HURRICANES

GROUP #9 : THE IMPACTS OF HURRICANE• Brooke Jordan

• Kalifa Lampkin

• Jennel Williams

• Shayne Solomon

WHAT ARE HURRICANES?

• A hurricane is a type of storm called a tropical cyclone, which forms over tropical or subtropical waters.

• A tropical cyclone is a rotating low-pressure weather system that has organized thunderstorms but no fronts (a boundary separating two air masses of different densities). Tropical cyclones with maximum sustained surface winds of less than 39 miles per hour (mph) are called tropical depressions. Those with maximum sustained winds of 39 mph or higher are called tropical storms

HURRICANE SANDY

• Sandy began as a tropical wave in the Caribbean on October 19, 2012. It quickly developed into a tropical depression and then a tropical storm in just six (6) hours. It made landfall in Jamaica at approximately 2:00 pm on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 in Bull Bay, St. Andrew. Sandy was the first Hurricane in twenty-four (24) years to have its eye cross Jamaica. The four (4) parishes which received the major portion of the damage were: St. Thomas, Portland, St. Mary and St. Catherine. There was one (1) loss of life.

SOCIAL IMPACT

• The international airports were closed by Jamaican Authority

• 48-hour curfews were ordered in major towns to keep people off the streets (deter looting)

• 70% of Jamaica suffered to power outage.

• Schools in the Kingston area remained closed for a week due to power loss.

• Flooding of homes had an adverse effect on health as it brought about infectious diseases.

ECONOMIC IMPACT

• Loss of production or revenue

• Total cost of direct & indirect damage done was $9.7 billion

• The estimated $9.7 represents 0.8% of 2011 GDP

PHYSICAL IMPACTS:

• Trees and power lines were snapped

• Shanty houses were heavily damaged.

• Major roads remained impassable due to flooding, landslides, fallen trees, light poles and power lines.

REFERENCES

• Geography for CSEC

• Caribbean Studies for CAPE

• http://www.odpem.org.jm/Portals/0/PDFs/Hurricane%20SANDY%20%20Impact%20-%20Website%201.pdf

• http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/latestnews/Hurricane-Sandy--one-year-after

• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKhshrsYSw0