Disaster Strikes

Disaster Strikes by Sam Schultz and Mitchell Nabata
Links Home Tusunamis Hurricanes Earthquakes Lightning Other Disasters Interactive Conclusion References	Hurricanes Home Page [ Introduction for Hurricanes \| How Hurricanes are Formed \| Safety from Hurricanes \| Facts about Hurricanes \| Types of Hurricanes \| Measuring Hurricanes \| Conclusion For Hurricanes ] Introduction for Hurricanes: Hurricanes are very destructive tropical storms that can be extremely dangerous. Hurricanes often combine the forces of rain, wind, and flooding to destroy what is in their path. Hurricanes vary in strength and don't always hit land, but still cause great destruction if the conditions are right. How Hurricanes are Formed: The formation of hurricanes occurs over the ocean in the subtropics. Hurricanes form there because the correct ingredients can be found to make the hurricane. One ingredient is that the water in the ocean needs to be at least 27° Celsius on the top 61 metres of water. As well, the air in the area needs to be warm and humid. There needs to be a weak upper level wind which preferably is blowing in the direction that the hurricane is heading. If these ingredients come together, then the hurricane can start to form. The hurricane starts out as a low pressure zone that is taking in winds and thunderclouds. All these winds and thunderclouds start to spin in a counter clockwise fashion around the core of the storm. As the “soon to be hurricane” spins around, the surface winds hit the core and the core acts like a giant chimney.¹ The warm air from the surface wind is sent speeding upwards through the core and towards the stratosphere. As the warm air rises, it cools down and releases excess heat of vaporization which heats the core and adds more energy to the storm. The system continues and causes the wind speed of the hurricane to rise. In this manner a hurricane moves from a tropical depression, to a tropical storm and even to a mature hurricane. The strength of the hurricane all depends on how well the winds can blow into the core and heat it up. The eye of the hurricane is formed when the core becomes more efficient at sending the warm air upwards. Upward movement allows some cool air to gather on top of the hurricane and start to descend down through the core. The cool air takes all the warmth and moisture out of the air in the core and it becomes clear. The eye of the hurricane, is created in the core. Safety from Hurricanes: There are many things that you can do to keep yourself safe if there is a hurricane. You should have a plan if there are hurricanes in your area. Make sure everyone in your family knows the plan. If there is a Hurricane Alert you should take the necessary safety precautions. If authorities tell you to evacuate your house because of the hurricane, do so quickly and only take the necessities with you. Stay away from low areas such as beaches because they could easily flood when the hurricane arrives. If you live in a mobile home, you should probably move to a safer place because mobile homes are easily damaged by hurricanes. If your house is safe, you should try to stay in it at all times. Before the hurricane reaches your area remember to make an emergency water supply and if during the hurricane you need to use it, boil it first. Bathtubs make good emergency water holders. Remember to turn your refrigerators and freezers to colder settings because if you lose the electricity, your food will stay cold longer. It is important to close or board up all windows in your house before the storm because this will stop the wind and rain from entering your house. In the middle of the storm you have to remember to do several things. The most important thing to remember is to stay inside. Stay tuned to the news for information on the hurricane, and if anything changes, you will know about it. If the electricity goes out try to use flashlights instead of candles and other flames. If wind blows through the house, a flashlight won't start a fire. It is also very important not to rush outside if things suddenly clear up. The eye of the storm might be passing over your area. The eye of the storm is the very middle of the storm and in this area of the hurricane, the storm clears up. If you were to go outside when the eye was passing over you, the eye might end and then the hurricane would resume. After the storm departs, don’t go to disaster sites without good reason. You don’t want to hinder rescue workers while they are trying to clean-up the disaster. You should stay away from any damaged power lines that are near you because they could still have electricity in them. Emergency personal will fix the damage as fast as possible. Following these safety precautions could help you survive a hurricane. Facts about Hurricanes: A hurricane is a powerful storm that is created over tropical waters. Hurricanes need the warmth of the waters to fuel itself. Hurricanes can not survive for long once they reach land because they use the warmth of the ocean waters as fuel. Hurricane season is from mid-May to November and the correct name for a hurricane is a tropical cyclone. There are three types of hurricanes; tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. A tropical depression has wind speeds of fewer than 62 km/h. A tropical storm has winds speeds 62 km/h to 117 km/h. A mature hurricane has wind speeds of over 117 km/h. The word hurricane came from the native Caribbean Amerindian Storm God and the word typhoon came from the Persian طوفان Tufân borrowed by Greeks and Chinese. The word cyclone came from the Greek word kyklos which means circle wheel. An extra-tropical cyclone is a hurricane that goes over land but can still be dangerous. There is also something called an arctic cyclone which is the opposite of the tropical cyclone. Almost all hurricanes form within 30 degrees of the equator and 87% form within 20 degrees. Almost none form within 10 degrees. The seven main places where hurricanes form are in the Western North Pacific Ocean, Eastern North Pacific Ocean, South Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Indian Ocean, South-eastern Indian Ocean, South-western Indian Ocean, and North Atlantic Basin. The four places that hurricanes do not form are in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, Central North Pacific, and Mediterranean Sea. Each year there are about 80 hurricanes world wide. Types of Hurricanes: There are also different names and locations for hurricanes all over the world. One of these names is a hurricane. These are found in the northern parts of the oceans and are mature hurricanes. Another type is the typhoon. Typhoons are found in the northwest Pacific Ocean and are mature hurricanes. A severe tropical cyclone is another type which is found in the southwest Pacific Ocean and in the southeast Indian Ocean. They are also mature hurricanes. Hurricanes are called severe cyclonic storms in the Indian Ocean. They are mature hurricanes too. The final type is the tropical cyclone. They are found in the southwest Indian Ocean and are mature hurricanes. Measuring Hurricanes: The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used to measure the intensity of the hurricane from one to five. If a hurricane has an intensity of 1 it means that it has wind speeds of between 33 and 42 metres per second and is called a Minimal hurricane. It would mostly do minor damage to foliage and trees. Some roads and small boats might also be damaged. If the hurricane has an intensity of 2 it means that it is a Moderate hurricane. It would have wind speeds between 43 and 49 metres per second and would deal a lot of damage to trees and signs. Some houses might receive some slight damage and some coastal houses will be evacuated. The 3 intensity of hurricanes are called Extensive hurricanes and have wind speeds between 50 and 58 metres per second. Hurricanes this powerful can blow down trees and destroy mobile homes. They can also do quite a lot of damage to some houses. Houses near the coastline will be evacuated if this level of hurricane happens. Level 4 hurricanes are called Extreme hurricanes and have a wind speed between 59 and 69 metres per second. This level of hurricane is very dangerous and can do a lot of damage to homes. Almost all trees are blown down and some buildings can be blown over or blown away. People within 382 metres of the coastline should evacuate there homes because of this hurricane. A level 5 hurricane is the worst possible. They are called Catastrophic hurricanes and have wind speeds of over 70 metres a second. They do extensive damage to homes and can cause complete building failure. Trees are blown down and the lower floors of buildings are flooded. If you are within 16.1 kilometres of the coastline when the hurricane happens, you should evacuate. Conclusion for Hurricanes: Hurricanes can be very destructive. Something we can do to help prevent injury or death from hurricanes would be to prepare people and be aware of what to do if there is a hurricane. This doesn’t need to be done in places where hurricanes are very uncommon, but people still need to know a little bit about what to do in case they travel to a hurricane area. If people are prepared and follow some of the safety steps then they should be alright during the hurricane. Many people die from hurricanes because they weren’t ready for the storm. Something else that could help people be aware of upcoming hurricanes would be if the government put small speakers on light posts. If a hurricane was coming, the speaker could make a loud siren like noise that would warn people of the hurricane. Then they would have time to prepare for the storm. Another thing that could help with hurricanes is if houses in hurricane areas where built with a little room that was in the basement. There could be a large container for water and a fire place there. During a hurricane the people could go inside it until the hurricane was over. The room could contain the basic necessities and maybe some sleeping bags. In some parts of the world people already have houses with similar hurricane shelter areas. 1This comparison is from the book “Natural Disasters (second edition)”

Disaster Strikes

by Sam Schultz and Mitchell Nabata

Links

Hurricanes Home Page

Introduction for Hurricanes:

Hurricanes are very destructive tropical storms that can be extremely dangerous. Hurricanes often combine the forces of rain, wind, and flooding to destroy what is in their path. Hurricanes vary in strength and don't always hit land, but still cause great destruction if the conditions are right.

How Hurricanes are Formed:

The formation of hurricanes occurs over the ocean in the subtropics. Hurricanes form there because the correct ingredients can be found to make the hurricane. One ingredient is that the water in the ocean needs to be at least 27° Celsius on the top 61 metres of water. As well, the air in the area needs to be warm and humid. There needs to be a weak upper level wind which preferably is blowing in the direction that the hurricane is heading. If these ingredients come together, then the hurricane can start to form. The hurricane starts out as a low pressure zone that is taking in winds and thunderclouds. All these winds and thunderclouds start to spin in a counter clockwise fashion around the core of the storm.

As the “soon to be hurricane” spins around, the surface winds hit the core and the core acts like a giant chimney.¹ The warm air from the surface wind is sent speeding upwards through the core and towards the stratosphere. As the warm air rises, it cools down and releases excess heat of vaporization which heats the core and adds more energy to the storm. The system continues and causes the wind speed of the hurricane to rise. In this manner a hurricane moves from a tropical depression, to a tropical storm and even to a mature hurricane. The strength of the hurricane all depends on how well the winds can blow into the core and heat it up.

The eye of the hurricane is formed when the core becomes more efficient at sending the warm air upwards. Upward movement allows some cool air to gather on top of the hurricane and start to descend down through the core. The cool air takes all the warmth and moisture out of the air in the core and it becomes clear. The eye of the hurricane, is created in the core.

Safety from Hurricanes:

There are many things that you can do to keep yourself safe if there is a hurricane. You should have a plan if there are hurricanes in your area. Make sure everyone in your family knows the plan. If there is a Hurricane Alert you should take the necessary safety precautions. If authorities tell you to evacuate your house because of the hurricane, do so quickly and only take the necessities with you. Stay away from low areas such as beaches because they could easily flood when the hurricane arrives. If you live in a mobile home, you should probably move to a safer place because mobile homes are easily damaged by hurricanes. If your house is safe, you should try to stay in it at all times. Before the hurricane reaches your area remember to make an emergency water supply and if during the hurricane you need to use it, boil it first. Bathtubs make good emergency water holders. Remember to turn your refrigerators and freezers to colder settings because if you lose the electricity, your food will stay cold longer. It is important to close or board up all windows in your house before the storm because this will stop the wind and rain from entering your house.

In the middle of the storm you have to remember to do several things. The most important thing to remember is to stay inside. Stay tuned to the news for information on the hurricane, and if anything changes, you will know about it. If the electricity goes out try to use flashlights instead of candles and other flames. If wind blows through the house, a flashlight won't start a fire.

It is also very important not to rush outside if things suddenly clear up. The eye of the storm might be passing over your area. The eye of the storm is the very middle of the storm and in this area of the hurricane, the storm clears up. If you were to go outside when the eye was passing over you, the eye might end and then the hurricane would resume.

After the storm departs, don’t go to disaster sites without good reason. You don’t want to hinder rescue workers while they are trying to clean-up the disaster. You should stay away from any damaged power lines that are near you because they could still have electricity in them. Emergency personal will fix the damage as fast as possible. Following these safety precautions could help you survive a hurricane.

Facts about Hurricanes:

A hurricane is a powerful storm that is created over tropical waters. Hurricanes need the warmth of the waters to fuel itself. Hurricanes can not survive for long once they reach land because they use the warmth of the ocean waters as fuel. Hurricane season is from mid-May to November and the correct name for a hurricane is a tropical cyclone. There are three types of hurricanes; tropical depressions, tropical storms and hurricanes. A tropical depression has wind speeds of fewer than 62 km/h. A tropical storm has winds speeds 62 km/h to 117 km/h. A mature hurricane has wind speeds of over 117 km/h. The word hurricane came from the native Caribbean Amerindian Storm God and the word typhoon came from the Persian طوفان Tufân borrowed by Greeks and Chinese. The word cyclone came from the Greek word kyklos which means circle wheel. An extra-tropical cyclone is a hurricane that goes over land but can still be dangerous. There is also something called an arctic cyclone which is the opposite of the tropical cyclone. Almost all hurricanes form within 30 degrees of the equator and 87% form within 20 degrees. Almost none form within 10 degrees. The seven main places where hurricanes form are in the Western North Pacific Ocean, Eastern North Pacific Ocean, South Western Pacific Ocean, Northern Indian Ocean, South-eastern Indian Ocean, South-western Indian Ocean, and North Atlantic Basin. The four places that hurricanes do not form are in the Southern Atlantic Ocean, Central North Pacific, and Mediterranean Sea. Each year there are about 80 hurricanes world wide.

Types of Hurricanes:

There are also different names and locations for hurricanes all over the world. One of these names is a hurricane. These are found in the northern parts of the oceans and are mature hurricanes. Another type is the typhoon. Typhoons are found in the northwest Pacific Ocean and are mature hurricanes. A severe tropical cyclone is another type which is found in the southwest Pacific Ocean and in the southeast Indian Ocean. They are also mature hurricanes. Hurricanes are called severe cyclonic storms in the Indian Ocean. They are mature hurricanes too. The final type is the tropical cyclone. They are found in the southwest Indian Ocean and are mature hurricanes.

Measuring Hurricanes:

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale is used to measure the intensity of the hurricane from one to five. If a hurricane has an intensity of 1 it means that it has wind speeds of between 33 and 42 metres per second and is called a Minimal hurricane. It would mostly do minor damage to foliage and trees. Some roads and small boats might also be damaged. If the hurricane has an intensity of 2 it means that it is a Moderate hurricane. It would have wind speeds between 43 and 49 metres per second and would deal a lot of damage to trees and signs. Some houses might receive some slight damage and some coastal houses will be evacuated. The 3 intensity of hurricanes are called Extensive hurricanes and have wind speeds between 50 and 58 metres per second. Hurricanes this powerful can blow down trees and destroy mobile homes. They can also do quite a lot of damage to some houses. Houses near the coastline will be evacuated if this level of hurricane happens. Level 4 hurricanes are called Extreme hurricanes and have a wind speed between 59 and 69 metres per second. This level of hurricane is very dangerous and can do a lot of damage to homes. Almost all trees are blown down and some buildings can be blown over or blown away. People within 382 metres of the coastline should evacuate there homes because of this hurricane. A level 5 hurricane is the worst possible. They are called Catastrophic hurricanes and have wind speeds of over 70 metres a second. They do extensive damage to homes and can cause complete building failure. Trees are blown down and the lower floors of buildings are flooded. If you are within 16.1 kilometres of the coastline when the hurricane happens, you should evacuate.

Conclusion for Hurricanes:

Hurricanes can be very destructive. Something we can do to help prevent injury or death from hurricanes would be to prepare people and be aware of what to do if there is a hurricane. This doesn’t need to be done in places where hurricanes are very uncommon, but people still need to know a little bit about what to do in case they travel to a hurricane area. If people are prepared and follow some of the safety steps then they should be alright during the hurricane. Many people die from hurricanes because they weren’t ready for the storm.

Something else that could help people be aware of upcoming hurricanes would be if the government put small speakers on light posts. If a hurricane was coming, the speaker could make a loud siren like noise that would warn people of the hurricane. Then they would have time to prepare for the storm. Another thing that could help with hurricanes is if houses in hurricane areas where built with a little room that was in the basement. There could be a large container for water and a fire place there. During a hurricane the people could go inside it until the hurricane was over. The room could contain the basic necessities and maybe some sleeping bags. In some parts of the world people already have houses with similar hurricane shelter areas.

1This comparison is from the book “Natural Disasters (second edition)”