The Impacts of Tropical Cyclones

Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.3.4

The physical hazards of tropical cyclones impact people and the environment.

In Cyclone Nargis, 84,500 people died and 53,800 are missing. 37 towns were damaged severely.
An economic impact of Cyclone Nargis would be that fisheries, especially shrimp farms, were destroyed. Thousands of people lost their jobs and livelihoods.
In 2015, Hurricane Patricia recorded wind speeds of 215 miles per hour (346km/h). This can carry debris and kill people.
6,300 people were killed by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013.
Damaged transport infrastructure and food shortages can be caused.

In Hurricane Katrina, Coastal habitats were damaged and bridges & infrastructure collapsed.
In Cyclone Nargis, thousands of square miles were flooded. Lots of the mangrove swamps were destroyed and the land was salinated (so much salt was deposited that it is hard to grow plants). This was caused by storm surges.
Strong winds can uproot and kill trees. Woodlands are most likely to be damaged by very fast winds.
River and lake wildlife can be harmed by sewage or toxic chemicals entering their eco-systems.

Test yourself on The Impacts of Tropical Cyclones

Which of the following is an environmental impact of tropical cyclones?
Which habitat is most likely to be affected by the high winds of tropical cyclones?