Natural hazard inquiry

Introduction

Cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes. All the same thing, renowned as some of the worst natural disasters known to man. Once the start matures, there is nothing stopping it. So, how do we mitigate the negative effects of a cyclone? That’s what we have been trying to find out. We have found that the best way to mitigate the negative effects of cyclones is by educating everyone of the dangers of cyclones and how we can

What is a cyclone?

A cyclone is a powerful system made of many winds that rotate at an insane speed toward an area of low pressure. Cyclones have different names depending on the region in which they occur, they are called hurricanes in the central north pacific, north Atlantic, and east North Pacific. They are called typhoons when they develop over the northwest Pacific, and cyclones/tropical cyclones when they develop over the south Pacific and Indian Ocean. Cyclones are fueled by warm water which is why they form in areas like the south pacific. They typically go around land as, once they get on land their power source is gone and they die down until the end, causing severe damage along the way. Down below is a map of cyclones. It may be inferred but, when cyclones pass around Australia, they come to us. Due to this, we usually get the last of the cyclone but, as global warming effects become more evident, we will get more powerful cyclones and just, more in general.

What are the effects of a cyclone?

The effects of a cyclone are devastating much like itself. The powerful winds of a cyclone can and will destroy, and throw around objects such as furniture, trampolines, plants, fences, and other things. It will also knock over poles, trees, and power lines which result in powerless cities and towns for quite a while, blocked roads, and destroyed habitats and houses. Cyclones also bring rain, storm surges, and occasionally lightning. Storm surges occur when the intense winds of a cycone pull up the tide, sending waves across the shore. Usually, cyclones mostly die out once thy reach land because there is no more warm water to fuel it but, storm surges ignore that. Cyclones can trigger landslides with the immense rain they produce, which slide into houses, solidifying or, pushes brings the land to a new location where it will dramatically change the landscape. The rain can also soften the soil, which houses, boats, cars etc can sink into. For example, in new orleans, there are massive walls known as levees, these walls prevent the city from flooding due to the city being lower than the water level. When cyclone katrina hit, the water level outside the city rose, and with rain pouring down from both sides, the soil softened and the levees sank, flooding the city. Cyclones also bring rain, storm surges, and occasionally lightning. Storm surges occur when the intense winds of a cycone pull up the tide, sending waves across the shore. Usually, cyclones mostly die out once thy reach land because there is no more warm water to fuel it but, storm surges ignore that.

Solutions to cyclones

Ultimately there is no way to stop a cyclone only ways to minimise the damage it does. So the solutions that we believe are contenders to solve this problem are, education, floating buildings and better placement of infrastructure. But what out of 3 options are the best for after we must fine the best solutions to hopefully minimise the negative effects of a cyclone. First off, there’s better placement of infrastructure. When we talked to our expert, Miss Arnott, we reviewed some of the reasons why this solution is necessary. This is probably our simplest solution. Think about it like this, as the population grows we need to build more houses so that people have a place to live. The primary effect of a cyclone is high winds. When the high winds come, they turn anything and everything into a projectile. Factoring in things like this, we can form an idea of the best places to build houses. This is what that solution means. Next, we have education. As our expert put it, education is teaching people how to cope with cyclones. Think about our warning system. If we could put this into practise in places like asia, and the south pacific, we could save many lives, and lots of money. Lastly, we have floating buildings. These are buildings that float on water. These solve the problem by

Best solution

The best solution that we believe can help mitigate the effects of a cyclone is education. We came to this conclusion after reviewing each of our solutions. The criteria that we used were time efficiency, cost efficiency, convenience, wind force, storm surge. Education was the best in cost efficiency, time efficiency, and wind force. Though it may seem expensive, in comparison

Education

People are informed and know what actons to take to ensure their saftey.

The time it could take would be a while and sometimes new info could come and make already known info outdated.

Floating buildings

Floating buildings are all around the world and are quite affordable.

In order to have a floating home, you need a large body of water.

Improved Infrustucture placement

Pluses are it could save time, money, and rescources and with these saved could focus on other things

Could be very expensive and the land placement it would required oculd be come limited over time

3) If you had to choose between these options or initiatives, what five criteria could you use to judge which option was the best?

4) Give each option a grade from 1 to 5 (1 is best, 5 is worst), to rate the option for each criteria. Add up the total grades for each option. The option with the lowest total is the best one.

Conclusion

In conclusion, cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons are a force of nature and, as climate change and global warmings effects come to pass, their number, size, and severity will increase. We have found that the best way to mitigate the negative effects of a cyclone is by educating everyone of how we can cope through them.

Works Cited

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