A comparison of the effects of Hurricane Floyd (Florida) and Hurricane Mitch (Honduras)
Description
Fifty six people died in the USA as a result of Hurricane Floyd and 6,000 died in Honduras as a result of Hurricane Mitch. There was no evacuation plan in Honduras and the emergency management organisations were very differently sourced. The clip highlights the fact that victims of ‘natural’ disasters are predominantly poor.
Classroom Ideas
Students should construct a simple table listing variables which had an impact on outcomes from the two hurricanes: location, date, deaths, poverty and wealth, building location, building types, emergency plan and emergency response. This would allow a simple comparative summary to be created allowing a case study approach to answering an exam question which asks for information about the effects of hazards on MEDC or LEDC countries. Discuss which variables are physical and which have a human factor. Consider how the cost of recovery from a hurricane can have an impact on national wealth and spending, which in turn may have an impact on preparedness for future disasters.
Environmental hazards
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