HIGHLIGHTS OF NOTABLE DISASTERS OF 2012

PART 1: 2012 ATLANTIC BASIN HURRICANE SEASON

(In Reverse Chronological Order)

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of

North Carolina, USA

2012’S ATLANTIC BASIN TROPICAL STORMS AND

HURRICANES

316 DEATHS

$68.5 BILLION LOSSES

2012 ATLANTIC BASIN STORM TRACKS AS OF DEC. 1

NAMED STORMS IN 2012

• ALBERTO - Tropical storm; May 19

• BERYL - Tropical storm; May 27

• CHRIS – Hurricane; June 21

• DEBBY – Tropical storm; June 23

• ERNESTO –Hurricane; Aug 3

• FLORENCE –Tropical storm: Aug 5

• GORDON –Hurricane, August 16

NAMED STORMS FOR 2012

• HELENE –Tropical Storm, Aug. 19

• ISAAC – Hurricane, August 21

• JOYCE –Tropical Storm, Aug. 25

• KIRK –Tropical Storm. Aug. 27

• LESLIE –Hurricane, Sept. 5

• MICHAEL –Hurricane, Sept. 5

• NADINE – Hurricane, Sept. 12

NAMED STORMS IN 2012

• OSCAR – Tropical Storm, Oct. 4

• PATTY – Tropical Storm, Oct. 11

• RAFAEL – Hurricane, Oct. 12

• SANDY – Super Storm, Oct. 22

• TONY – Tropical Storm, Oct. 24

• VALERIE– Did not happen

• WILLIAM– Did not happen

TWO STORMS WERE ESPECIALLY NOTABLE

ISAAC -- A RAINMAKER FOR THE ENTIRE GULF COAST

SANDY – A SUPER STORM

HIGHLIGHTS OF SANDY

October 22- November 1, 2012

SANDYFROM AN ORDINARY TROPICAL STORM TO A HURRICANE TO A

ONCE- IN- A- CENTURY- HISTORIC “SUPER STORM” IN EIGHT DAYS

AN ORDINARY TROPICAL STORM ON OCTOBER 22

SANDY MADE LANDFALL IN NEW JERSEY: 8:00 PM, OCT. 29

SUPER STORM SANDY: OCT. 29-30, 2012

AT 8:00 PM ON OCTOBER 29, SANDYBECAME THE MOST DEVASTATING

SUPER STORM TO HIT THE EASTERN USA IN RECORDED HISTORY

(PRESSURE– 940 Mb)

October 22– November 1, 2012

CAT 1 HURRICANE SANDY MADE LANDFALL AT 8:00 PM ON

MONDAY NIGHT, OCT. 29TH

Sandy made landfall south of Atlantic City, New Jersey, merging with a winter storm system to become a unique, once-in-a-

century, “Super Storm” caused by nature’s natural cycles, NOT global warming

FIFTY DEATHS ALONG EASTERN SEABOARD

(as of Oct. 30)

Preliminary Loss Estimate:

$50 Billion

SANDY CAUSED 2012 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN TO BE PLACED ON HOLD

FOR THREE DAYS

Election took place on November 6th

FLOODING IN BROOKLYN

NY HOSPITALS IMPACTED

FLOODING, POWER OUTAGES, AND AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION

LIMITED SERVICES

NEW YORK CITY ON LOCK DOWN

ROADS CLOSED

TUNNELS CLOSED

SUBWAY, TRAINS, AND AIRPORTS CLOSED

WIDE-SPREAD POWER OUTAGES

HIGH VOLUME OF 911 CALLS THAT CAN’T BE ANSWERED EFFICIENTLY

STOCK EXCHANGES CLOSED

SCHOOLS CLOSED

WATER AND FIRE SIMULTANEOUSLY IN

QUEENS, NY

Fire fighters unable to cope with flooding and fire as 80

houses burn to ground

OCT. 29: FLOODED STREETS IN QUEENS

OCT. 29: FIRE IN QUEENS

NEW JERSEY: ATLANTIC CITY UNDER WATER

NEW JERSEY: OCEAN FRONT FLOODING

NEW JERSEY: STREET FLOODING

HIGHLIGHTS OF ISAAC

August 21-31, 2012

ISAAC: FROM TS ON AUG, 21 TO HURRICANE ON AUG. 26

AUGUST 21-31, 2012

TROPICAL STORM ISAAC: AUGUST 21, 2012

TROPICAL STORM ISAAC: AUGUST 23

The storm brought rain and gusty winds to Haiti, Puerto Rico, the eastern Caribbean Islands, and Cuba on Thursday (Aug. 23), leading to 22 deaths.

ISAAC DUMPS RAIN ON PORT AU PRINCE, HAITI: AUG. 23

ISAAC’S FORECAST: AUGUST 23, 2012

ISAAC’S FORECAST: AUGUST 23, 2012

ISAAC, MISSED TAMPA BAY, FL, BUT ITS RAIN AND WIND CAUSED A 1-DAY DELAY OF

THE 5-DAY REPUBLICAN CONVENTION IN TAMPA,

FLORIDA

EVACUEES LEAVING NEW ORLEANS ON INTERSTATE 10

EVACUEES IN A LOUISIANA SAFE HAVEN

BAY ST LOUIS, MISS: ISAAC-GENERATED WAVES:

GULFPORT, MISS: ISAAC-GENERATED WAVES:

MOBILE BAY, AL: ISAAC-GENERATED WAVES:

MOBILE BAY, AL: SAND BAGS TO PREVENT FLOODS

ISAAC AT LANDFALL: LATE TUESDAY

At landfall, Isaac had winds of 133 kph (80 mph) and rain

bands affecting a circular area 330 km (200 miles) wide.

NEW ORLEANS IN 2012

• When Isaac arrived in Tuesday, New Orleans was a “ghost town” as the result of evacuations, and houses and businesses being boarded up.

NEW ORLEANS: BUSINESSES BOARDED UP

NEW ORLEANS

NEW ORLEANS: WIND DAMAGE

NEW ORLEANS: WIND DAMAGE

NEW ORLEANS: A GHOST TOWN

DOWNTOWN NEW ORLEANS: BEFORE BEING FLOODED

NEW ORLEANS: FLOODED

NEW ORLEANS: FLOODING

NEW ORLEANS: POLICE DEPLOYED, BUT NO LOOTING

NEW ORLEANS: FLOODING

NEW ORLEANS: FLOODING

LAKE PONCHARTRAIN: LOOKING LIKE AN OCEAN

ISAAC’S FORECAST AFTER LANDFALL: AUGUST 29, 2012

SOCIOECONOMIC IMPACTS

• New Orleans, south Mississippi, and southeast Louisiana took a beating" from Isaac’s storm surge, heavy rain, and wind field.

• 725,000 people across five states were without power.

• 520,00 lost power in Louisiana for a week

ISAAC WAS, THANKFULLY,NOT AS DEVASTATING FOR NEW

ORLEANS AS HURRICANE KATRINA WAS IN 2005

NEW ORLEANS’ IMPROVED LEVEES PERFORMED WELL

NEW ORLEANS IN 2005: LEVEE FAILURE LEFT 1,000,000 HOMELESS