Vulnerability to Tropical Cyclones
Geography: Edexcel IGCSE, topic 1.3.6
Vulnerability to Tropical Cyclones
Not all countries are equally vulnerable to the impacts of tropical cyclones. There are 3 main categories of reasons that determine the extent of a country's vulnerability:
Geographic/physical vulnerability
Two kinds of areas are vulnerable to tropical cyclones:
- Regions with low-lying coasts and cities close to the sea. Nations like the Netherlands would be vulnerable because of their low-lying land.
- Regions that are more likely to be on a tropical cyclone path. This is true for the Caribbean and some American states.
Economic vulnerability
- Less wealthy countries are more vulnerable because they will have less money to spend on flood defences, prevention measures and emergency public services to solve a crisis once it hits.
- Lower-income nations often have a higher % of their population working in farming/agriculture. These people can be affected by flooding or salination.
- Wealthier nations should be able to spend more money on constructing buildings and infrastructure that are more cyclone proof.
Social vulnerability
- Lower-income nations usually have lower quality housing (made of wood and sheet metal). They usually have worse national healthcare systems, worse infrastructure, and less well-funded emergency service departments.
Test yourself on Vulnerability to Tropical Cyclones
What are the categories of reasons that determine a country's vulnerability to cyclones?
Why are poorer countries more socially vulnerable to tropical cyclones?
Which of these nations has low-lying land but isn't on a traditional cyclone path?