Career & Education shares with you this week the thoughts of Cornwall College student Khamal Clayton on natural disasters. They were thoughts that won him first prize in this year’s Institute of Jamaica Earth Day essay competition. Khamal addressed the question: ‘Which of the following natural disasters do you think is most frightening: Earthquake, hurricane, fire, flood? Why?’

NATURAL disasters are becoming more commonplace in today’s society, especially with the advent of global warming.

These are reflected by the fact that in the year 1986, 120 natural disasters occurred. Today that figure has more than quadrupled to about 500 per year. The number of persons affected by natural disasters each year has increased by more than 70 per cent from “174 million a year between 1985 and 1994, to 254 million people a year between 1995 to 2004”. Additionally, eight out of the 10 most expensive natural disasters in the 20th century were earthquakes and floods while the remaining two were either hurricane or fire. One may ask, ‘Which of these natural disasters is the most frightening?’

Before one can determine the answer, one must first analyse each natural disaster.

Floods

A flood is defined as a “very large amount of water that has overflowed from a source such as a river or a broken pipe onto a previously dry area”. Floods are limited to low-lying areas near to rivers, reservoirs or the sea or that are prone to heavy torrential rainfall. Thus, like hurricanes but unlike earthquakes, floods are limited to certain areas. Unfortunately, the number of floods and windstorms has increased from 60 in 1980 to 240 in 2006. And as the number of floods increases, the number of victims and effects increase as well.

Over the years, China, especially its southern regions, has been afflicted by flooding. Some have caused minimal casualties and destruction while others have washed away entire livelihoods and submerged towns and villages. In the summer of 1998, heavy rainfall resulted in the deaths of 3,656 people, with many other sources believing the number to be higher. That, however, was just the beginning of its effects. Approximately 240 million people were affected, with 14 million people left homeless. Twelve million homes were destroyed and another five million damaged. Twenty- five million hectares of farmland was submerged. Overall damage was US$20 billion.

Hurricanes

A hurricane is defined as “a severe tropical storm with torrential rain and extremely strong winds”. Hurricanes are formed exclusively in the Atlantic Ocean in its tropical zones. Hurricanes are not only limited in terms of where they occur but also when they occur. They are only formed between June and November each year. But with global warming, hurricanes are becoming more intense and more frequent. A study has shown that the number of hurricanes occurring each year has doubled over the past century – an increase from 3.5 in the first 30 years of the 20th century to 8.4 in the earliest years of the 21st century.

Hurricane Katrina, which swept through the southern states of the United States in 2005, devastated cities such as New Orleans in Louisiana. Its unwelcome visit cost the US economy approximately US$125 billion, with US$30 billion being painfully absorbed by the insurance industry. The hurricane also caused the loss of life of at least 1,836 people and submerged 80 per cent of the city of New Orleans. Though most of the damage may have been caused by flooding, the damage would not have occurred without the heavy rainfall and strong winds that accompanied Hurricane Katrina. The livelihood of all the people within New Orleans was negatively impacted and the same could be said about those living along the coast where Hurricane Katrina landed.

Jamaica, too, has had its fair share of devastating hurricanes, especially in the last three decades. Its fragile agricultural sector has been under constant threat and the same could be said of its equally fragile tourism sector. For example, Hurricane Gilbert, in 1988 mercilessly collided with the island, causing J$40 billion in damage and killed 45 people – a comparatively small figure compared to other natural disasters. Another hurricane, called Ivan, has been estimated to be responsible for J$35 billion in damage. It flattened crops thus temporarily crippling the agriculture sector. It also blocked roads, destroyed buildings, toppled power poles, caused landslides and flooding and, finally, resulted in the deaths of 19 people.

Earthquakes

An earthquake is the “violent shaking of the Earth’s crust that may cause destruction to buildings and results from the sudden release of tectonic stress along a fault line or from volcanic activity”. Earthquakes are not only devastating to the point of destroying entire cities, islands and civilisations, they are also unpredictable. This adds a psychological factor as individuals will never be totally prepared for the occurrence of an earthquake unlike the prediction systems that exist for hurricanes and to a smaller extent fires and floods.

Hurricanes, fires and even floods are limited to certain times of the year allowing one a greater sense of security as one can be a step ahead of those natural disasters. One infamous case of an earthquake occurred near noon in 1692 in Port Royal, Jamaica. Edmund Heath was a witness to the event which is etched into Jamaican history. On a calm day on June 7, 1692, Heath said “there was no wind stirring” or anything that would indicate to the inhabitants of the calamity that would soon befall them. However, according to him, within “four minutes” homes were either “swallowed up by the gaping earth” or crumbled upon themselves. Furthermore, in his own words he said “I never in my life before saw such a day of terror…” and while attempting to flee the disaster he witnessed “…the Earth opened and swallowed up many people before my face…” His powerful words still resonate today as numerous people worldwide have witnessed similar events, some even more gruesome than the one in 1692.

Another earthquake occurred in 1907 in Kingston, Jamaica. In a mere 36 seconds, buildings wobbled and collapsed and streets became waves in a choppy sea. Its sudden and unpredictable nature resulted in masses of people, propelled by fear, rushing towards the racecourse. Unsurprising, no one was prepared for the aftermath – bruised, bloody bodies littered the streets, and many more were either crushed under the weight of previously upright buildings or experienced an excruciating death as a result of their wounds. The business sector was devastated, most buildings were declared unsafe with only a few homes left habitable and the damage estimated at $5,000,000 to $10,000,000 in the currency of that period.

Read next week’s Thinkers’ Forum for the concluding part of Khamal’s essay.