By David Williams 21/04/2023

Why, and to what extent, are populations in LEDCs more vulnerable to hurricane hazards than those living in MEDCs?

Hurricanes are typically powerful tropical storms, which carry with them exceptionally strong winds, and very heavy rainfall. They may be up to 800km in diameter, with clouds up to 12km and pressure as low as 880mb. Depending on the area that they hit, and the speeds they reach (possibly up to 120 km/h), the hurricane can cause extensive damage, both primary damage from the wind and rain, and secondary from subsequent flooding. These hurricanes commonly form 5-20 degrees north and south of the equator as within these regions the coriolis affect can rotate the air mass. It also has to form over sea with a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius as this releases energy through latent heat in the form of high winds.

Hurricanes can cause damage through three forms. Firstly the substantial wind speeds that occur, up to 120km/h, damage can be caused by both direct impact and also flying debris such as telephone poles and poorly secured roofs. Damage can also be caused by the rapid changes in pressure that occur which can cause roofs to be lifted off and buildings to expand and collapse.

The largest killer in a hurricane is the storm surges that follow it. This is when water is pushed toward the shore by the force of the winds, and when coupled with high tides creates a hurricane storm tide increasing water levels by up to five meters. This water level can cause severe flooding and destruction, as much of the densely populated Atlantic and Gulf coast is no more than three meters above sea level.

The final form of damage can come from the heavy rain that accompanies the wind. This can seep into buildings and cause collapse due to a increase in weight on the roofs, it can cause in land flooding by rivers, and also causes land movements such as mud slides.

As with many natural hazards, the first defence against loss of life and infrastructure is the prediction and monitoring of the hazard. If an event is predicted, and the scale of destruction is predicted, then appropriate safety and rescue plans can be put into motion to reduce the loss of life and damage to surrounding areas. Hurricanes are the most closely monitored of all hazards, and sophisticated systems that measure temperature, humidity and wind speed are used to notice the formation of a hurricane. Then further technology such as satellites, aircraft, ships and buoys are used to track the path of the subsequent hurricane. However this technology is expensive to buy and needs trained professionals to interpret the data. Therefore the systems are costly and so we see that very few LEDC’s have the ability to pay for it. MEDC’s therefore have the ability to more closely monitor the hazard, and warn those that may be affected by it where as LEDC nations are left more unaware of impending danger. In MEDC’s, costal communities at risk from hurricanes are informed about the potential danger and advised what to do. Warnings are issued over the radio and television and government bodies control evacuation. In the USA the National Hurricane Centre is responsible for measuring and monitoring hurricanes in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific. Also in another MEDC, Hong Kong, scientists at the Hong Kong Meteorological Office monitor the paths of hurricanes using infrared satellite images produced every hour.

This ability to predict and monitor hurricanes can be seen when comparing hurricanes Katrina and Mitch. Hurricane Katrina formed near the Gulf coast in August 2005 and was closely monitored by the National Hurricane Centre. It

By David Williams 21/04/2023

developed from a tropical depression to a tropical storm off the tip of Florida, and then as moving closer to shore it gained energy until it reached a category 5 hurricane. However, as it was closely monitored hurricane warnings were issued and a full action plan was instigated by FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) who were in charge of planning for disasters. They implemented the ‘Doomsday Plan’ as when it entered the Gulf of Mexico it was clear the hurricane would intensify. It was due to this prediction that 70% were expected to leave as evacuation began taking place. The point at which landfall was expected was near New Orleans and so evacuation orders were passed on to reduce the loss of life in the city. Not only do MEDC’s have better system for tracking a hurricane, when one develops they also have the ability to evacuate people on a large scale, and designated government bodies to issue warnings and further plans. However, hurricane Mitch in 1998 swept through Honduras and Nicaragua killing over 10,000 people. Although the hurricane was detected, very little was known about where it would hit landfall, and so preparation for the disaster was not as advanced as in America.

Not only does prediction aid the loss of life, but also further infrastructural projects can reduce damage that is caused. This can be seen in New Orleans, where the affect of large storm surges was reduced. The city is on average, 2 meters below sea level, and so relies on a 560km levee system around the city to stop flooding of the city. This levee however was built to withstand a category 3 hurricane. On 28th August 2005 these defenses were breached and water poured into the city covering 80% of the land. This shows that even in MEDC’s if the defenses that are put into place are not appropriate or substantial enough, hazards such as Katrina will still have a devastating impact.

The final way that LEDC’s are more vulnerable to hurricanes is the quality of recovery and rescue operations that take place. With poorer governments, less money will be available to the emergency services to aid in rescue missions. Also the infrastructure of the country will be weaker and so movement of people out of areas that are worst hit will be much more difficult. The health care and spread of disease will be much great in LEDC’s as only basic health care and hospitals are available. This was seen during hurricane Mitch, where mass movement hazards caused by the hurricane dammed the Rio Choluteca, creating a lagoon of stagnant, sewage filled water. Other examples in Nicaragua showed that due to the destruction of land, and to little aid, thousands of children died from starvation and malnutrition. In MEDC’s, prearranged action plans will be put into place, and all injured and sick will be treated quickly to reduce the spread of water borne disease etc. There would also be aid plans available to house and feed those that were affected by the hurricane. For example, after hurricane Katrina hit, the Red Cross effort set up 356 American Red Cross shelters and housed over 107,000 evacuees in Alabama and surrounding states. This same rescue effort cannot be afforded in LEDC’s as they rely heavily on international aid rather that government intervention.

When looking at the comparison of devastation between MEDC’s and LEDC’s,

we see that the costs of the hazard are different in each country. The costs in an MEDC are predominantly a financial cost, and a loss if infrastructure and capital. The area may have been flooded and destroyed, buildings are roads need to be rebuilt, but the death toll is kept to a minimum due to the ability to predict the event, and rescue and aid after the hurricane. This can be seen with hurricane Katrina. The hurricane caused the levees to be breached, leaving 80% of New Orleans under water, and an area the size of the UK was laid waste and the hurricane left an estimated three million people without electricity. The total cost of the hurricane was estimated at

By David Williams 21/04/2023

$81.2 billion, one of the most costly hurricanes in history. However, the loss of life due to Katrina was kept as low as 1500 people, which is low for a hurricane of this size, and with the flooding of a major city.

This can be contrasted with the impacts of hurricane Mitch. LEDC’s tend to have a much less developed infrastructure, buildings and less valuable land, meaning that financial costs are not in the same region as in an MEDC. Hurricane Mitch killed over 10,000 people in Nicaragua and Honduras, ten times more than in New Orleans, however the financial cost of the hurricane was only $5 billion.

This contrast is known as the development continuum, where loss of life is much higher in LEDC’s but the economic losses are far greater in MEDC’s. However the costs are not as simple as the development continuum states. For example the long-term affects of loss of land may be great. This can be seen in the case on hurricane Mitch where thousands of hectares of important farming and plantation land was lost, and so in following months there was a loss of £200 million worth of farming income in the area. Also the hurricane may affect a certain sector of society more than others. In the case of hurricane Katrina, the poor black sector of the population was hardest hit, as damage was higher in poorer neighborhoods and most of these people had no insurance.

When taking all aspects into account, I believe that LEDC’s are at a larger risk than MEDC’s. They have not got the technology to accurately predict the path of the hurricane and also do not have the resources to reduce damage and death if a hurricane hits. Although the financial costs to the country will be less, I believe this to be less important than the huge loss of life that is experienced. However, no matter how much technology that is owned, the hurricane will not be able to be stopped, and it will follow its path according to nature. This means that both MEDC’s and LEDC’s will have to face the disastrous affects that are caused by hurricanes, and prepare as much as possible. The only way in which we can reduce the destruction caused by hurricanes, is by large international aid projects being set up, to help all those that are affected.