One of the best resources that can be found to help fully understand the significance of this storm is Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson.
On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina forced its way into New Orleans, Louisiana with winds of more than 140 mph. This storm was a strong category three when it hit New Orleans. Hurricane Katrina destroyed homes, businesses, and factories from the high winds and flooding. The devastation that the city suffered was terrible; many people lost family members young and old and also their most prized possessions. Most of all it displaced families and caused an abundance of damage to properties. Due to the costly destruction that the city of New Orleans faced after Katrina, they must now find a way to alleviate the blighted properties from their environment and also face the challenges.
There comes a time in the world where the outcome of certain events can cause a huge social change, one of those events is Hurricane Katrina. The events that took place prior to, during and after Katrina although impact only a few places physically it was left in the minds of everyone in the world. There were many actions that could have taken place to prevent the damage of such a catastrophic event, however nothing was done. Hurricane Katrina, a category 3 hurricane struck Louisiana and parts of the Mississippi. New Orleans in particular, due to various reasons received the most damage. Katrina first started off as a small hurricane formed in the Bahamas as it moved towards Louisiana and Mississippi it became a category 5, which is the strongest it can become, then decreased to category 3 once it finally struck. The storm caused an incredible amount of damage that Hurricane Katrina was noted as the most destructive and costly natural disaster in US history. The death toll was 1,836 people with 200 bodies left unclaimed as well as over 700 people unaccounted for. Hurricane Katrina was a source of social change as people have learned from the impact it had on the mind and body of the citizens of New Orleans, the mismanagement and lack of leadership the government showed, and the substantial immediate and long term economic damage it caused the country.
Hurricanes are formed over tropical waters. These intense storms consist of winds over 74 miles per hour (Ahrens & Sampson, 2011). The storms addressed here are Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy. This paper will explore the contrasts and comparisons between these two horrific storms.
Hurricane Betsy developed east of the Windward Islands. This means that Betsy occurred in the Atlantic Basin, which includes the North Atlantic Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Caribbean Sea. Many hurricanes form in this area since it is near the equator and warm water, which is a requirement to form a hurricane is always available. In fact, hurricanes or tropical cyclones can only form if they meet four conditions. First, the temperature of ocean waters must be 82 degrees F or warmer in order. Moreover, low air pressure is needed. Furthermore, you need tropical winds located near the equator. Lastly, you need moist ocean air. The most important part is the warm air since it serves as energy for the storm. The air then rises into the low pressure are and cold air replaces it; this is what then produces what is called a disturbance, which is an area of heavy rainfall, thunder clouds and powerful winds. From here a hurricane can only get stronger and its wind speed is measured and depending on how powerful the storm is it is then assigned into one of five categories.
The book, Hurricane Katrina, states that Katrina was, “the most destructive natural disaster to ever hit the United States”(Rodger 4). Hurricane Katrina began as a tropical depression in the southeastern Bahamas on the twenty-third of August. The next day, Katrina strengthened into a Tropical Storm. As it moved through the Bahamas, the storm strengthened, and when it hit Florida on the 25th of August, the Tropical Storm had become a category 1 hurricane. The storm weakened as it went through Florida, but regained its strength when it went through the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane Katrina became a category three storm on the 27th of August, and on the 28th it had strengthened to a category five with windspeeds over 170 mph. The storm landed in Plaquemines Parish, La. as a category 4 hurricane. As the storm moved northeast, New Orleans officials thought that they were in the clear. Little did they know, the levees holding both Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Borgne were not strong enough to withstand the amount of water and storm surge from Hurricane Katrina. These levees broke and nearly 20 p...
During the 1600’s the English decided to have people colonize in the Americas for the potential resources and wealth that they may find. During this time Spain, France, Portugal, and the Dutch have already began trade and exploration in Africa, Asia, and the Americas. England hearing of their riches, didn’t want to miss out of the opportunity. However, during these expeditions, there has been various news beforehand of the strong oceanic storms that would sometimes destroy ships or mislead them from their destinations Such news was not uncommon but due to the storms, many of the people knew the dangers of the journey and would often doubt the success of these explorations.
A hurricane is a type of natural disaster that can be harmful and destructive to anything in its way. Every year five to six hurricanes are formed, damaging and destroying people’s homes, landmarks, and anything in its path (“Hurricane”). Before a hurricane is developed it is known as a tropical storm. To be a tropical storm wind speed must be at least thirty eight miles per hour (“Hurricane”). Once wind speeds reaches seventy four miles an hour it can then be classified as hurricane (“Hurricane”). Large scale storms, like hurricanes have a variety of ways to measure the sev...