Hurricane! When the big one hits - Discussion/Activities

Pre-Viewing Discussion

Before showing students Hurricane! When the Big One Hits, you may want to use textbooks and Web sites to provide students with a background on how hurricanes develop, the various stages of hurricanes and the areas of the United States that are primarily affected by hurricanes. Use the following questions to determine students' prior knowledge and focus their viewing:

Segment Summaries and Discussion Questions

Segment One: They're Coming!

Warning: Please preview. The introduction ends with a sign that reads, "Damn You Andrew." Segment One includes images of dead bodies from Hurricane Mitch in 1999.

Many scientists say that the increased number of hurricanes is caused by periodic climate shifts, including a warming of the ocean by a mere half-degree. Chris Landsea, a NOAA scientist, says that a half-degree increase in temperature translates into more energy for a hurricane. If a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 155 mph (258 km/h) hits the U.S. coast, the damage could be enormous, as the value of U.S. coastal property in the hurricane belt is at least $6.4 trillion. The National Hurricane Center also estimates that 85 percent of the people in potential danger areas have never experienced a major storm.

Segment Two: Evacuation

The coastal building boom has dramatically increased the population of U.S. coastal counties -- twice as many people now than in 1950. So if a big hurricane strikes, ordering a full evacuation could cause a massive traffic jam. This already happened in 1999, when Hurricane Floyd threatened the Atlantic coast. In the Florida Keys, the situation is even worse because only two roads lead to safety. What local emergency managers fear most is a massive storm surge -- a wall of water driven inland by a hurricane's winds that would threaten people caught in gridlock.

Segment Three: Shelters

When a hurricane hits, many residents take refuge in shelters selected by local emergency managers but staffed by volunteers from the American Red Cross. But the Red Cross says it will not staff shelters that fail its strict safety standards. Throughout the hurricane belt, schools are typically used as shelters. But emergency managers are discovering that many of the schools they relied on may not be as safe as they thought. So now there's a shelter deficit: too many people and not enough shelters.

Segment Four: New Orleans

New Orleans is one of the worst places in the country to be in if a major hurricane hits. It is below sea level and is surrounded by water on three sides: the Gulf of Mexico, the Mississippi River, and Lake Pontchartrain. A mass evacuation is the best defense if a major storm threatens the city. But many people may not or cannot leave. "We're really talking about potential catastrophe," says local emergency manager Walter Maestri, who says the death toll could be more than 20,000. "And one day it's coming. We don't know when, we don't know where, we don't know how. But it's coming."

Segment Five: Project Storm Fury

Warning: Please preview. This segment includes images of dead bodies from the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane (seen just following "Coming Up Next").

In 1961, NOAA scientists attempted to modify the weather that produces hurricanes. In an experiment called Project Storm Fury, researchers seeded clouds in hurricanes with silver iodide to force precipitation and slow the hurricane's spinning winds. Initially, it appeared to work, although researchers could never prove whether the results stemmed from the cloud seeding or from natural events. But since the program's demise in 1983, weather modification research has essentially come to a halt.

Segment Six: Research Funds are in Question

Warning: Please preview. This segment includes images of dead bodies from the 1935 Florida Keys hurricane.

Major hurricanes, although relatively rare, cause 80 percent of hurricane damage. But forecasters cannot predict which storm will become the monster. Many scientists say forecasts will improve when mathematical model computer programs are better. But money for that effort has been hard to find. Some scientists say that more research funding will be forthcoming only when the country suffers a massive catastrophe. "Then money will be thrown at the problem," said Bill Gray, a professor at Colorado State University's Department of Atmospheric Sciences.

Activity Suggestions

A. If your students live in an area that is vulnerable to hurricanes, try one of the following activities:

1. Rate Your Community's Hurricane Plan

Ask your students: How would our community cope in the event of a major hurricane? To answer this question, have students interview various community officials to gather information on their community's hurricane preparedness plan and create a report card that rates the plan.

Divide students into small groups and have each group investigate one of the following areas of hurricane preparedness: Shelters, Evacuation, Communication or Awareness. To guide students' research, assign each group one of the following sets of questions and directives:

Shelters—Where are the shelters? Do the shelters meet the new Red Cross standards? If not, are there plans to improve the facilities? Are there enough shelters to meet the needs of the community? Can residents access the shelters? You will need to secure a list of shelters currently available to residents. Contact the local Red Cross to get a list of their Standards for Hurricane Evacuation Shelter Selection. Determine which of the shelters currently available meet current standards.

Evacuation—What is the evacuation plan? Are there alternate routes? What is the potential for gridlock? What happens if residents are unwilling to evacuate? Is evacuation the best defense against a hurricane? Contact the Emergency Management Coordinator and other city officials to get answers to these questions.

Communication—How will community members be informed of hurricane warnings and watches? How will they know if they are to go to a shelter or evacuate? Where can residents go to find out this information? Contact the public information officer, local media outlets (i.e. television and radio stations, newspaper publishers, etc.) and other emergency management services to find out the current plan for informing the public about what to do to prepare for and deal with the aftermath of a hurricane.

Individual Family Home Disaster Supply Kits and Community Awareness—How many families in your community are equipped with a home disaster supply kit? Do residents know how to protect their home in the case of a hurricane? Are community members aware of hurricane procedures? Do they know whom to contact and where to go following a hurricane? Interview community members to get feedback on their familiarity with preventive measures and hurricane procedures.

Note: Other community officials that students may want to contact include: Mayor or City Administrator, City Manager, Chief of Police, Fire Chief, City Building Code Inspector, Coordinator of Roads and Transportation, Director of Public Health, Electric Company Emergency Officer, Telephone Company Emergency Coordinator, or local Red Cross workers.

After each group collects its data, have group members rate their category (Shelters, Evacuation, Communication, Awareness) on a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being excellent, 1 being unacceptable. Then, compile the groups' data and ask students to assess their community's current hurricane plan and make recommendations for how to improve the plan. Have students discuss each recommendation, weighing the costs associated with each one against its potential benefits. Have the class develop a multimedia presentation or brochure to be presented at a PTA or City Council meeting detailing their plans for improving their community's hurricane preparedness plan.

Extension: Try playing out a hurricane scenario with your students. Tell them that there is a Hurricane Watch for your community and it looks like the hurricane is showing signs of strengthening. Armed with the knowledge about the community's plan, students can determine what will or should happen over the course of the next 36 hours.

2. Create a Home Disaster Supply Kit

According to Hurricane! When the Big One Hits, a Red Cross poll found that 50% of people living where hurricanes are most likely to hit, have neither a home disaster supply kit, nor a plan for evacuation. Brainstorm as a class a list of items that should be included in a home disaster supply kit. Have students search the Web sites listed below for suggestions on what to include. (Note: The Red Cross has a great resource at Family Disaster Planning.) Once students have created their individual kits, they can give presentations to other classrooms on what goes in a kit and on the importance of having a home disaster supply kit.

B. The following activity is appropriate for all students, regardless of where they live.

Conduct a Cost/Benefit Analysis

This CNN Presents program addresses several "ingredients" that could result in a catastrophe the next time a major hurricane does hit the U.S. Have students generate a list of these "ingredients." Their lists could include:

Write this list on the board. Divide the class into groups. Direct students within each group to discuss potential solutions for each "ingredient." Then, have them choose 2 or 3 of these ingredients that they feel can be addressed in the most cost effective way with the greatest likelihood of benefits. Students will need to consider the short-term and long-term costs and benefits. As they present their plans to class members, they should justify their decisions.

Extension: Have students discuss ways that average citizens could address and raise public awareness about each of these concerns. Strategies may include petitioning media outlets for public service campaigns to educate the public and lobbying government officials for help. Have each group share its strategies and discuss the role of citizens and their governments (local and federal) in hurricane preparedness.

C. Additional Activities:

Keywords

Hurricane

Hurricane Season

Hurricane Watch

Hurricane Warning

Hurricane Hunters

Eye of the Storm

Storm Surge

Tropical Storm

Project Storm Fury