Monday 5th September 2011 Bolivia bans cars for 'Day of the Pedestrian'Wednesday 7th September 2011 HURRICANE WATCH As the 2011 Tropical Storm season gets into swing it seems the USA is bearing the brunt of the damage. I remember being in El Salvador in September 2008 when it was Haiti that seemed to the main target in Hurricane Alley. Indeed, I'm always telling my students that in terms of Natural Hazards and the impact of poverty/underdevelopment/political instability then Haiti really is worth studying in depth as a case study - it's just one disaster after another. Also worth reading a little about Haiti's political history. And Mitch is always a good comparison though with my links to El Salvador I'm probably biased. I'm not sure how effective Irene would be as a case study - I think we'll be continuing to use Katrina for years to come but it might be worth mentioning the impact of the storm on a city not acquainted with these sort of hydrometeorological events. Once again I would urge students to consider the impact of political will: not all authorities who have the wherewithal to deal with 'disasters' necessarily have the desire to do so - Katrina is a good example and you might compare that with the way Cuba deals with hurricane alerts. The USA doesn't always come out of these events very well. Remember, you have to think about the long and short-term consequences of the 'disaster' as well as its social, environmental, physical and economic impact. A good student might even go so far as to add a political and cultural dimension and I would urge everyone to consider how men and women are differently affected. But more of that later. Sunday 11th September 2011 HURRICANE WATCH Despite your tender years, many of you will have been told of how the weatherman Michael Fish famously informed his viewers: "Earlier on today, apparently, a woman rung the BBC and said she heard there was a hurricane on the way... well, if you're watching, don't worry, there isn't!" To be fair, Mr Fish was actually referring to the weather in Florida and a 'hurricane' did not strike England. The 'Great Storm', did, of course, arrive some 24 hours later, on 16th October 1987 and brought with it a hurricane-strength winds. As with most 'disasters' (and in the overall scheme of things this event ranks pretty low in the table) much of the damage and devastation was caused not by the magnitude of the storm but when it struck Britain, in the early hours of the morning. Some of you may remember how heavy snow on a Sunday night/Monday morning in February 2009 caused havoc in London precisely because at that time of day the roads were more or less empty, the snow settled and there were too few staff around to clear it. A lack of preparedness - call it political will if you want - rather than the ferocity of Mother Nature. Anyway, I was reminded of this episode when the Met Office warned of the approach of the remnants of Hurricane Katia - once again in the early hours of the morning, during the rush hour to be precise. But as I write the sun is shining over Somerset (doesn't it always) and the forecast seems to have been downgraded. Which is better? To play the pessimist and fear the worst or assume the whole thing will blow over? Let's see what happens! |