My first case study looks at a physical event that occurred in America in 1980. It studies a hazard from the Earth Systems module. Mt. St Helens is a volcano located in the state of Washington. This event was caused by a series of small earthquakes which resulted in magma moving and swelling, along with numerous amounts of steam, to form a bulge on the north side of the volcano. Eventually on May the 18th, 1980 the north side gave way and the bulge erupted.
Short-term effects of this hazardous event were numerous. 57 people were instantly killed by pyroclastic flows and lahars, falling ash also contributed to the death toll. This was a short term impact as the population decreased quickly. Over 200 homes were destroyed by mud flows, falling ash and debris, and smoke damage.
Another short term effect of the Mount St. Helens eruption is that power supplies were cut off and that ash got into water supplies. Consequently, it would have led to contamination of the water and the spread of disease.
Long-term effects included prolonged evacuations of people from their homes and the reduction of industry. Economic damage was great due to the fact tourist centers and facilities were destroyed, this would have affected the population in the long run as no money would be being made and those who relied on tourism would be hit with a loss of income.
Regarding this particular case study, it agrees with my view that there were more short-term impacts than long-term.
Moving onto my second case study. This looks as the events where rapid erosion of the Holderness coastline takes place. The Holderness coast is situated in the East of England and stretches from Flamborough Head to Spurn Point. Because the coastline and the cliffs are made of chalk the coastline erodes easily.
Short-term effects of this case study are hard to find, but the main one that exists are, the effect of houses falling into the sea and possessions being lost and businesses being ruined. It is thought that over 20 m is being eroded per year in some places
There are more long term effects for this case study as the event is continuous. It is thought that erosion has occurred here since the last ice age. One of the main long term effects of this event on population is the fact that towns and villages have been continuously eroded. It is thought that 23 towns and villages have been eroded since Roman Era. Another effect is the fact that field and economically valuable land has also been lost and is being lost.
This is an unusual case study as it is ongoing; the event is not one off that lasts for a small period of time. It doesn’t follow on with the title and does not agree that there are more short term impacts than long term however as this is ongoing it may cause an anomaly.
My third case study is considering the short term and long term effects on population after flooding in Lynmouth, 1952. Lynmouth is a small village situated in Devon, England.
On the 15th and 16th of August 1952, a storm of tropical intensity broke out depositing 229 millimeters of rain within 24 hours on an already waterlogged Exmoor. As Lynmouth is situated at the meeting point of the East and West Lyn rivers the volume of water was increased further at this point and the was far beyond the capacity of the river channel causing the river to burst its banks. This caused horrific flooding in the village of Lynmouth.
Short term effects of this flooding included the deaths of 34 people and the destruction of over 90 houses. 24 bridges were destroyed making transport aid arrive later than necessary.
Long term effects were not as common as the short term effects. One long term effect was the displacement of 100 people from their homes; they were unable to return to their homes for a reasonable amount of time until the floodwater was washed out to sea.
For this case study short term effects were higher than those of long term effects. This could have been due to the spatial issue that the disaster occurred very quickly. People were not prepared for it and so short term effects would be more common. This case study demonstrates how disasters can be highly unexpected, yet also shows how short-term impacts lead to long-term impacts.
My final case study looks at the recent hazardous hurricane, Hurricane Ike, in America, 2008. Hurricane Ike started as a tropical disturbance off the coast of Africa near the end of August then tracked south of and slowly developed. On September 1, it became a tropical storm west of the Cape Verde islands.
Hurricane Ike was tracked through four different countries. Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba and the US. The main areas affected include the Turks and Caicos, Bahamas, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Cuba, Florida Keys, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi Valley, and the Ohio Valley.
Short-term effects from this disaster include the deaths of 147 people and 95 % of housing was damaged in some way. Millions of people were left homeless by the storm yet the increase in technology led to the fact that the path was predictable and so damage and impacts could be reduced.
Long term effects are not yet entirely visible as this disaster is so recent, but some are obvious. Long term effects on the population are the uprooting and evacuation of millions of people and the economic loss from many businesses. The disaster may, in the long run, also make the affected areas less desirable to inhabit.
This disaster however, agrees with the essay title to a great extend, as short term effects heavily outnumber the long term effects. This could be due to the type of disaster of the sheer magnitude of it.
To make an overall assessment on the view that hazardous physical events have more short-term than long-term impacts on populations is simple if only the four case studies I have assessed were taken into account. If this was the case then the short term effects greatly have more impact on populations as they are quick and catch them unawares. They also scare inhabitants and make them fear future disasters. This could be caused however due to the fact I have only examined four case studies. If more studies in different criteria’s were used a different result may prevail, however in my opinion the short term impacts will always outweigh the long term when it comes to populations.
This could however change in the future as spatial issues may show. Technology is forever increasing, this increase and progress in technology may in the future lead to the reduction of impact caused by hazardous events as scientists may be able to predict events and take necessary precautions effectively. However at this moment in time, my view is that short-term impacts have more impact on populations than long-term ones regarding hazardous physical events.