Major Case Studies
Name Facts Questions
Tohoku 2011 Well managed but unlucky Japanese tsunami Assess management
80% coastal population, world’s oldest population of tsunami, evaluate
30m waves, 9.0 magnitude role of equality in
20k dead, female lifespan, 56% elderly outcome of disasters
Fukushima, 6% of stock
Google Finder, quarter spent unrelated
Sri Lanka 2004 Poorly managed, globally devastating tsunami How can we use
Dense holiday, and fishing, therefore coast models to compare
20m waves, 9.1 magnitude disaster events,
35k dead, 60% fishing fleet destroyed assess management
Civil war and poor road surfaces of a disaster in a
Too many NGOs, only 10% spent on projects developing area
Nepal 2015 Inaccessible and risky earthquake What’s the
7.8 magnitude caused landslides relationship between
Himalayas at tourist season had helicopters hazard, vulnerability,
Stacked with tall, weak temples resilience, and risk
Reliant on international armies
8000 dead and £5B damage
Haiti 2010 Unaware, vulnerable locals trapped by earthquake Assess role of good
50% below poverty, but friendly internationally governance in
7.0 magnitude, locked for 250 years outcome of disaster,
200k deaths, and 80% in poverty evaluate tectonic
Poor land ownership and 19M rubble disaster management
Lowest sanitation in hemi lead to camp cholera for a developing
Food insecurity, isolated steep slopes nation
Rice processing and microcredit by OXFAM
Sichuan 2008 Well recovered earthquake, with poor zoning Evaluate tectonic
Longmenshan region, 60% rural here disaster management
7.9 magnitude, collision boundary for an emerging
90k deaths, 4.8M homeless nation
Landslides lead to $100B damage
Blocked rivers formed 30 lakes
No zoning, isolated populations, deep valleys
No aid, but army helped in Shendu with school
Christchurch 2011 Major earthquake with minor social impacts Evaluate tectonic
6/7 magnitude aftershock in New Zealand disaster management
180 deaths, but $5B damage and no RWC for a developed
Liquefaction meant tourism dropped 75% nation
2.4 doctors per 1000, with low density
Regular drills and retrofitting now
Iceland 2010 Volcano with influence due to flight cancellation Assess use of
On a hotspot, with ice above the caldera theoretical
Regular trainings and 1/3 UK energy prices frameworks in
Unusually explosive, very fine ash blown 10km management
700 evacuees, but Europe lost £5B
Kenya’s flower trade lost £3M
Diversified, channelised, attract data centres
Montserrat 1995 Devastating volcano which cut the community What role does
, Just 12k population, dependent on British Empire response have on
No warning, Plymouth stripped bare disaster management
Youth halved, then camp conditions halved
British regen and tourism for snowbirds
Locals want geothermal energy
Pinatubo 1991 Well predicted Philippine Volcano How successful is the
Largest eruption in 50 years, dormant for 600 years management of a
Steam explosions alerted to set up the PVO disaster hotspot,
Only 900 deaths, 200k evacuated assess the
Tribal Aetas refused to leave, or take medicine effectiveness of
Typhoon Yuna hit straight after predicting hazards
England 2015 Multiple storms and floods up North Describe the causes
Warmest ever El Nino this year and effects of UK
£38M defences didn’t save Carlisle from Desmond flooding
Ofgem denied electric compensation to 22k
£1.3B financial losses, 5200 Carlisle homes flooded
Pakistan 2010 Heavy monsoons caused worst flood in 80Y Assess the impacts of
Himalayas cause orographic rainfall changing
20M people affected, 1/5 of country submerged precipitation on an
Faulty equipment/ unreliable forecasting made it area
worse for recovering people in 2011 floods
100 times less aid than Haiti due to “donor fatigue”
Bangladesh External floods cause mixed reaction floods Evaluate an approach
Impossible to stop, so min damage and max good to flood events by a
50% of country is flooded during monsoon named area
Caused by storm surges, drainage congestion, flash
Embankments control flow but can deposit sand
Also prevent backflow, stagnating water
Philippines 2010 Heavy floods due to a strong El Nino destroy lives Discuss the economic
Floods affected 1.3M people impacts of flood
Islands depend on farms were ready for dry season
Philippine Peso fell by 11%
Queensland West Excellent flood response left little social damage Assess the
Australia 2010 Airdropped supplies meant only 30 deaths environmental
Flooded coalmines/industry contaminated water impacts of flood
Moreton Bay vegetation poisoned by toxic water
Erosive force sucked debris, killing everything
Ethiopia Drought Economic water scarcity mixed with dryness Suggest reasons for
2000 100mm “transitional climate zone” to 800mm edge economic water
Overgrazing by nomadic tribes scarcity
Population density doubles every 30y
Ethiopia-Eritrea war, but improved vegetation
Big Dry 2002-2009 Limiting drought caused by human behaviour Suggest reasons for
Linked to climate change and El Nino physical water
Murray over extracted by affluent lifestyle scarcity
Only 400mm annually, Murray covers 14% Australia
Schemes like grey water recycling/lower pressure
Aral Sea Constantly dwindling necessary sea Evaluate water’s role
Diverted by Soviet in 60s for irrigation in economic
60k people fishing industry collapsed development
Done well by Kazakhstan (North) with Kokaral Dam