Figure1: Countries affected by hurricanes and their populations and population densities
As figure 1 shows the population density in LEDC’s is much higher than that of MEDC’s and this is encompassing both rural and urban areas. If for example, a hurricane was to hit 5km into the inland of Bangladesh, it would affect more people (due to the higher population density) than if it hit the same amount of area in Australia as there would be fewer people affected.
Hurricane Andrew was the third largest hurricane to effect mainland USA. August 24th 1992 it crossed Florida and the Gulf of Mexico, two days later it reached Louisiana. The storm killed 3 people in the Bahamas, 15 people in Florida and 8 people in Louisiana, adding up to a total of 26 people directly killed by the hazard. Indirectly 39 people were killed, this was due to electrocutions and clean up accidents. The hurricane was noticed 7 days in advance.
The hurricane in Bangladesh just sixteen months earlier on April 30th 1991 killed approximately 140,000. In MEDC’s the damage created by a hurricane is usually measured by the economic losses rather than the deaths. This shows a capitalistic response, however it does show that the population is sufficiently protected from this hazard as loss of life is a decreasing issue. The hurricane in Bangladesh was only noticed four days in advance, this could have some effect on the loss of lives, however this must not be the only reason why there is such a huge difference. In Bangladesh an official evacuation warning was not issued until just fourteen hours before the hurricane hit the shore. This is in spite of regular updates on the radio of what was to be expected, including information on the storm surge. It seems that nothing was done with the available information until it was too late. Hurricane Andrew on the other hand, was predicted in advance, and people were given warnings in advance. Over one million people left Miami in time to avoid the hazard. Newsreaders also gave people advice on how to stay safe during the hurricane, and told them how they should move to shelters and store food and water. If evacuation in Bangladesh had have been made earlier it is likely that a reduction in the loss of life would have been possible.
One important factor which needs to be considered is the public perception of evacuation warnings. If warnings are given out regularly that there is going to be a hurricane, people become complacent and think that it is likely to be another false alarm. However, if prediction is accurate then warnings can be made and most people will adhere to them. It is likely that with a larger capital in MEDC’s equipment to predict hazards such as hurricanes is going to be more up to date and accurate. In LEDC’s it is likely that the equipment will not be as modern and therefore may not be as accurate and therefore will increase sceptical attitudes towards warnings.
A proactive response was taken towards hurricanes in LEDC’s. For example, hurricane shelters had been erected (this was due to the devastation of the 1970 hurricane) also embankments along the coast were built and teams of volunteers organised. Unlike the USA which was more reactive in its response to the hurricane. However, more people were killed in Bangladesh. This could be due to the media. In the USA there were newsreaders giving vital information and educating the citizens on what they should do, unlike in Bangladesh, where there is not such a large media network.
Florida is a large tourist area, and many people have holiday homes along the coast. These are second homes were unable to be prepared for the hurricane and therefore incurred damage. The property in LEDC’s is likely to be of poorer quality (especially for the poorest citizens) and therefore would not have protected them from the rapid wind speeds. The poorest people in LEDC’s live in marginal land, for example flood plains, if storm surges occur due to the hurricane it is going to be the spontaneous settlements of these people which are going to be destroyed and washed away, along with the people themselves. Marginal land can include steep slopes. If there is high rainfall then there will be a reduction in friction causing mass movements which could cause deaths from the rapidly moving material. This could be why in LEDC’s there are a much larger number of deaths. One shocking example of a spontaneous settlement is Smokey Mountain, in the Philippines; it is in fact a rubbish dump which houses mostly bridgeheaders who have undergone rural-urban migration. This would become very dangerous with high rainfall, it is likely to cause many chemical reactions, and mass movement due to the reduction of friction.
Hurricane Mitch struck Central America in October 1998. It was the second most destructive Atlantic hurricane. It reached category five in the Saffir-Simpson scale in the Caribbean Sea on October 26th. The reason Mitch caused such destruction was due to the huge amounts of rainfall which fell. This was influenced by the slow speed that the hurricane moved as well as the orthographic effect of the Central American mountains. The duration and intensities of the rainfall were huge. On 29th October it rained continuously for sixty-one hours. On October 31st a total of 787mm of rain was recorded. During this time there were three distinct periods of very intense rainfall. This caused widespread flooding, rivers changing their courses and landslides. This was increased by the antecedent conditions, as the area was at the end of its wet season, and therefore had experienced high rainfall prior to the hurricane. Agriculture was ruined due to soil erosion and floods ruined many crops as well as killing many people. The crater lake of Casitas volcano burst sending an avalanche of mud which buried 80km² and killed 2000 people. This hurricane caused in total eleven thousand deaths. This is a huge number, and does not take into account the number of missing people. We cannot be sure that if the same hazard had struck an MEDC there would be less devastation.
The housing in LEDC’s if in a rural area, quite basic, and would not withstand the winds of a hurricane. The foundations would not hold the house down. If it were in an urban area, the richer people would have housing similar to that in MEDC’s however the poorer people would be at a great risk. After the hurricane, in LEDC’s not only would large areas of cash crops have been destroyed, but it is likely that there could be an increase in water-born diseases such as cholera, typhoid and dysentery. This could increase the death toll.
MEDC’s have the money to invest in methods to modify the event. For example hazard resistant buildings. In Galveston, Texas, following the storm surge of September 1900 where six thousand people were killed, the whole city was elevated by three and a half metres. It is also now protected by a huge sea wall. The scheme took seven years to complete and was very expensive. Schemes such as this could not be done by LEDC’s.
Therefore it does seem likely that tropical cyclones cause disproportionately fewer deaths in LEDC’s than in MEDC’s. This could be due to many factors as discussed, including population densities, the higher number of LEDC’s in the vulnerable area, the high cost of modifying the vulnerability and modifying the event.
