Concepts

• Vulnerability (How much people or places can be harmed by an event)

• Community (A group of people living in the same place or having particular things in common)

• Processes ( A sequence of actions -natural and/or cultural- that shape or change environments, places, and societies)

• Courage (The ability to deal with something difficult or challenging)

• Diaspora (The dispersion or spread of any people from their original homeland)

Key dates

• Hurricane Katrina (23 August 2005 - 31 August 2005)

• Christchurch Earthquake (22 February 2011)

• 9/11 Terror Attack (11 September 2001, 8.45 am - Twin Towers)

Vulnerability to natural events

New Orleans - Hurricane Katrina

• Surrounded by water bodies, the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain
• Below sea level

Christchurch - Earthquake

• Located on the fault line
• Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire

Vulnerability to cultural events

New York - 9/11

• The USA had been fighting wars in the Middle East throughout the 20th Century
• The World Trade Centre towers were symbols of the USA's financial power and a symbol of capitalism. Therefore was targeted because the terrorists did not like the power that the USA and Al-Qaeda wanted to promote widespread fear throughout the country
• The terrorists did not agree with America's way of life as it went against their religious beliefs

Processes

Hurricane

1. Warm ocean water (more than 26.5°C) provides energy for the hurricane and causes more evaporation, making humid air and clouds
2. Winds coming together force air upward
3. Winds flow outwards above the storm, allowing the air below to rise
4. Humid air rising makes the clouds of the storm
5. Light winds outside the hurricane steer it and let it grow

Plate Tectonics

Most of the world's volcanoes are found around the edges of tectonic plates

1. Volcanoes are formed when magma from within the Earth's upper mantle works its way to the surface
2. At the surface, it erupts to form lava flows and/or ash deposits

Types of Volcanoes

1. Caldera Volcanoes
2. Volcanic Fields
3. Cone Volcanoes

Communities showing courage after extreme events

New Orleans - Hurricane Katrina

• Choosing to work in an emergency service, despite the imminent threat (Dr Bennett DeBoiskblanc and Henrietta Walton-Nunez of New Orleans Charity Hospital)
• Cleaning up the debris and destruction
• Returning to ones own destroyed home

Christchurch - Earthquake

• 130 Red Cross workers helping in Christchurch
• Over 400 rescuers from Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Australia, the US, and the UK assisted in the search for survivors
• 100 staff from Auckland council helped with aid in Christchurch

New York - 9/11

• 343 firefighters of the New York City Fire Department died by their response to the World Trade Centre
• The fourth hijacked plane, United Airlines Flight 93, was flown toward Washington, D.C., but crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after the passengers fought back

Statistics/Facts

• Hurricane Katrina (1,833 people)
• Christchurch Earthquake (185 people)
• 9/11 (2,996 people)

Disaster Damage Cost

• Hurricane Katrina ($108 billion)
• Christchurch Earthquake ($21 billion approx)
• 9/11 ($40 billion approx)