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HURRICANE MITCH: CANADA'S EMERGENCY RESPONSE

Contents

Canada's international reputation as a good neighbour and peacekeeper was enhanced by its recent role in providing aid and assistance to countries ravaged by Hurricane Mitch. In acquitting itself admirably, our new Canadian Forces Emergency Response Team is a model for international co-operation and humanitarian relief. It is also an important case study of logistical operations and effective disaster management. (Start : 44:11; Length:14:04)

Contents Introduction The Storm of the Century Aid, Expertise, and the International Community Awesome Power The Impact on Crops and Agriculture A Canadian Observer Canada Provides Aid DART The Anatomy of a Hurricane Capricious Mother Nature Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions

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Comprehensive News in Review Study Modules

Using both the print and non-print material from various issues of News in Review, teachers and students can create comprehensive, thematic modules that are excellent for research purposes, independent assignments, and small group study. We recommend the stories indicated below for the universal issues they represent and for the archival and historic material they contain.

http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/1999/02/

http://newsinreview.cbclearning.ca/

"Canada's Recession," March 1991 "Farmers Revolt," November 1991 "Hard Times, Disappearing Jobs," February 1992 "Canada Now: A Diverse Landscape (Urban and Rural Ways of Life)," 1992 "Jobs for the 90s: Training for the Future?" April 1994 "The Changing World Economy," October 1998

Other Related Videos Available from CBC Learning Does Your Resource Collection Include These CBC Videos?

Field of Genes NAFTA on Trial Revolution Down on the Farm Free Trade 10 Years Later The Lost Frontier

Indicates material appropriate or adaptable for younger viewers.


mailto:[email protected]


http://www.cbclearning.ca/


.Introduction

When Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Douglas, a career artillery officer with the Canadian Armed Forces, and the man appointed head of Canada's new military Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), was told he'd be shipping out to Honduras in the wake of Hurricane Mitch, he was eager to get underway. When he arrived with his 180-person team in Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, in early November 1998, the city was a disaster zone. Rivers had just begun to recede after overflowing their banks, bridges were down, and a terrible odour from bodies of people and animals decomposing in the mud hung over the city. Throughout the country there was extensive damage. The transportation infrastructure was gone, and crops had been wiped out. And this was just in one country. Damage had also been caused in Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador.

Douglas's mission would be the first full-scale deployment of DART since its inception nearly two years ago. The mission was considered to be a test case of how Canada's military could provide emergency help in the future, not only abroad but at home. And it was hoped that a successful performance by this specialized team would help to erase some of the bitter memories surrounding incidents relating to members of the Canadian Forces in recent years: namely, the flawed peacekeeping mission in Somalia, and hazing incidents among the now disbanded Canadian Airborne Regiment.

Hurricane Mitch, however, would turn out to be a formidable opponent. The worst Atlantic hurricane since 1780, Mitch was responsible for an estimated 9000 deaths, 15 000 missing



people, and 2 million homeless. In Honduras, a country the size of Nova Scotia and whose infrastructure was virtually wiped out by the hurricane, over 80 per cent of the crops were destroyed, and valuable topsoil was washed away by the flooding, which will mean that planting new crops will be incredibly difficult. Roads and bridges were washed away, and only one airstrip remained functional. Schools were destroyed, and textbooks and educational materials were literally swept away, putting the school year on hold indefinitely. The people were left with no clean water, no sanitation system, and little food. Doctors and nurses could not cope with the extent of the disaster, and disease began to spread. As if that was not enough, hundreds of thousands of land mines planted during the civil war in Nicaragua in the 1980s were exposed and washed away by the flooding, putting the population at even greater risk.

Amid all the destruction, however, there was hope. The world rallied to the support of the people in the affected regions. Billions of dollars worth of food, medicine, and other supplies was sent to the area. Community agencies also collected cash to be sent to the region to be put to whatever use was deemed most urgent. Doctors, nurses, engineers, and other civilian volunteers flew to the area to help in whatever way they could. Houses were rebuilt, roads and bridges repaired, mud was shovelled off roads and out of buildings, food was packaged and delivered, clothing was distributed, medicine was administered, and water supplies were restored. Despite the enormous losses and destruction, international humanitarian assistance, in particular on the part of the Canadian military, was immediate and effective.

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Introduction The Storm of the Century Aid, Expertise, and the International Community Awesome Power The Impact on Crops and Agriculture A Canadian Observer Canada Provides Aid DART The Anatomy of a Hurricane Capricious Mother Nature Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions


.The Storm of the Century

Hurricane Mitch is the worst hurricane to hit the Atlantic region since 1780. Although the official death toll may never be known, it is estimated that over 9000 people were killed across Central America, 15 000 people are missing, and over 2 million have been left homeless. Although the numbers themselves are staggering, it is difficult to understand the scope of this disaster without seeing it with our own eyes.

Viewing The Destruction Make a heading in your notebook entitled Images of Destruction. As you view this News in Review story for the first time, try to capture visual images you see that you find particularly representative of the effect of this natural disaster.

Imaginative Identification After discussing your notes with a classmate, put yourself in the position of a survivor of the storm and write a letter describing the destruction that has hit your country.

Assessing the Damage After the world had a chance to digest the extent of the destruction caused by Hurricane Mitch, energy was focused on helping the people of Honduras, Nicaragua, Guatemala, and El Salvador rebuild. Before aid could be channelled effectively, though, the extent of the damage needed to be carefully assessed. To help you comprehend the immensity of the damage, watch this story a second time and make notes in chart form in which you gather essential information from the video, listing it under the headings Immediate Needs and Long-term Needs.



Estimating the Relief Work Working with a classmate, compile the statistical information that each of you has gathered in the preceding task. Reread your points and group the immediate and long-term needs together into specific categories and suggest how local people working in concert with international agencies could begin to meet these needs. Consider especially the following and whether they require immediate or long-term solutions:

� the availability and training of medical personnel � treating acute diarrhea and other diseases that result from this disaster � providing clean water � repairing bridges, roads, and other communications systems � the availability and training of engineers or extra work crews � the availability of specialized and extra equipment

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Aid, Expertise, and the International Community

After the damage had been assessed following the hurricane, individual countries outside Central America decided how they could best provide aid. Canada was in the unique position of being able to deploy a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), a special division of the Canadian Forces. Using information provided in the video, focus on DART and its unique role in this crisis. Use the following questions to help you examine this important agency.

1. Why was DART created?

2. What different units comprise the DART team?

3. How is DART different from other types of assistance that could be provided?

4. What types of activities were the DART members involved with?

5. What dangers existed for the members of the DART team?

Other Sources of Aid In addition to the aid provided by the Disaster Assistance Response Team, a large number of international agencies came to the relief of the people in Central America. Contact one of the agencies listed below and prepare a short report on its role in general and its specific role during the Hurricane Mitch crisis.



How has each made a contribution to the people in the affected areas?

The Canadian Red Cross Society International Services Department 1430 Blair Place, 3rd floor Gloucester, ON, K1J 9N2 Telephone: (613) 740-1900 Fax.: (613) 740-1911

CARE Canada 6 Antares Drive, Unit 300, Phase 3 Ottawa, ON, K1G 4X6 Telephone: (800) 267-5232 Fax: (613) 226-5777 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.care.ca

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) 200 Promenade du Portage Hull, QC, KIA OG4 Telephone: (819) 997-5006 Fax: (819) 953-6088 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://w3.acdi-cida.gc.ca

OXFAM-Canada 300-294 Albert Street Ottawa, ON, K1P 6E6 Telephone: (613) 237-5236 Fax: (613) 237-0524 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.oxfam.ca

World Vision Canada 6630 Turner Valley Road Mississauga, ON, L5N 2S4 Telephone: (905) 821-3030 Fax: (905) 821-9794 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.worldvision.ca

Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP)


http://www.care.ca/


http://w3.acdi-cida.gc.ca/


http://www.oxfam.ca/


http://www.worldvision.ca/

5633 Sherbrooke St. East Montreal, QC, H1N 1A3 Telephone: (514) 257-8710 ext. 318 or (514) 257-8711 Web site: www.devp.org

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http://www.devp.org/






Awesome Power

The word awesome is used colloquially quite a bit today. It can mean everything from "impressive and majestic" to "appalling and dreadful." The word awe suggests a sense of amazement, astonishment, and even respect. The forces of nature are certainly awesome and are forces to be respected and understood. Hurricane Mitch grew to become the fourth strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic basin. It was the strongest storm in the western Caribbean since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. The immediate loss of life in the region was tragic, but it is only one part of the tragedy. Damage to the affected areas themselves is so severe it may well take 10 years or more for the hardest hit areas to recover from the storm. As you read the information below, think about what it will cost in money and personnel for Central America to rebuild from the effects of Mitch.

Water and Sanitation The United Nations reports that the destruction of water supply and waste disposal systems in the area ravaged by Mitch continues to represent the most serious health risks for the population at large. Some progress has been made in restoring running water in a limited number of urban centres. By December 1998, in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, 60 per cent of the population had access to running water, but most outlying areas had not had these services restored.

Disease The lack of clean water and proper sanitation resulted in the spread of a number of disaster-related diseases. The most common illnesses being reported in January continued to be



acute diarrhea, skin diseases, acute respiratory infections, and conjunctivitis (an eye infection). At Tegucigalpa's main hospital, Hospital Escuela, cases of diarrhea and intestinal problems have risen from about three a week to more than 50. In Nicaragua, officials are investigating 264 possible cases of leptospirosis, a disease that leads to liver and kidney failure. Cases of the disease, caused by a rare bacterium in rat urine, also have appeared in small numbers in Honduras and Guatemala, but officials say the increase could be a result of a program that recently taught local doctors to detect it. By December there had been four confirmed deaths from the disease. According to the Pan American Health Organization, at least 560 cases of cholera�an intestinal illness that can cause death by severe dehydration�have been confirmed in the hardest-hit areas of Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, and Guatemala. In Chimaltenango, Guatemala, doctors saw 37 cholera cases in a single day�more than the total number of cases for the two weeks before the disaster. At least 21 people have died from the disease, which is contracted mainly through contaminated food. Guatemala and Nicaragua account for 95 per cent of the cases.

Health workers have also reported 1086 cases of mosquito-borne dengue�about 400 more than the number reported during the same period last year. Honduras accounts for all but six of those cases of the disease, which causes fever, joint pains, chills and, in serious cases, hemorrhaging or death. In January, officials stated that prevention measures against dengue, malaria, acute diarrhea, and respiratory diseases needed to be strengthened. The Pan American Health Organization was calling for stronger measures to improve hygiene and control rodents and mosquitos, particularly in shelters. The Taiwanese and German governments, the World Bank, and the Pan American Health Organization have donated $2-million to spray Honduras's highest risk areas with insecticide.

The Disruption of the Education System The reopening of primary schools in February 1999 is not likely because thousands of classrooms were destroyed in the flooding and mud slides. As well, schools that were not destroyed are occupied by displaced people as temporary shelters until their homes can be rebuilt. Materials have been provided by relief agencies to rebuild the damaged schools and community centres, but most essential education materials and textbooks were also lost in the floods. The Ministry of Education

in Honduras has launched a 100-day Emergency Plan because the entire educational system in the country will need to be transformed.

Land Mines Another threat facing the Nicaraguan and Honduran people is the resurfacing of land mines planted by Nicaragua's Sandinista government and American-backed rebels during the country's 1980s civil war. Handicap International, the group spearheading a global campaign against antipersonnel mines, estimates that over 150 000 land mines were planted in Nicaragua during the civil war. Honduran officials estimate that 30 000 mines were planted in its territory by the Contras, of which only about 2100 have been deactivated. The flooding and erosion caused by Mitch has unearthed tens of thousands of these explosives, and has carried thousands of others away to unknown places. Land mines have been seen floating along the Rio Coco, which divides the eastern regions of Honduras and Nicaragua.

Damage to the Infrastructure Using small tools, workers continued clean-up activities throughout the affected countries in January 1999 with the assistance of secondary school students�whose schools were destroyed�and community groups. The lack of resources for heavy equipment was still preventing the recuperation of large parts of urban centres. All the major roads had been reopened after hasty repairs and the building of some temporary bridges, but the destroyed secondary and tertiary roads and bridges meant that a large number of communities were still isolated. This was seriously hampering the distribution of food and other relief items.

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The Impact on Crops and Agriculture

It is in the agricultural sector that the greatest long-term effects may be felt. As you read the following information, think about the agricultural industries that may exist where you live. How might severe weather affect the lives and jobs of people in your area? What would be the effect on the consumer? What historical weather events has Canada seen that have had a direct impact on agriculture?

A number of the countries in Central America that were affected by Hurricane Mitch have a single crop or a limited number of crops on which much of their economies are based. In Honduras, for example, bananas, most of which are exported to northern countries, are a staple crop. After the hurricane, most of them were left to rot in the flooded fields. Children who had very little else to eat and who were able to salvage a few undamaged bananas tried to sell them for twice their going value to their equally poor neighbours. It is estimated that 70 per cent of Honduras' economic output has been lost and that the country's development efforts have been put back at least 30 years. Ninety per cent of banana production was affected. The Chiquita Brands International banana company has said it expects little or no banana production from the storm-damaged region in 1999. Coffee plantations are another staple industry of the Honduran economy as well as of other Central American countries. About 70 per cent of the infrastructure on which the coffee growing and export business is based was damaged or destroyed. In Costa Rica, where coffee plays an important role in the economy, 112 000 130-pound bags of its 1998-99 coffee crop were lost to the storm, according to the Costa Rican Coffee



Institute. The Guatemalan Coffee Association reported that in that country, another coffee-producing nation, up to 25 per cent of the harvest was lost. It must be remembered too that in a nation like Guatemala where the principal crop is coffee, roads are built and maintained to service that industry. Because the system of roads was severely damaged by Mitch, the impact on the economy and the general public was compounded. Central American countries account for nearly 8 per cent of world coffee supplies. Their high-quality arabica coffees are preferred by consumers in North America, but because of the damage to roads and bridges, shipping coffee to these major markets has been drastically reduced. As a result, the price of coffee futures has soared on North American commodities markets, as have sugar futures, another principal crop from the devastated sugar cane fields Guatemala. In the Central American countries that were affected by Mitch, most of them developing nations, the destruction of their agricultural base was a particularly cruel blow.

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A Canadian Observer

The following letter appeared in The Toronto Star on December 18, 1998. It was written by Don McCormick, of Huntsville, Ontario. McCormick is a recently retired high school chemistry teacher who decided to volunteer in Nicaragua as a relief worker. As you read the letter, think about his impressions of the region, the questions the disaster raised in his mind, and the ultimate rewards he gained from his volunteer work.

Within a week I am standing in the middle of a flood-ravaged village in the mountains of northern Nicaragua. The flood waters have subsided and I'm surrounded by stinking, garbage-strewn muck, uprooted trees clawing at the sky, tangles of branches wrapped around anything that could withstand the force of the rushing water. Plastic bags hang in the trees high above the ground indicating the height to which the river had risen at its peak. Topsoil, laid down gently over thousands of years, has been scoured off the valley floor. Only the underlying boulders remain. Parts of buildings hang perilously over the embankment. It is overwhelming. Can they ever clean this place up and repair the damage? . . . In front of me, 250 villagers are lined up in front of the little medical clinic to see the members of our medical team. Standing patiently in the intense heat, they appear dispirited. A mother holding a child looks pleadingly at the interpreter, fearful of missing her turn. Some have lost everything in the floods except the clothes on their backs. Was it not bad enough that they lived in one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere? Or that they had endured almost 10 years of civil wars? Or how about the drought and the



three failed crop plantings they had endured just prior to the floods? Was this some test of character or sick cosmic practical joke? What in God's name am I doing here? . . . But we're here and we resolve to make the best of it. Reminded that "a journey of 1000 miles starts with a single step," we wade in. Over the next eight days the medical team attends to over 1300 people in five communities surrounding the town of Condega. . . . The efforts of our construction team are made more difficult and frustrating because of the disruptions due to the flood. There is a shortage of building supplies, of money to buy what few building supplies there are, of vehicles for transporting materials, and so on. Bridges are washed out and roads are extremely bad. In the end, however, six homes are restored. And, during the inevitable delays, we help shovel the mud out of homes and the streets, measure out and package food and other necessary items, till ground and plant gardens, distribute clothing at refugee centres, transport and distribute food packages to outlying villages and provide moral support. . . . My question, "What am I doing here?" is answered over the course of our stay in small, simple ways: a handshake and a thank you from an old man; the look of pleasure on the face of a child who found a pair of donated shoes that fit; the look of relief on the face of a mother whose child was malnourished but would eat tonight; the misty eyes of an old woman on seeing her rebuilt house; the laughter of children playing with balloons brought by some of the team members provide the answer. And, ultimately, it is the knowledge that just being here�touching directly the life of another human being in their time of need�is important, to all of us."

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Contents Introduction The Storm of the Century Aid, Expertise, and the International Community Awesome Power The Impact on Crops and Agriculture A Canadian Observer Canada Provides Aid DART

The Anatomy of a Hurricane Capricious Mother Nature Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions







Canada Provides Aid

As you have seen, relief assistance is both immediate and long-term. As you read the following statistical information, consider what these figures say about Canada as a nation. In addition to the obvious humanitarian reasons, for what other reasons would a country like Canada offer such assistance?

Immediate Help The Canadian government offered $9-million in immediate aid money to the countries affected by Hurricane Mitch. The money was needed to transport personnel and emergency supplies to the region. In addition to transportation costs, the money was allocated to the following areas:

� $2-million in Canadian food aid for Nicaragua and Honduras

� $500 000 to the Pan American Health Organization for sanitary and emergency facilities, transportation of medical supplies, and other needs such as clean water, food, blankets, and antibiotics

� $500 000 to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies for immediate needs and to support long-term rehabilitation

� approximately $1-million to Canadian non-governmental organizations including: CARE, OXFAM-Canada, Doctors Without Borders, World Vision, Canadian Centre for International Studies and Cooperation, and Save the Children



� $2-million to the Canadian embassies in Central America to respond to local relief appeals

� about $150 000 for the provision of basic necessities and mapping

Long-term Assistance The Canadian government recognizes that it is going to take years to rebuild the damaged areas and has also committed to provide help over the long-term in the following ways:

� Canada will provide $100-million over the next four years for Central America's recovery. The funds will focus on restoring agricultural production, reconstructing basic health facilities, water and sanitation infrastructure, and rebuilding houses. Part of the funds will also go toward protecting the environment and managing natural resources, for example, by planting trees on hillsides to prevent erosion. This is in addition to the approximately $40-million a year Canada is already spending in the region, bringing the Canadian International Development Agency's total contribution to $260-million over the next four years.

� Canada has suspended repayments of principal and interest on $29.5-million in official debt owed by Honduras. This will provide relief to Honduras until a new repayment schedule can be put in place. Nicaragua, the other country in the region seriously affected by Hurricane Mitch, is also a focus of concern, but there are no outstanding official debts owed to Canada.

� Through the Canadian Landmine Fund, Canada is providing $3.5-million over five years to support community-based rehabilitation programs in Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras. This initiative will help land mine victims to be able to meet their basic needs.

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Contents Introduction

The Storm of the Century Aid, Expertise, and the International Community Awesome Power The Impact on Crops and Agriculture A Canadian Observer Canada Provides Aid DART The Anatomy of a Hurricane Capricious Mother Nature Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions







DART

In addition to money and emergency aid, the Canadian government also sent the Canadian Forces' Disaster Assistance Relief Team (DART) to Honduras. DART is a unique organization designed to deploy humanitarian aid rapidly to crisis situations, ranging from natural disasters to complex humanitarian emergencies. DART gives Canada an additional capability of responding quickly to requests for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. DART consists of about 180 Forces personnel ready to deploy quickly to conduct emergency relief operations for up to 40 days to bridge the gap until members of the international community arrive to provide long-term help. The mission to Honduras marked the first time the full DART team had been deployed, and was considered to be a test case on how Canada's military could provide emergency help at home as well as abroad.

Deployment in Honduras The Canadian team established its tactical headquarters at La Ceiba, about 100 kilometres north of the Honduran capital city of Tegucigalpa. La Ceiba had one of the few air strips still operational after the damaging floods and mud slides. The leader of the team was Lieutenant-Colonel Wayne Douglas, an artillery officer and veteran of United Nations missions in the Middle East. Even with his experience in the Middle East, Douglas was amazed at the destruction caused by Mitch. "It just floors you when you look at the damage. The banana crop doesn't exist." Douglas was proud of the work the Canadians were accomplishing in Honduras, however, and felt very appreciated by the local people. "We (were) the first people in, other than Honduran nationals, to provide support. You could see the people were happy to see us right away. They could



see that something was coming for them, and they had not, after all, been forgotten by the world." By the middle of November the medical field hospital had been established at Soneguera, about 50 kilometres from the military base at La Ceiba. By dawn, on its first day of operation, over 400 people were lined up waiting to see doctors at the Canadian clinic. The demand was great because all of Honduras' doctors and nurses had been sent to the worst-hit areas of the country, leaving a vacuum of regular medical aid in other towns. On the clinic's first day of operation, the team had treated 128 people by 10 a.m., and still had six more hours to go. Doctors reported treating a variety of infections and water-borne diseases like amoebic dysentery. The work of the Canadian doctors was seen as a blessing by the local people, as one woman said, "We have no money and there is nobody else to see. We have walked here with all our hopes." The engineering troop, of about 40 personnel, was deployed to provide a wide range of essential services, such as water purification using a reverse-osmosis water purification unit, fresh water distribution, and power generation. The infantry platoon, of about 35 personnel, was staffed and equipped to conduct security and general labour operations for DART. The logistics platoon, of about 20 personnel, was responsible for virtually all support services, such as maintenance, transport, and supply, that were required to administer and sustain DART.

Analysis Suggest why this Canadian military mission was so important, not only to the hurricane-ravaged countries but to Canada itself. You may wish to conduct further research on the DART mission to Honduras and prepare a short report analyzing its mission.

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Contents Introduction The Storm of the Century Aid, Expertise, and the International Community Awesome Power The Impact on Crops and Agriculture A Canadian Observer Canada Provides Aid DART The Anatomy of a Hurricane Capricious Mother Nature

Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions







The Anatomy of a Hurricane

The terrible power of hurricanes has fascinated weather watchers for ages. The hurricane season runs from June to November, with most hurricanes forming in late summer and early fall over the South Atlantic and the Caribbean. Storms created in the Indian Ocean are called cyclones, and those formed in the South Pacific are called typhoons. As you read the hurricane information below, paraphrased from material provided by the Department of Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Illinois, record, research if necessary, and define in your notebook the italicized terms.

Hurricanes are tropical cyclones with winds that exceed 120 km/h and blow counterclockwise about their centres in the Northern Hemisphere (clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.) They are formed from simple thunderstorms. These thunderstorms can only grow to hurricane strength after being affected by both the ocean and the atmosphere. First, the ocean water itself must be warmer than 26.5 degrees Celsius. The heat and moisture from this warm water is ultimately the source of energy for hurricanes. Hurricanes will weaken rapidly when they travel over land or colder ocean waters�locations where their heat and/or moisture sources do not exist. Related to the effect of warm ocean water, high relative humidity is also required for hurricane development. This high humidity reduces the amount of evaporation in clouds and maximizes the latent heat released because there is more precipitation. The vertical wind shear in a tropical cyclone's environment is also important. Wind shear is defined as the amount of change in the wind's direction or speed with increasing altitude.



When the wind shear is weak, the storms that are part of the cyclone grow vertically, and the latent heat from condensation is released into the air directly above the storm, aiding in development. When there is stronger wind shear, the storms become more slanted, and the latent heat release is dispersed over a much larger area.

Stages of Development Hurricanes evolve through a life cycle of stages. They may begin as a cluster of thunderstorms over tropical ocean waters. Once a disturbance has become a tropical depression, the amount of time it takes to achieve the next stage, tropical storm, can take as little as half a day or up to a couple of days. It may not happen at all. The same amount of time may be the period a tropical storm needs to intensify into a hurricane. Atmospheric and oceanic conditions play the major role in determining these events. As surface pressures continue to drop, a tropical storm becomes a hurricane when sustained wind speeds reach 120 km/h and a pronounced rotation develops around the central core. Hurricanes are Earth's strongest tropical cyclones. A distinctive feature seen on many hurricanes, and which are unique to them, is the dark spot found in the middle of the hurricane. This is called the eye. The eye is a calm area measuring 20 to 50 kilometres across. In contrast to the violent weather around it, skies inside the eye are often clear. Surrounding the eye is the region of the most intense winds and rainfall, called the eye wall. Large bands of clouds and precipitation spiral from the eye wall and are called spiral rain bands. In the case of Hurricane Mitch, it was the amount of rain that fell into the region from these spiral bands that caused the most damage, not the speed of the winds.

Measuring Hurricanes and their Potential Damage Since the 1970s, hurricanes have been measured according to the Saffir-Simpson Scale. This scale divides storms into categories that estimate the potential property damage from high winds and coastal storm surge flooding. For decades, these storm surges, walls of water pushed three to five metres above normal tide marks, were feared as hurricanes' worst killers. But since forecasters began organized evacuation plans about 30 years ago, storm surge deaths have virtually been eliminated. Currently, hurricanes are rated on a scale of one to five. Category 1 is considered minimal, with up to 150 km/h winds. Category 2 is considered moderate, with winds ranging from

150-175 km/h. Category 3 is rated as extensive, having winds between 175-200 km/h. Category 4 is rated as extreme, with winds between 200-250 km/h. Category 5 is called catastrophic, having winds of 250 km/h or more. Mitch was rated as a rare Category 5 storm a few days before it hit land, having winds approaching 300 km/h, but its winds had slowed considerably by the time it reached Honduras. Mitch was so deadly because it was heavy with rain and moved slowly over areas where large populations were densely packed in valleys and flood plains. The rain created flash floods and mud slides that killed thousands of people and destroyed most of the infrastructure in Honduras. The devastation caused by Hurricane Mitch has led hurricane forecasters to consider adding a different, additional scale. The new scale would take into account how much rain a storm is carrying and whether it is heading for mountainous and heavily populated areas.

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Capricious Mother Nature

The hurricane season of 1998 was the deadliest since 1780. The season spawned 14 tropical storms and 10 hurricanes, well above average. It was the first time this century that four hurricanes�Georges, Ivan, Karl, and Jeanne�were active in the Atlantic region at the same time. And of course, there was Mitch, the worst Atlantic hurricane documented since 1780. The previous record holder is still known as The Great Hurricane of 1780, and it was responsible for the deaths of 22 000 people in Martinique, St. Eustatius, and Barbados. But it wasn't just a case of more hurricanes in 1998; there was also an increase in "weird weather" across the globe. Weird weather is the term scientists use to describe weather that is atypical for a region in a certain time period. For example, in February, record rainfall left 100 000 people without electricity from Los Angeles to the San Francisco Bay area in California. Flash floods trapped motorists on their roofs, and coastal homes were washed off their foundations. In July and August, the Yangtze River in Southeast China reached its highest levels in 44 years, killing at least 3000 people and forcing millions more from their homes. In August and September, Bangladesh experienced the worst floods in 100 years, killing at least 1200 people, and leaving tens of thousands homeless and ill from water-borne diseases. The Role of Global Warming While many people devoted their energies to providing aid to those affected by natural disasters in 1998, scientists devoted their energies to trying to determine why there has been an increase in the amount of violent weather around the globe. Although no firm answers have been agreed upon, a growing body of research points to the role of global warming. Global



warming causes the temperature of the Earth's lower atmosphere to increase. The average surface air temperature has increased by 0.3 to 0.6 degrees this century. Each month in 1998 broke historical records for global land and ocean temperatures. Some climate models predict that while global warming will reduce the number of hurricanes that occur each year, the storms themselves will become more severe. A recent report by Henry Hengeveld, senior climate-change scientist with Canada's Atmospheric Environment Service, and writer David Francis pointed out that no matter how many hurricanes occur, the resulting flooding will be more destructive if warming causes even a minimal rise in sea levels. There simply will be nowhere for the flood waters to go. Canadian climate modelling expert Andrew Weaver believes that the weather phenomenon called El Niño is itself a symptom of global warming. He also believes that giant forest fires experienced last year, pest outbreaks, melting permafrost, the record retreat of Antarctic ice shelves, and a boom in warm-weather diseases are all linked to global warming. And he's concerned about the widespread apathy about the human causes of global warming. In November 1998 delegates from around the world met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to discuss how best to control humankind's output of so-called greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. Most governments have accepted that such gases contribute to global warming and pose a threat to human health, but a firm plan for controlling emissions is not yet in place.

All the Weather That's Fit To Print Using the News in Review reports "Global Warming: A Progress Report," (May 1995) and "Ice Station Sheba" (September 1998) in addition to this report, write a commentary in which you explain why weather is news.

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Contents Introduction The Storm of the Century Aid, Expertise, and the International Community Awesome Power The Impact on Crops and Agriculture A Canadian Observer Canada Provides Aid

DART The Anatomy of a Hurricane Capricious Mother Nature Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions







Discussion, Research, and Essay Questions

1. In October 1954, Hurricane Hazel, the worst hurricane in Canada's history, hit Toronto. Hazel was responsible for 81 deaths, creating thousands of homeless families, and causing over $100-million in damage. One survivor, Bryan Mitchell, a district fire chief at the time, recalls the Humber River overflowing and sweeping away an entire neighbourhood. In fact, the water moved so swiftly that some bodies were eventually found on the other side of Lake Ontario on the shores of New York State. Conduct additional research on Hurricane Hazel and prepare a written report to present to your class.

2. Canada has had its fair share of "weird weather" in the past few years. Conduct research to find out more about one of the following: the Quebec and Eastern Ontario ice storm of 1998, the Red River floods in Winnipeg in 1997, or the record snowfall in Toronto in January 1999. See "Comprehensive News in Review Study Modules" in this resource guide for reports relating to these two stories.

3. To learn more about hurricanes, or what to do when a hurricane hits, visit one of the following Web sites:

U.S. National Hurricane Centre: www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Meteorology of Hurricanes: http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml



http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/hurr/home.rxml

Hurricane pictures: http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/hurr/index.html

Red Cross: www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/hurrican.html

4. The Canadian Forces' DART mission to Honduras has been referred to as another example that Canada is a good neighbour and a peacekeeper. Do you believe the DART mission will erase the bitter memories of Canadian peacekeepers killing a Somali civilian while on a mission in Somalia? Or what about the violent and racist hazing rituals that were uncovered in the now disbanded Canadian Airborne regiment? Prepare a list of arguments to be used in a class debate. Background information can be found in News in Review stories listed in the index at the back of this resource guide.

5. Relief agencies across Canada, and indeed, throughout the world, were flooded by calls and offers of support immediately following Hurricane Mitch. Lola Bendana, a member of the Nicaraguan Aid Organization, says generosity is something she has come to expect from her fellow Canadians. "Even poor people [were] giving $1, or $5," she said. Her organization also collected enough donations to pack a tractor-trailer, and it received clothing directly from retailers. Find out how your local community contributed to the relief efforts in Central America. Consider contacting churches and other religious organizations, government officials in your area, and aid agencies like the Red Cross.

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http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/hurr/index.html

http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/hurr/index.html

http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/hurrican.html

http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/hurrican.html

hurricane mitch - contents · 2014-04-15 · hurricane mitch: canada's emergency response...

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