Evaluate the view that primary impacts from large scale atmospheric disturbances are greater
than secondary impacts
LSADs develop from areas of low pressure into massive storms as they pick up moisture from
the ocean. LSADs bring direct impacts to any settlements in its path, but can also have
secondary impacts which could be as dangerous as the primary impacts. Primary impacts
include storm surges and heavy rainfall, while secondary impacts are failure of defenses,
economic loss as damaged infrastructure. In this essay, I will evaluate the view that primary
impacts from large scale atmospheric disturbances are more detrimental than secondary
impacts.
A primary impact of LSADs is storm surges. Storm surges occur due to high winds driving the
sea inwards, which is also exacerbated by the low pressure of the storm allowing the sea to rise
higher. This has a direct impact on lower lying coastal areas, which could experience
widespread flooding as well as high waves. In particular, places lacking proper defenses could
face high number of fatalities due to drowning and destruction of residences. This was seen in
the Philippines when Super-Typhoon Haiyan struck in 2013. Due to the nature of the country,
majority of its settlements are located by the coast on its nearly sea level islands. One such city,
Tacloban, which lay under 5 meters above sea level, was struck by 7 meter surges throughout
the typhoon. Furthermore, the waves were funneled by the bay which the city was located in. All
this culminated in devastation throughout the shantytowns, which had poorly constructed
wooden houses. 90% of these were destroyed by the storm surge. Evacuees who took shelter
in a convention center also drowned as the waves submerged the first floor. This shows that
storm surges have great social and economic impacts as they can result in large scale loss of
life and property destruction, supporting the view that primary impacts from LSAD events are
greater than secondary impacts.
LSADs can also have secondary impacts lasting long after the event, such as economic losses.
The destruction brought by LSADs affects whole areas in every aspect, from agriculture to
business. High winds can easily destroy windows and roofs of buildings, as well as uproot crops
and scatter debris over farmland. This can make recovery difficult and costly, especially with the
amount of repairs that must be done in rural farm areas, as many things have to be rebuilt from
scratch. Destructive cyclones can essentially halt all activity in an area, which is what happened
in Queensland as Cyclone Yasi hit in 2011. The main exports of the state, banana and sugar,
experienced losses of over 75% as fields were severely damaged. This resulted in $2 billion in
agricultural losses. Further losses were experienced in the tourism industry from cancelled trips
and refunds, which summed to $1 billion dollars. Despite this, recovery was relatively quick due
to action from the government and loans offered for restarting of businesses. One year after the
cyclone, crops were growing again. This shows that with proper handling, economic losses can
be mitigated and restored to normal levels relatively quickly. In this case, the secondary impact
was not as severe as primary impacts like high winds, supporting the view that primary impacts
from LSAD events are greater than secondary impacts.
However, secondary impacts can be dangerous as well. Defenses can be set up to minimize the
effects of the LSAD’s primary impacts, such as flooding and high winds. If these were to fail,
then it could put many people’s lives at risk. Levees are heightened surfaces along rivers to
prevent it from overflowing due to increased input of water. These can be efficient in protecting
residences and communities by increasing the capacity of the river. In New Orleans, levees are
the main defense against floods and storm surges. When Hurricane Katrina struck in 2005,
defences in 50 locations around the city breached. This left 80% of the city underwater up to 10
feet deep, as New Orleans lies 6 feet below sea level. Despite having majority of the city
evacuated, the 100,000 remaining residents were put in dire circumstances as they were forced
to rooftops or the Superdome. Locations were cut off from emergency services due to the
floods, which resulted in violence, looting, fires and spread of disease in the crowded conditions
of the Superdome. A significant portion of the hurricane’s fatalities were from drowning, at
1,800. People may have had a low perception of risk, especially when it came to floods as the
levees have likely protected and held up for majority of their lives. This shows that failure of
defences can have great consequences as it impacts the people’s perception of risk of floods,
supporting my view that secondary impacts from LSAD events are greater than primary impacts.
Another secondary impact is damage to infrastructure. The destructive nature of LSADs could
easily bring down important services and infrastructure, such as power, water, road access and
emergency services. High winds especially can lift roofs up and scatter dangerous debris.
These services can be pivotal in mitigating damage and recovery from the hurricane, and in
cases where it is affected, the lives of people may be put further at risk or impacts could be
worsened. During Hurricane Sandy in 2012, the United States’ east coast experienced
widespread power outages, where 8.5 million households lost power for days after the storm.
Not only residences were affected, a hospital had to move their 215 patients to other facilities.
Lastly, the economy also took a hit as the New York Stock Exchange, a very important facility in
trading, had to close for two days. This shows that secondary impacts can have social and
economic effects which last long after the LSAD, supporting my view that secondary impacts
from LSAD events are greater than primary impacts.
A primary effect is heavy rainfall. Cumulonimbus clouds form along the bands of the typhoon,
and produce intense rainfall especially at the eyewall. Areas that are passed over the eye would
experience two periods of extreme rainfall. The impact of rain also depends on the speed of the
typhoon, as slower moving systems stay over areas for longer. Extended periods of rain can
lead to saturation of soil, resulting in mass movements and flooding. Typhoon Mangkhut struck
the Philippines and South China in 2018, with its 900km wide rain band bringing destruction to
both places. In the Philippines, landslides hit in provinces Cebu and Benguet, where 30 houses
and 33 miners respectively were buried by the movement despite attempts at evacuation and
warnings. Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, no mass movements were observed and rainfall impacts
were not as severe. This could have been due to more protective measurements in place, as
Hong Kong’s mountainous environment is also prone to landslides. Hong Kong, being an
MEDC, would be able to invest more to prevent mass movements, while the Philippines is an
LEDC and does not have the ability to do the same. This shows that impacts of rainfall are
dependent on the level of development of the country, and can be managed to an extent with
sufficient funds, which makes this primary effect not as severe as other secondary effects.
In this essay, I have outlined the primary and secondary effects resulting from large scale
atmospheric disturbances. These can vary in severity, however it has been observed that
secondary impacts are greater than primary for a variety of reasons. Secondary effects tend to
impact both HICs and LICs equally, due to the long term consequences brought by it such as
the agricultural losses in Australia due to Cyclone Yasi or destruction of property due to
landslides in the Philippines during Typhoon Mangkhut. Primary impacts can be managed to an
extent for most locations, by measures such as seawalls or warning systems, which minimize
the amount of people affected. Only LICs which do not have the means for these tend to suffer,
like the storm surges experienced by the Philippines during Typhoon Haiyan. Therefore, it can
be seen that secondary impacts have greater impacts than primary impacts as a result of an
LSAD event.