IMPACTS Part1

IMPACTS  of NATURAL HAZARDS  upon HUMAN HISTORY – Part 1: 

IMPACTS of NATURAL HAZARDS upon HUMAN HISTORY – Part 1 SCIENCE 100 Roy A. Watlington University of the Virgin Islands

Questions: 

Questions Approximately how many tropical storms have been named storms so far this year? Are any volcanoes active anywhere under the US flag this year? Are any volcanoes active anywhere in the Caribbean this year? Approximately how many volcanoes are active on the entire earth at this moment? (a) about 2-5 (b) between 10 and 20 (c) hundreds (d) a few dozen

Significant Earthquakes: 

Significant Earthquakes Most recent earthquakes: Morocco -- 24 Feb. 2004, Richter 6.3M, 564 persons lost. Bam, Iran -- 26 Dec. 2003, 6.6M, 41,000 persons dead. Most deadly earthquakes recently: India, Jan 26, 2001-- 7.7M -- 20,000 deaths Northwestern Turkey, Aug 17, 1999 – 7.4 M -- 16,000 dead and 25,000 injured.

Currently Active Volcanoes: 

Currently Active Volcanoes Washington State’s Mount St. Helen’s Montserrat’s Soufriere Hills Hawaii’s Kiluaea

Impacts of Natural Disasters: 

Impacts of Natural Disasters On the physical environment: -- destruction of habitats, ecosystems -- alteration/loss of soil, of farmlands and reefs, fisheries -- pollution/contamination On individual and collective health: -- physical and/or psychological trauma, exposure to disease On the economy: -- interruption of economic activity, loss of jobs, recovery costs, loss of “market share”, increased insurance costs On society & government: -- loss of needed elements of the population, loss of confidence in government, alteration of international relations

Chart of Time scales for different natural hazards (hit or near hit): 

Chart of Time scales for different natural hazards (hit or near hit) Phenomena Frequency-1 |Warning Time | Duration Drought decades months months Tropical storms 5-10 years days - weeks hours Tornado years minutes minutes Tsunamis hundreds minutes minutes to (varies with your location) of years to hours hours Earthquakes decades 0 seconds Lightning decades 0 < 1 sec

Slide7: 

Three Case Studies: The Virgin Islands hurricane, earthquake and tsunami of 1867 Mount Pelée versus St. Pierre in 1902 Montserrat and the Soufriere Hills Volcano, 1995-present

Key words: 

Key words tsunami epicenter inundate devastation pyroclastic flow hazards phenomenon duration frequency period

Slide9: 

EARTHQUAKE !

Slide10: 

Katsushika Hokusai, 1760-1849

Slide11: 

Volcano ! RAW

Case Study 1:  1867: The Danish West Indies: 

Case Study 1: 1867: The Danish West Indies The social/political situation of St. Croix, St. John and St. Thomas in 1867 Destructive fires in 1832, outbreaks of yellow fever in previous years; US Civil War recently concluded; [What Year?] Busy ports: heavy international and US traffic; Sale by Denmark to the United States being considered. [Which islands?]

The Sanct Thomae Tidende listed ships entering St. Thomas: The Marine Register, November 1867): 

The Sanct Thomae Tidende listed ships entering St. Thomas: The Marine Register, November 1867) Entered: 14th Dutch schr. Midas, v. Grieken, Pto. Cabello, Cigars, &c. 15th Dutch schr. Isabel, Ruiz Curaçao. American steamer Guiding Star, Slocum Rio og Para Dutch schr. Endeavour, Johnson, Sto. Domingo, tobacco. * American war-steamer Monongahela, Bissell, St. Croix. 16th Danish bark't Katie, Townsend, St. Croix, sundries. Venezuelan schr. Beauty, Cornieles, La Guayra. Southampton, sundries. English steamer Delta, Hunter, Halifax, fish. Danish bark Kilda, Nissen, Barbados. English schr. Gold Hunter, Wharton, Montserrat. English brig Crocodile, Wells, Sto. Domingo, dye wood. French schr. Lagos, Cossino, Martinique. Dutch schr. Henriette, Montanus, Curaçao, gin. * American steam-frigate Susquehanna, Fairfax, Havana, 14 guns. 17th American war-steamer De Soto, Boggs Key West, 7 guns. American schr. Wm H. Dewitt, Corey, St. Martin. Dutch schr. Guillermito, de Veyler, Curaçao, gin. *English steamer La Plata, Revett,

Slide14: 

U.S. Navy Archives The Monongahela

Slide15: 

Then on October 29, 1867 a hurricane like this one swept in from the east.

Slide16: 

Sanct Thomae Tidende ( 16 November 1867) “A most terrific hurricane has passed over this island. On the 29th October, between 7 o’clock, P.M., a gale was experienced here, which, if not in magnitude, certainly in destructiveness, is declared to surpass anything hitherto-known”.

Slide17: 

The Virgin Islands Basin and all of the Virgin Islands

More key words: 

More key words * dormant * ash * consul * gendarmes * demise * plebiscite * seismic * ascendancy * epicenter * mitigation * lahar * lava

Slide19: 

The HMS Rhone

Slide20: 

The Charlotte Amalie Harbor in the days after October 29, 1867

Periodical Accounts, v.26, from Br. S. Warner, Moravian Mission, Emmaus, St. Jan, November 26th, 1867: 

Periodical Accounts, v.26, from Br. S. Warner, Moravian Mission, Emmaus, St. Jan, November 26th, 1867 “…I expected to see the church well filled on the Sunday after the storm, but found it unusually empty. Nevertheless, what one visitation failed to effect, has been done by another … At ten minutes before 3 p.m. we were all startled and driven out of our house by a fearful shock of an earthquake…. “The unusual ferment of the sea struck terror into many hearts, and brought some desperately wicked men upon their knees crying for mercy….”

Slide22: 

EARTHQUAKE !

Imagine the narrow alleys of Charlotte Amalie’s Historic District todayin a severe earthquake RAW: 

Imagine the narrow alleys of Charlotte Amalie’s Historic District today in a severe earthquake RAW

Slide24: 

EPICENTER !

Problem: 

Problem Both the s-waves and the p-waves of an earthquake are felt at three different stations. The arrival times of the s- and then the p-waves at Stations A, B and C are given below: Seismic station P-wave S-wave A. Charlotte Amalie, St.Thomas 2:51:18.3 pm 2:51:19.70 pm B. Cruz Bay, St.John 2:51:16.0 pm 2:51:16.62 pm C. West End, Tortola 2:51:19.1 pm 2:51:20.60 pm How would you locate the epicenter of this earthquake?

Slide26: 

Where is the EPICENTER ?

Slide27: 

The La Plata is taken by the tsunami near Water Island, November 18, 1867. (Scribner’s, 1968)

Slide28: 

U.S. Navy Archives The Monongahela

Slide29: 

The Monongahela “high and dry” on the Frederiksted shore NGDC

The US Warship Monongahela in 1868 being prepared for removal from the shore in Frederiksted(US Navy archived photo): 

The US Warship Monongahela in 1868 being prepared for removal from the shore in Frederiksted (US Navy archived photo)

Slide31: 

Bass End, Santa Cruz 6 December 1867 Dear Buddy Tomas: You see I is come quite sanctified since de Urtquake friten me so. A'we poor Sissy Frederika been most drown, but me de sea no been treat so bad. Dem say de sea most drown you too, and dat you been friten to deat. ... Dem say dat now you is come quite sanctified and dat you dont open you shop and store no more on Sunday.... It take Urtquake for to convert you. "I glad for you." Christiana

Outcomes: 

Outcomes Many buildings and ships were damaged, shops were flooded. About 18 people died as a direct result of the disaster. Others died from disease. Crews of the US ships Susquehanna and Monongahela assisted the victims but Admiral J.S. Palmer fell victim to yellow fever and died. The validity of insurance companies’ preference for “wall houses” over wood structures was questioned. Controversy over the possible link between hurricanes and earthquakes.

Slide33: 

Bass End, Santa Cruz 6 December 1867 Dear Buddy Tomas (continued): ...But de wust ting of all me dear Buddy is de King Letter wha' he write for say dat he sell you to de Yankees and he no sell a'we too. " 'Tis how we gwine make out." --- Christiana

Subsequent to the 1867 Hurricane, Earthquakes and Tsunamis...: 

Subsequent to the 1867 Hurricane, Earthquakes and Tsunamis... Earthquakes continued into 1868. The January plebiscite carried in favor of the transfer. Pragmatic increase in the closeness of the voting residents of the Danish West Indies to the United States. The US Congress did not ratify the transfer; St. Croix was not separated from St. John and St. Thomas. The islands became American fifty years later -- in 1917.

References:: 

References: United States Tsunamis 1690-1988 by James Lander and Patricia A. Lockridge, National Geophysical Data Center 1989 (2) Roy Watlington & Shirley Lincoln (1)