Examine the causes and consequences of hurricanes

Overview: Ten years ago, the residents of Homestead, Florida faced Hurricane Andrew, now known as the costliest hurricane in U.S. history. Some of Andrew's economic and social costs are still evident in Dade County. This article will help students understand the long-term effects major hurricanes have on lives and property. Have students investigate the scientific formation of hurricanes and the Saffir-Simpson Scale, the means by which scientists measure these storms.

Have your students read the CNNstudentnews.com article, "Hurricane haunts Homestead 10 years later," and answer the following questions:

1. When and where did Hurricane Andrew make landfall? What distinction does Andrew now have among U.S. hurricanes? Who is Joanna Munoz? What did Hurricane Andrew do to her property? Why has she been unable to fix her house?

2. What area of Florida bore the brunt of Andrew's fury? How many people were left homeless by the storm? Describe the "psychological toll" the storm took on some Dade County residents. What other effects did Hurricane Andrew have on the people who experienced it first hand? According to researchers, why was "where you lived" an important factor in determining how well survivors of Andrew fared? How has the city of Homestead fared since the devastation of Andrew ten years ago?

RESOURCES Holt, Rinehart and Winston's "Measuring Wind Direction"   Teachers: Check out CNNstudentnews.com’s Lesson Plan: Determine Causes and Components of Hurricanes

3. Have students conduct research to learn more about the scientific makeup of a hurricane. What conditions are conducive to hurricane formation? Where do most Atlantic hurricanes originate? What are the "stages" in the "life" of a hurricane? How do scientists label their components? Which part of the hurricane is the most severe? What effect of hurricanes causes the most deaths? How can people protect themselves from this deadly effect? Share student findings and discuss.

4. Inform students that scientists have recently "upgraded" Hurricane Andrew to a "Category 5" storm, ten years after it hit Dade County, Florida. How do scientists "rate" hurricanes? What do these ratings tell scientists about hurricane activity and long-term weather patterns? Direct your students to the links below, and other resources, to learn more about the Saffir-Simpson Scale. Share student findings. Next, divide the class into small groups. Have each group choose one time period of 1 to 10 consecutive hurricane seasons. (Note: You may want to cover as many hurricane seasons as you can, given your class size and number of groups involved in this activity.) Direct each group to research the number and severity of hurricanes occuring each season, and demonstrate this information graphically. After each group presents its graph, recap all the data in chronological order. Ask students to make observations about the cyclical nature of the Earth's climate.