Francisco Alejo
Adriana Hernandez
Leticia Mendez
Team Cycle A: Hurricane
1. Read and analyze the scenario and situation
a. Team members read and analyzed the Hurricane Scenario
b. Each team member formed their opinions on the situation of the scenario and
came to the following conclusions.
2. List your personal understanding, ideas, or hunches
a. Alejo, Francisco - Hurricanes have done intense damage to different
communities along the Pacific and Atlantic. These hurricanes have caused many
damages that add up to millions of dollars, but also and most important have
caused the death of thousands of people.
b. Hernandez, Adriana - The Galveston Hurricane of 1900 was the hurricane of
hurricanes. The waves were as high as 15 feet and the winds gusts were at 150 mph. It
totally destroyed Galveston. Anywhere from 6,000 – 12,000 people died because of the
hurricane. Afterwards, many businesses moved away from the area.
c. Mendez, Leticia - What is a Hurricane?
According to the National Hurricane Center: A hurricane is a type of tropical
cyclone, which is a generic term for a low pressure system that generally forms in
the tropics. The cyclone is accompanied by thunderstorms and, in the Northern
Hemisphere, a counterclockwise circulation of winds near the earth's surface.
Tropical cyclones are classified as follows:
Tropical Depression
An organized system of clouds and thunderstorms with a defined surface
circulation and maximum sustained winds* of 38 mph (33 kt**) or less
Tropical Storm
An organized system of strong thunderstorms with a defined surface circulation
and maximum sustained winds of 39-73 mph (34-63 kt)
Hurricane
An intense tropical weather system of strong thunderstorms with a well-defined
surface circulation and maximum sustained winds of 74 mph (64 kt) or higher
Hurricanes are categorized according to the strength of their winds using the
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale.
Category 1 storm has the lowest wind speeds
Francisco Alejo
Adriana Hernandez
Leticia Mendez
Category 5 hurricane has the strongest.
3. List what is known
 2007 Hurricanes category 5Dean and Felix made landfall in Central America.
 Hurricanes Felix and Henriette made land fall on the same day. One on the Atlantic and
the other in the Pacific Ocean.
 In 1502 a big hurricane sunk 20 treasure ships and killed 500 sailors in Columbus’ fourth
voyager.
 September 1900 a category 4 hurricane whipped Galveston Texas.
a. Winds of 150 MPH
b. Pressure of 100 pounds per square foot.
c. More than 6000 people lost their lives
d. Millions of dollars in destruction
 Galveston city was a city with full potential of becoming a huge city mainly because it
had a port and the population had risen to 37,000 plus residents in a short amount of time.
 Because the town was booming the towns Chief weather person (Larson)
 1900 the “deadliest hurricane hit Galveston full force.” (Larson)
 The storm hit at a. Category Four Hurricane (Sustained winds 131-155 mph, 114-135
kt, or 210-249 km/hr). Catastrophic damage will occur (Larson)
 The communication between the Weather Bureau and Galveston Chief of Weather Isaac
Klein was not conclusive due to the fact that the storm was originally heading Northeast.
By the time Mr. Klein decided to raise the hurricane flag and alarm the residents the
hurricane was already upon them. (Larson)
 There was no time to evacuate and no means to do so either, the only thing the residents
could do was to ride the storm.
 Over 6000 died and thousands more were hurt (Galveston Hurricane of 1900: Cycle A)
 The currents of the waves plowed through the city tearing down structures and homes.
“The hurricane pushed a wall of water over 15 feet deep onto the island that, at its highest
point, was only 8.7 feet above sea level. (Galveston Hurricane of 1900: Cycle A)People
never knew the extent of the storm until the past and the sun came out.
 The storm was so strong that the remnants made it across the Great Lakes and into
Canada sometime on September 12, 1900 and finally disappearing into the North
Atlantic. (Galveston Hurricane of 1900: Cycle A)
Francisco Alejo
Adriana Hernandez
Leticia Mendez
 People decided to do something about it. They constructed a seawall, created a levee system and
pumped sand from the Gulf of Mexico to elevate the island.
Event to Sphere Interactions
E>B
Phytoplankton in the ocean bloomed because the hurricane’s high winds bring nutrients and
phytoplankton to the top and the sunlight helps it grow.
People were homeless, about 3600 homes were destroyed/
E>L
Bottom of the Gulf of Mexico was changed when the sand was pumped on the island.
E>A
Because there are more phytoplankton, there is less carbon dioxide (a heat-trapping greenhouse gas)
Barometric pressure drops
E>H
As the hurricane passes through warm waters, it leaves cooler waters behind.
Casual Chains
E>A>B
Because there were such strong winds, it destroyed homes and people became homeless.
E>B>H
Hurricane caused phytoplankton to grow and in return, the phytoplankton got rid of lots of carbon
dioxide.
4. List what is unknown





How can we protect our families from hurricanes?
Can we predict when the next huge hurricane is happening?
Is the temperature of the sea related to the hurricanes?
Are cities to close to the oceans?
How can government protect these cities and its residents?
Francisco Alejo
Adriana Hernandez
Leticia Mendez
 Are hurricanes increasing in intensity and frequency? (Galveston Hurricane of
1900: Cycle A, 2007)
 How can people protect themselves from these hurricanes?
 How long do these storms last?
 What is the economic impact after these storms?
 How are hurricanes started?
 What makes one more powerful than the other?
 What guides their path?
 How to prepare for hurricanes?
 What is being done to prepare for hurricanes?
 How can people be more proactive than reactive when there’s a hurricane?
(People know there is a hurricane, but go into panic mode and don’t necessarily
make wise choices)
 Can something be done to minimize the hurricane’s strength?
 Why do some weather reporters make storms seem worse than they are? (causes
panic)
 Besides a seawall, what can be done to protect the shore and the towns?
5. List what needs to be done
a. Gather information from all resources available
b. Analyze collected data
6. Develop a problem statement
Over the years, hurricanes have caused millions of dollars in damages and
are responsible for thousands of deaths in many cities along the coast. What
can we do to stay proactive in the prevention of hurricanes and in ensuring
the preparedness for the disaster that hurricanes provoke?
7. Gather Information
Collect data from resources
8. Present findings
Cycle B
Francisco Alejo
Adriana Hernandez
Leticia Mendez
Work Cited
http://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a000000/a003300/a003354/
Cook-Anderson. (2004, June 17). Nasa data shows hurricanes help plants boloom in"ocean
desers". Retrieved from
http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2004/0602hurricanebloom.html
Galveston Hurricane of 1900: Cycle A. (2007, October 14). Retrieved November 09, 2011, from ESSEA:
http://esseacourses.strategies.org/private/learner.module.php?course_id=397&coursemodule_id=931
&cycle=A&cycle_label=7
Heidorn, K. (2000). Weather events: The 1900 Galveston hurricane . Retrieved from
http://www.islandnet.com/~see/weather/events/1900hurr.htm
Hurricane Basics. (n.d.). Retrieved November 9, 2011, from National Hurricane Center:
http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/basics.shtml
Larson, E. (n.d.). Great Disasters: Galveston Hurricane 1900: Isaac's Storm (full documentary. Retrieved
November 9, 2011, from You Tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uz2GvDJHMg