Usagi, which means rabbit in Japanese, wreaked havoc across China and Hong Kong over the weekend. Perhaps the infrequency of cyclones over the past couple of decades have lulled the people of the South China Sea into a false sense of security. High magnitude typhoons which killed over 10,000 people in 1906 and 1937, still occur, but disasters are avoided as people are better prepared and meteorologists can predict the path of typhoons much more accurately. With warning, educated people can evacuate, board up their homes or take the necessary precautions to reduce the risk of death. There is some excellent information covering this typhoon on the Geology in Motion blog.
Usagi, which means rabbit in Japanese, wreaked havoc across China and Hong Kong over the weekend. Hundreds of flights at Hong Kong International Airport were cancelled. Major Chinese airlines, including China Southern Air, canceled flights into Guangdong and Fujian. In preparation for the storm's arrival, four of six reactors at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in Shenzhen reduced operating capacity. Heavy rainfall in the Philippines triggered many killer landslides, further detail from the BBC News can be read here.
The typhoon severely damaged 7,100 houses in Guangdong province and 226,000 people were relocated. In Fujian Province, a further 80,000 people were evacuated. More than 22,000 fishing boats in Fujian and another 48,000 in Guangdong were ordered into port for safety.
When disasters strike, geographers often find it useful to compare the impacts on one country with that of another. For Typhoon Usagi, it is worth comparing the death and destruction seen in China with the Philippines. It is also worth considering what action was taken before the storm to mitigate the potential loss of life.
Usagi, which means rabbit in Japanese, wreaked havoc across China and Hong Kong over the weekend. Hundreds of flights at Hong Kong International Airport were cancelled. Major Chinese airlines, including China Southern Air, canceled flights into Guangdong and Fujian. In preparation for the storm's arrival, four of six reactors at the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Station in Shenzhen reduced operating capacity. Heavy rainfall in the Philippines triggered many killer landslides, further detail from the BBC News can be read here.
The typhoon severely damaged 7,100 houses in Guangdong province and 226,000 people were relocated. In Fujian Province, a further 80,000 people were evacuated. More than 22,000 fishing boats in Fujian and another 48,000 in Guangdong were ordered into port for safety.
When disasters strike, geographers often find it useful to compare the impacts on one country with that of another. For Typhoon Usagi, it is worth comparing the death and destruction seen in China with the Philippines. It is also worth considering what action was taken before the storm to mitigate the potential loss of life.
photo: NASA Goddard MODIS Team public domain