All hazards, whether natural, technological or war hazards, are able to cause loss of life, property damage, and various secondary effects1. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, is a recent natural disaster that will be remembered by many as one of the most deadly hurricanes in history6. The sinking of the RMS Titanic, in April 1912, which many believe to have been caused by a collision with an iceberg, was in fact caused by its poor technology3, making it one of the most memorable historical technological disasters to have ever occurred. While these two disasters may seem unsurpassed, they will be analyzed and compared, in order to determine possible similarities and differences that relate to the disasters’ elements of risk. (i) Description of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina is said to have been the most costly and deadliest hurricanes in U.S history, resulting in $81.2 billion dollars in damage and 1836 casualties6.
WILLIAM ADANSI ENG 101 (ESSAY 6) The silent night of the southeastern coast of the United States was defiled when “Sandy” arrived on its shores last Sunday night deep down from the Atlantic ocean. This terrible hurricane first erupted from the Caribbean’s killing almost 70 individuals, and rending many more homeless, and as if not satisfied, it was determined enough to cut power supply and access to public amenities across the region. By the time it reached the southeastern shores of the United States, it had been reinforced with very strong winds making it even more fearsome and unprecedented in the sub-region, as geologist predicted. New York City, the state’s largest and busiest city was bedazzled as “Sandy” finally hit Monday night and brought most areas of lower Manhattan under water. However, the havoc and destruction it caused will not be compared to the indelible mark it has left on it’s victims and on the landscape at large.
Crisis Management: An Analysis of the 1947 Texas City Explosion Kevin K. Rice Columbia Southern University Abstract Texas City became the site of the worst industrial catastrophe in United States history when two merchant ships, the SS Grandcamp and SS High Flyer, carrying ammonium nitrate fertilizer exploded on the 16 and 17 April 1947. The Texas City disaster remains the worst industrial accident in US history. This disaster occurred prior to the realization that government entities needed to have emergency management plans. Since this major accident, major improvements have been made in emergency management ;however, the possibility of a disaster is always relative to the seriousness of the threat. This paper is a recounting of the events surrounding the accident, both before, during, and after.
The storm of 1987 occurred on the 15th and 16th of October due to a depression forming within the Bay of Biscay and had disastrous effects on the south and south-east of the UK. Southern England suffered the most extensive destruction. The 1987 storm was the most damaging storm event to occur in the UK since the November 1703 storm, which killed thousands of people. 18 unfortunate deaths were recorded as a result of this storm. According to a report published by the Association of British Insurers, the eventual final clean-up bill paid by insurance industry was £1.4 billion.
The heavy rainfall flooded areas inland all the way up to the Virginias. The North Carolina region which depends on tourism was devastated. Property damages in North Carolina alone was over $2.3 billion. Hurricane Fran was the worst natural economic disaster to happen in North Carolina. Survivors of a natural disaster would have feelings of shock and grief, and want to rebuild their home and reconnect quickly with their loved ones.
The Black Death was a horrific plague that spread across all of Europe, and killed millions of people during 1347 to 1351. It is one of the biggest disasters in European history. It effected all aspects of peoples lives and the country they lived in. An Italian writer named Giovanni Boccaccio wrote about his experience first hand, which is when the plague was sweeping through Florence. I found his writing and thoughts very intriguing.
Power outages, deaths, destroyed cities, and underground subways are the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Hurricane Sandy destroyed portions of the Caribbean, Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, and Eastern Canada. This storm left major damage with its powerful winds and flooding rains that left many residents without electricity, blew roofs off buildings, flooded streets, caused food shortages, left many people homeless, and killed many innocent lives. Hurricanes are strong rotating oceanic weather systems that bring maximum wind speeds and powerful rain that can cause a lot of damage. With all the damage that took place there's a lot of organizations that are stepping in to help people in need from the damage of Hurricane Sandy.
This essay will address the factors that affect the quality of human life in the 2011 Japan and 2004 South Asia tsunamis, and what made them become two of the word's biggest disasters. Tsunamis become disasters when they result in loss of lives, injuries, and displacement of human population. In the case of South Asia and Tohoku tsunamis the coastline was densely populated leading to thousands of lives being lost as well as extensive damage to infrastructure - these were two of the greatest disasters the modern world had ever seen. The 2004 South Asia tsunami caused more than 270,000 deaths in fourteen countries across two continents (The Bolton Council of Mosques 2007-2012), whereas the Tohoku tsunami had caused approximately 20,000 deaths. This latter death toll was surprisingly high as Japan has the world's largest seismometer network, tsunami barriers and earthquake early-warning system (Cyranoski, 2011).
Galveston Hurricane A hurricane is an advanced tropical storm with winds of 74 miles per hour or more and can cause massive damage to people, wildlife, and structures. There have been many hurricanes in the past that have caused tremendous damage but one of the worst have been the Galveston hurricane. This storm destroyed homes, families, and more. The hurricanes destruction left a wide path of death in its wake. The casualties are what make this hurricane the 3rd most deadly hurricane in history.
Gore also asserts that global warming is caused by over population. Toxins and chemicals in the atmosphere impact each individual in the world. Because of the effects of global warming, the strength of hurricanes can change easily and cause an enormous amount of