The document provides case studies on several natural disasters including the 2004 Boxing Day Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Hurricane Mitch in 1998, the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo in the Philippines, the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake in San Francisco, a 1999 mudslide in Venezuela, and catastrophic flooding in Boscastle, UK in 2004. For each case study, it provides background information on the location and type of disaster, numbers of casualties, social and economic impacts both primary and secondary, environmental impacts, primary and secondary responses to the disaster, and any preparation, prediction or prevention measures. The case studies cover a wide range of natural hazards including earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcanic

1. Case study name Boxing day Tsunami Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Mitch Mount Pinatubo
Background information > 26 December 2004
> 9 on the Richter scale
> Indian Ocean tsunamiaffecting 12
countries
> 23rd August 2005–31st August2005
> Acategory 4 storm
> Surges reached over 6 metres inheight
> New Orleans was one oftheworst affected
areas becauseit lies below sea levelandis
protected by levees.
> One ofthe worst hurricanes to hit central and
Northern America
> maximumspeed reached 180ph
> dropped onaverage75mm ofrainfallon
Honduras and Nicaragua
> Located inthelateboundary between theEurasian
and Filipinoplate.
Hydro-meteorological/
Geophysical
Hydro-meteorological Hydro-meteorological geophysical
Location Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Burma,
Kenya, India, Somalia, Maldives,
Bangladesh,Seychelles,Tanzania, Malaysia
New Orleans, Louisiana >Guatemala >Costa Rica
> Honduras >Panama
>Belize >Nicaragua
> El Salvador
Philippines, on the island ofLuzon
Physical location South Asia and East Africa South-eastern portion ofThe US South America South east Asia
Numbers killed or injured 289,601 1,833 > Guatemala -258
> Honduras -6,600
> Nicaragua -2,055
> El Salvador -239
Social and economic
impacts.
Primary & Secondary
Primary >2 million homeless
> People sweptaway in the waters, which
arrived rapidly with little warning.
> Mass graves were dug up due to no of
deaths
> The uplift ofthe sea floor caused a
displacementofbillions oftonnes ofwater
settling in motiona tsunamiwave which hit
the coast ofIndonesia within halfanhourof
the earthquake.
> In Sumatra, 500,000 homeless
Secondary >80,000 houses destroyed
> Diseases such as cholera and dysentery
spread due to the lack ofclean water and
sanitation in the refugee camps killing an
estimated 150,000.
> Incomes lostdue to destruction offishing
boats
Primary >Surges reachedover6 metres in
height.
> 1 million homeless.
> 1,800 peopledrowned.
> Damaged 30oilplatforms and9 refineries
shut down. This reducedoilproduction by
25% for 6 months.
> Most major roads into andoutofthe city
damagedas bridges collapsed.
> 80% ofthe city ofNew Orleans was flooded.
> 30,000survivors wereforced toseekshelter
in the Louisiana Superdome (an American
football stadium).
Secondary >Racial tensions occurred as many
ofthe victims wereblack AfricanAmericans.
> Many people weretotally traumatised.
> $50 billion inaid was given by the
government.
> The UK governmentsentfood aidduring the
early stages oftherecovery process.
Primary >In Guatemala, 120 missing, 105,700
affected, 98 bridges Destroyed, 60% ofroads
impacted
> In Honduras,8,052missing,2,100,000
affected, 170bridges destroyed,70%ofroads
impacted
> In El Salvador, 135missing, 84,000 affected, 17
bridges destroyed 20% ofroads impacted
> In Nicaragua, 1,084missing, 868,000affected,
71 bridges destroyed, 70% ofroads impacted
> 2.7 millionhomeless
> Jobs in agriculture lost due todestructionof
land
> People hada lack ofbasic supplies such as
food, water,electricity, medicineand sanitation
> In Honduras,33,000homes weredestroyed,
50,000 weredamaged and 25 small villages were
entirely destroyed
Secondary >Contaminatedwater led tomalaria
and cholera, killing 34 peopleoutof2,328who
caught cholera.
> 600,000 peopleforced tolive inmakeshift
shelters in Honduras
> 20% offarms ruinedin Nicaragua which meant
there was less food available
> 20% ofpopulationmadehomeless in
Nicaragua
Primary >800km2 agricultural land destroyedand
800,000livestock and poultry killedcosting 1.5 billion
pesos.
> 1.2 millionPeoplelost their homes.
Secondary >847 peoplekilledby collapsing roofs.
> Full economic recovery cost£10billion.
> 100 peoplekilled by lahars.
> 500 peopledied fromdiseases suchas measles in
refugee camps.
> Many indigenous Aeta peoplehad to moveinto
governmentorganisedresettlement areas because
their homes were destroyed. This causedtheAeta
societyto becomefragmented.

2. Environmental impacts > Crops destroyed
> Farmland ruinedbysalt water
> 8 million litres of oil escapedfromoil
plants in Indonesia
> Mangrove forests alongthe coast
were destroyed
> The storm surgeflooded largeareas ofthe
coast
> 80% ofNew Orleans floodedas man-made
levees formed
> Cotton and sugar cane crops destroyed
> Delicatecoastalhabitats weredestroyed
> Tornadoes werecreated
> Heavyrainfall, some areas receivedas
much as 18 inches inone day.
> Rivers overflowedcausing flooding.
> Flooding causedseveral mudslides which
wipedout several villages.
> Winds reached 180 mph.
> Trees were brought downmaking
mountainsides bare.
> Farm land wasdestroyedwhichaffected
29% of Honduras’ arable land.
> 70% of Honduras’ crops were destroyed
byflooding.
Primary >Ash cloud covered 125,000km3 bringing
darkness tocentral Luzon.
> Volcanicashsmothered80,000hectares ofland.
> 150k2ofreforestation projects destroyed. Secondary
Primary responses > Bodies wereburied inmass graves to
prevent thespread ofdiseases.
> Over $7 billion was providedby
governments and NGOs to helpprovideaid
and reconstruct the areas affected
> 5 million peoplerelocated into temporary
refugee camps and hadto beprovidedwith
shelter, foodand water.
> Many were evacuated, although the process
was slowand thepoorest and most vulnerable
were left behind.
> The NicaraguanDefence minister organised
deliveryoffood and medicalsupplies to worst-
hit areas
> Army construction teams sentto repair roads
and replace destroyed bridges
> The US put a multi-million dollar aid package
> Mexico donated700 tons of food, 11tons of
medicine,4 rescueplanes and trained search
dogs
> The Honduran governmentdonatedfood,
clean water andmedical services
> Manila airport closed
> 200,000 peoplerelocated
> Red Cross, actionAid and Oxfam helped toprovide
necessities suchas food andblankets
Secondary responses > The Indonesian government decidedto
relocate the peoplefromtherefugeecamps
straightinto new homes.The building of
these new homes took longer than
expected due tothelack ofresources.
> Atsunamiearly warning system has now
been installed intheIndian Ocean at a cost
of$200 million.
> $50 billion inaid was given by the
government
> The UK governmentsentfood aidduring the
early stages oftherecovery process.
> The Nationalguard was mobilisedto restore
and maintainlaw and order inwhat became a
hostileand unsafeliving environment.
> Countries from around the world donated a
total of$46.3billion
> US administrationdonatedonly $2million
which was a shock toany. Later on, itwas
increased to$70million. Themoney was used in
the long run to help theeconomy recover andso
that houses could berebuiltto withstand other
hurricanes.
> On the 5th ofNovember,PresidentClinton
announced a $70 million US government
assistancepackagefor CentralAmerica
> President Ramos createdtheMount Pinatubo
Commission toraise 10 billion Filipino pesos in aid
> New houses have been built on stilts so futurelahars
will no bury them
> Norway andUK sentmillions in aid
Solutions n/a

3. Preparation, prediction
and prevention
> The govt. of Honduras evacuatedsomeofthe
45,000 citizens on theBay Islands.
> The governmentofBelize issueda purple alert
and asked for citizens onoffshoreislands to
leave for themainland.
> Once the hurricane landed, numerous people
were evacuatedalong thewesternCaribbean
coastline.

4. Case study name Loma Prieta - San Francisco Venezuelan mudslide Boscastle
Background information > 6.9 on Richterscale
> Shook city for 15seconds
> Transform boundary
> Where theNorth American andpacific plate
meet
> Total economicdamageofaround$10billion
> Epicentrewas located intheSanta Cruz
Mountains 60miles southofSan Francisco
> Heavy rain fell in December1999along the
north-central coastofVenezuela.
> Around 8pm, onthe15th ofDecember,runoff
enteredchannels and rushedtowards thesea,
picking up and depositing sediments onits way.
> After the firstwave offlooding, fromthecoast
to just pastthecrest oftheSierra deAvila,these
rains triggeredthousands ofshallowlandslides
that strippedsoilandrock offofthe landscape
and sentthem slipping downthemountainside.
> Asmall north Cornish town popular with
tourists.
> Approx. 800permanentresidents but more
due to tourism
> Hit by catastrophicfloods o 16th August 2004.
Hydro-meteorological/
Geophysical
Geophysical Geophysical Geophysical
Location San Francisco Venezuela Boscastle, Cornwall
Physical location West Coast ofthe United States South America Southwestern peninsula ofEngland
Numbers killed or injured 67 dead 10,000-50,000 (unknown as most people were
buried under mud or swept to sea)
Zero
Social and economic
impacts.
Primary & Secondary
Primary >3,000 injured
> Aftershocks continued to hit San Francisco and
Oakland over the next36hours
> 59 watermains burst
> 10,000homeless
> The Nimitz highway, andCypress structure and
sections ofthe Bay Bridgecollapseddueto
structuralfailure
Secondary >$10 billion damage
> 42 died inOakland,60 miles fromepicentre
Primary
> Rains triggered mudslides, landslides and flash
floods
> 150,000 madehomeless in Vargas andMiranda
> Bridges,roads, factories, crops,
telecommunications andthetourismindustry
were destroyed.
> The internationalairport inCaracas was closed
> Containers at the seaportofMaiqueita were
damaged. Hazardous material leaked outofthe
containers.The economic damage was estimated
$3 billion.
Secondary
The mudslides altered more than 60kmofthe
coastlineinVargas.
> Public services likewater, electricity,phone
lines and land transportationcompletely
disappeared in someplaces.
> There wereno supplies offood andwater for
months, so mostofthe populationhad to be
evacuated.
Primary
> 2 million tonnes ofwaterflowed through
Boscastle,affecting homes andbusinesses.
> 6 properties completely destroyedby debris.
> People trappedin buildings were forcedto
seek refugeon theroofs ofbuildings.
> Properties destroyed by debris.
> Roads wereblocked offby theflood water
making emergency access difficult.
> People left homeless for thenight so
emergency accommodation was needed.
> Sewage drain had burst
Secondary
> Possessions damagedor lostby floodwater.
> Damageaffected the insurancecompanies,
insuranceis nowcostlier.
> Boscastle’s mainindustryis tourism which had
massive loss in revenue.
> 90% ofBoscastle’s economy was dependant on
tourism
> Illnesses & diseases spread.
> Environmentaldamageto local wildlife
habitats.
Environmental impacts Primary >Fractured gas pipes causedfires
> 1.5km stretch ofthe two-tierhighway in
nearby Oaklandcollapsed
> Skyscrapers swayed 3mSecondary >The Santa
North Cornwallreceived a higherthan average
August rainfall,with Boscastlereceiving 25%
more rainthan expected.
> The 16th had high localised temperatures and
moist winds from the sea,which whencombined

5. Cruz Mountains moved 6ftnorthwards along a
25 mile section ofthefault
with the effects oflocal reliefcreateda quick
uplift ofmoist, warmair.
Primary responses > Fire crews used heavy lifting equipmentto
rescue peoplewhowere trapped ontheCyprus
freeway
> Fire crews had topump water out ofthebay to
put out fires as water mains had burst
> National Guard patrolled the streets tohelp
prevent looting
> More than 100,000survivors evacuated
> Chavez refused the helpoftheUS soldiers in
handling theemergency situation
> Other peopleoffered help, including Major
League BaseballshortstopOmar Vizquel, a native
Venezuelan who helpedraiseover$500,000 in
relieffunds.
> As a result ofthese landslide a planto rebuild
40,000 homes was createdfor Vargas
> Tourist destination in Macuto and CamuriChico
were also rebuilt, but towns such as Carmende
Uria were not,andinsteadcreated into parks
and bathing resorts.
> These improvements reduced thenumber of
fatalities to 14in the next2005mudslides in the
region.
> Aflood warning was issued for parts of
Cornwallat3:30pm butBoscastlewasn’t
specifically warned.
> Just a few hours after theflood, a search and
rescue operation was underway which lasted
until 2:30am the nextday.
> Over 150 people saved by search &rescue
operations.
> 11 days after, peoplewereallowed to return
home to rescue their belongings.
> Prince Charles visitedthetown 2 days after the
flood and donateda large sumofmoney to the
town.
> The localchurchandsports hallwas used as
shelters.
> Afew days after theflood, geologists flewover
the area to assess therisk oflandslides triggered
by the heavyrain.
> The night after the disaster, 100 peopleused
the Camelfordleisure centreas a refuge.
Secondary responses > People stayed at homeand isolated themselves
> TV was the mainmeans ofcommunicating with
the outsideworld
> April 18 eachyear the cityhas practice
earthquakedrills, gas andelectricity
automatically turn off, flexibleelectricity cables.
> By 2006, thestatewas back to its pre-disaster
populationlevel, andprojects wereslowly being
carriedout torebuilddamagedinfrastructure
> Nine years after theevent, thousands still
remained homeless.
> The values ofthereal estatehomes in zones
untouched by thefloods declinedby as muchas
70% due to thedestruction ofinfrastructure.
Solutions n/a n/a
Preparation, prediction and
prevention
> The quake was predicted n/a Prevention
> In 2005, a new£800,000flooddefencescheme
opened in Boscastle which includes a new,larger
culvert on the river Jordanwhich willbeableto
carry double theamount offloodwater.
> In August 2006,constructionstarted onthe
river Valency flooddefence scheme. The river
has beenwidened and deepened to increaseits
capacity.
> Flood defenceworks together with the
regenerationscheme. It cost £10 million andwas
officiallyopened inOctober 2008.