Natural Disasters in the South:
Hurricanes and Flooding
Asheville Middle School
Thursday, December 8, 2011
You and Hurricanes
• If your home was to be destroyed and you
could only take three things with you, what
you take?
Words
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Hurricanes
Flooding
Equator
Atmosphere
Troposphere
Dangerous
• Coriolis Effect
• Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale
• Categories
• Wind shear
• Moisture
Today’s Objective
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Where do hurricanes form?
What conditions do hurricanes need to form?
How are hurricanes classified?
What are the damages associated with each
category of hurricanes?
• How does geography affect natural disasters?
The Southern United States
Population = 313,232,044
Square Miles = 3,718,691
Atlantic Beach, Florida
The Atlantic Ocean
Precipitation
Flooding
http://www.tamilnet.com/art.html?catid=13&arti
d=27795
Hurricanes
Winslow Homer
Conditions to Form a Hurricane
• Warm ocean water (at least 80˚F/ 27˚C) through
a depth of about 150 feet
• An atmosphere that cools fast
• Moist air near mid-level troposphere
• A minimum distance from the equator of about
300 miles (but not within 5˚ latitude)
• A disturbance near the surface
• Low vertical wind shear between surface and
troposphere (of less than 23mph).
The Eye of a Hurricane
Conditions for a Hurricane
1. What causes your temperature to rise? What
gets under your skin?
2. Something happens to “cool” your spirits or
3. You are not in the safest place
4. Something disturbs you
5. A vertical wind shear
6. What takes the wind out of your sail
Troposphere
Photo by Nick Juhasz
http://www.miamisci.org/hurricane/h
owhurrwork.html
Coriolis Effect
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Paper plates
Ruler
Tack
Pen or Pencil
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale
Dr. Simpson is on the left.
Category 1 (119-152 kph)
• All hurricanes are dangerous. If it is a Category
1, you will need a raincoat. The man in the
middle will be very wet by the time the bus
comes.
74 – 95 mph
Category 1 Hurricanes
• Mobile homes could be damaged.
• Small trees could be
blown over.
Category 2 (152 – 177 kph)
• If it is a Category 2 hurricane, you should leave
and drive inland. Flooding is associated with
hurricanes and a Category 2 hurricane
produces lots of water and damaging winds.
(96-110 mph)
Category 2
• Windows and roofs will be damaged.
• Some trees and street signs will be blown
down.
• There will be a lot of damage to mobile
homes.
Category 3 (177-209 kph)
• A Category 3 hurricane is very dangerous.
(111-130 mph)
Category 3
• Roofs and porches will be damaged.
• Some trees will be blown down.
Category 4 (209-250 kph)
Category 4
• In a Category 4 hurricane there will be major
damage to roofs, windows, and street signs.
• Mobile homes will be destroyed.
Category 5 (above 209 kph)
Category 5 is the most destructive rating
for a hurricane.
Category 5 storm surge could be well
over 5.5 meters.
George Hilldegard portrays
“hurricane”
Earthquakes in the Southern US
Rock Slides
Jobs Associated with Natural Disasters
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Can any job relate to natural disasters?
Meteorologists
• Water Resources and
Energy Directorate
Norwegian Meteorological
Institute
• Engineering
Mathematics
• Emergency Services
County Government
• Writers
Directorate of Public Roads
• Artists, Newscasters
Environmental Science
• Reporters
Singer/songwriters
• Fishermen
Words
•
•
•
•
•
•
Hurricanes
Flooding
Equator
Atmosphere
Troposphere
Dangerous
• Coriolis Effect
• Saffir-Simpson
Hurricane Scale
• Categories
Today’s Objective
•
•
•
•
Where do hurricanes form?
What conditions do hurricanes need to form?
How are hurricanes classified?
What are the damages associated with each
category of hurricanes?
• How does geography affect natural disasters?
Your Task
• Using the knowledge you have or the ideas
this presentation has given you….
• Choose a medium (art, music, drama, poetry)
to illustrate your understanding of how
natural disasters are impacted by geography.
References
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Førland, E. (2006). Climate change and natural disasters in Norway – An assessment of
possible future changes. Meteorologisk Institutt met.no. Retrieved from
http://met.no/Forskning/Publikasjoner/Publikasjoner_2007/filestore/slf-keypoints.pdf
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Flood forecasting system Retrieved from: http://www.nve.no/en/Floods-andlandslides/Flood-forecasting-system/
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NOAA (2011) Retrieved from: