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Lesson Plan: Teaching and Learning About Hurricane Ian

What was the impact of one of the most destructive storms in the history of Florida? And why do hurricanes seem to be growing in intensity?

• San Carlos Island, Fla. Jason Andrew for The New York Times
• Fort Myers, Fla. By Fort Myers Police
• Arcadia, Fla. Emily Kask for The New York Times
• Orlando, Fla. Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel, via Associated Press
• Fort Myers, Fla. By The Associated Press
• Lee County, Fla. Hilary Swift for The New York Times
• Port Charlotte, Fla. Johnny Milano for The New York Times
• New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Jim Watson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images
• Bonita Springs, Fla. Jason Andrew for The New York Times
• Lee County, Fla. By Wfts-Tv Via Associated Press, Reuters
• Sanibel, Fla. Steve Helber/Associated Press
• Fort Myers, Fla. Johnny Milano for The New York Times
• Fort Myers, Fla. By Jayme Gershen And Orlando Castro For The New York Times

By Jeremy Engle and Michael Gonchar

Lesson Overview

Hurricane Ian, one of the most powerful storms to menace the United States in decades, made landfall in southeast Florida on Sept. 28 as a Category 4 storm. Along its path it washed away roads, bridges, cars, boats and homes, and knocked out power for millions of people. Officials said more than 80 people died . The New York Times writes :

The scale of the wreckage was staggering, even to Florida residents who had survived and rebuilt after other powerful hurricanes. The storm pulverized roads, toppled trees, gutted downtown storefronts and set cars afloat, leaving a soggy scar of ruined homes and businesses from the coastal cities of Naples and Fort Myers to inland communities around Orlando.

People across southwestern Florida have begun to take stock of the devastation left behind by Hurricane Ian. The damage is so extensive that, according to Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, it may take years to rebuild.

In this lesson plan, we share ideas for how teachers and students can explore both the storm’s devastating effects and the science behind this natural disaster.

1. How has Hurricane Ian affected people and communities?

Have you been following the news about Hurricane Ian? What have you seen and read? What do you know about the deadly storm? Have you or anyone you know been affected directly by this developing story?

Take a few minutes to explore one or more of the multimedia resources below that illustrate the scale, scope and impact of the tropical storm:

Maps and Graphics : Look at this Times interactive to see where Hurricane Ian has hit hardest.

Photos : Scroll through images in the slide show at the top of this lesson.

Video: Watch two short videos capturing the storm’s severity and impact here and here .

Audio: Listen to the opening two minutes of this episode of “The Daily” podcast on the storm.

After exploring these resources, in writing or through discussion with a partner, respond to the following prompts:

What did you learn about the impact of the storm? Share at least three details that stand out to you.

What did looking through these resources make you think or feel? What images, sounds or statistics are most compelling, meaningful, moving or important to you? Why?

What questions do you have about the storm, its impact or aftermath?

2. What is a hurricane? And are hurricanes getting stronger?

A hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone — a circular storm that forms over warm waters, with very low air pressure at the center and sustained winds greater than 74 miles per hour. Hurricanes form in the North Atlantic, the northeastern Pacific, the Caribbean Sea or the Gulf of Mexico (as opposed to typhoons, which develop in the northwestern Pacific and usually affect Asia). Hurricane Ian had maximum sustained winds of around 155 miles per hour , making it a Category 4 storm (just shy of Category 5, which requires winds in excess of 157 m.p.h.).

Step 1: Look at the satellite image below and answer the following questions:

What do you notice about the storm?

What questions does the image raise for you?

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Hurricane Katrina USA case study

Subject: Geography

Age range: 11-14

Resource type: Lesson (complete)

Last updated

8 August 2020

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KS3 Recap of hurricane formation Video of effects Card sort effects activity Newspaper article writing activity (writing frame in separate document) Card sort activity included in ppt

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Hurricane Katrina Case Study: A-Level and GCSE Geography Distance Learning

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11 slide PowerPoint Presentation to act as a basic case study for Hurricane Katrina. Suitable for GCSE, AS and A-Level.

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Academy Case Study — Weathering the Storm: Lessons from Hurricane Ike

Image of Hurricane Ike taken by the crew of the International Space Station. Photo Credit: NASA

August 30, 2011 Vol. 4, Issue 6

Surviving the third costliest hurricane to hit the United States reaffirmed a common lesson for NASA: in the event of an emergency, you’d better have a plan.

When the performance of one of NASA’s centers is hindered, mission success is at risk. Natural occurrences such as wild fires, earthquakes, snow storms, and hurricanes are usually not the first performance-threatening obstacles that come to mind at NASA—budgets and technical problems are more frequent show-stoppers. As Kennedy Space Center Emergency Manager Wayne Kee said at the 2010 PM Challenge, “When you’re dealing with emergency management, if the winds are not howling, and the rains are not blowing, and the earth’s not shaking, it’s out of sight, out of mind.”

Every center at NASA faces some threat of natural disturbance or disaster. Any number of natural disasters can shut down a center, threaten the well-being of NASA employees, and put missions behind schedule. Each center has emergency response plans in place, but the chance to execute and learn from these plans are far and few between—which can be both a blessing and a curse.

In August 2008, NASA astronaut Greg Chamitoff was aboard the International Space Station (ISS) with two cosmonauts from the Russian Federal Space Agency. A series of Progress and Soyuz spacecraft were set to dock and undock from the ISS between September and October. STS-125 was slated to launch October 8, 2008 for the final servicing mission of the Hubble Space Telescope. Mission Control at Johnson Space Center (JSC) was busy with operations and preparations for ongoing and future missions. From August to October, JSC would also endure three tropical storms—one of which would devastate the Gulf Coast of Texas and earn the title of third costliest hurricane to hit the United States. The JSC community had to be ready to persevere.

Read the case study.

Read the ASK the Academy story about the Mission Control perspective.

About the Author

The Academy invites you to continue sharing stories and lessons by suggesting topics or projects the APPEL News team should cover. Contact us to submit your story suggestions.

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Recommended.

• Academy Brief: Principal Investigator Team Forum #3 August 25, 2011 // by APPEL News Staff

• Research Brief: Aviation Week Workforce Studies Released August 26, 2011 // by APPEL News Staff
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Hurricane Irma Case Study

Hurricane Irma is one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded over the Atlantic Ocean. The hurricane was so powerful that seismometers, machines used to detect the strength of earthquakes, detected it.

Hurricane Irma struck the Caribbean and the east coast of the United States in September 2017. The hurricane developed on 30th August near the Cape Verde Islands. High ocean temperatures and extremely low pressures over the Atlantic fuelled the storm’s intensity. The hurricane first made landfall on 6th September along the northern coast of Barbuda with wind speeds of up to 282 kph (175mph). It travelled north along the east coast of the Caribbean as a category-five hurricane. The hurricane reached Florida on 10th September as a category four hurricane with sustained winds of 209 kph (130mph).

Hurricane Irma – the path of destruction

Planning to manage the impact

Given that Irma’s forecast track was along much of the Caribbean island chain, hurricane warnings were issued for the northern Leeward Islands, Puerto Rico, and parts of Hispaniola on September 5.

On September 4, Puerto Rico declared a state of emergency. By September 6, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency had deployed response teams in Puerto Rico and the United States Virgin Islands. Supplies, including food rations, medical supplies, and blankets, were pre-staged in strategic locations on the islands for distribution .

In the Turks and Caicos, evacuation orders were issued for low-lying areas starting September 5. Schools were closed, government buildings were boarded up, and shelters were opened. Officials spread warnings to residents in various languages via social media, radio, SMS, and WhatsApp.

The Dominican Republic activated the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, thus providing for humanitarian satellite coverage; the United States and Haiti followed suit two days later. According to officials, 11,200 people were evacuated from vulnerable areas before the storm’s arrival. Seven thousand four hundred tourists were moved away from beach resorts to Santo Domingo.

In The Bahamas, the government began preparations the week before the hurricane’s arrival, including securing national sports facilities for shelter use. By September 7, the government had evacuated 1,609 people by air from the southern islands, including 365 from Bimini.

The US National Hurricane Centre issued several warnings for the Southeastern United States. The Civil Defense evacuated nearly one million people from low-lying areas before the storm.

Officials advised residents to stock their hurricane kits. Road tolls were suspended in Florida to enable more people to evacuate. Public schools, state colleges, and state universities in all 67 counties in Florida were closed between the 8th and 11th September. Almost 700 emergency shelters were opened throughout the state and used by almost 200,000 people. Main airports were closed. An estimated 6.5 million Floridians were ordered to evacuate, mostly those living on barrier islands or in coastal areas, in mobile or sub-standard homes, and in low-lying or flood-prone areas.

Primary Effects

Irma was the most intense hurricane to strike the east coast of the United States since Katrina in 2005. The hurricane resulted in 134 deaths and caused over $65 billion in damage. The northeastern Caribbean and Florida were worst hit. On the Caribbean island of Barbuda, 90% of all structures were damaged or destroyed. Hurricane Irma is the second-costliest Caribbean hurricane on record.

The island of Providenciales is a popular tourist destination, and dozens of holidaymakers were caught on the island, unable to leave before the hurricane hit.

People were forced to evacuate their cities to avoid Irma’s wake. People left their towns and homes to find safer places to ride out the storm. Some people stayed in shelters, while others visited family or friends out of the hurricane’s path.

On Sint Maarten, 95% of the houses there had been damaged, and 60% had been left uninhabitable.

It is estimated that Irma caused at least $50 billion in damage in Florida and led to 84 deaths. Cities like Miami and Jacksonville suffered flooding, and some 60% of homes across Florida were left without power. In Florida, inland areas like Immokalee experienced widespread flooding.

The highest recorded storm surge in the US was a 2.3m storm surge. Approximately 7.7 million electrical customers across Florida lost power at some point; this accounts for 73% of customers. Flooding occurred in over 30 rivers and creeks. Fifty thousand boats were destroyed or damaged.

In the Florida Keys, the hurricane caused significant damage to homes, buildings, trailer parks, boats, roads, the electricity supply, mobile phone coverage, internet access, sanitation, the water supply, and the fuel supply. Initially, it was estimated that about 25% of homes were destroyed, and 65% of others suffered extensive damage.

One hundred prisoners escaped jail in the British Virgin Islands.

Secondary Effects

Many Caribbean islands strongly rely on tourism and will continue to feel the economic impact of Irma for a long time into the future.

Research suggests that recovery to previous levels could take up to four years, and if this is the case, the region will miss out on over US$3 billion over this timeframe.

Due to the significant impact of several hurricanes during 2017, insurance companies such as Lloyds of London reported an annual loss in earnings.

Six months after Hurricane Irma, many in Puerto Rico still go to school and look after the elderly in the dark. There are still UK citizens sleeping in a government shelter with nowhere to call home on the Virgin Islands.

Immediate Response

The French and UK governments sent aid workers, food and medical equipment to their overseas territories to start the long process of reconstruction there.

£57 million pounds of funding, along with 120 tonnes of aid, was provided by the UK Government. British military troops, along with Department For International Development (DFID) logisticians, supported the restoration of electricity to the main power station on the British Virgin Islands as part of the ongoing recovery operation. Additionally, the UK government doubled any public donations made to the Red Cross appeal for the hurricane’s victims up to £3 million.

Six UK medical health experts have been deployed to Antigua to assess the capacity of healthcare provisions on affected islands in the region. 54 officers from forces around the UK carried out joint patrols of the islands and assisted in policing duties.

Two hundred and fifty Dutch troops were deployed on Sint Maarten to deliver aid, food, medical supplies and building materials – and to maintain security.

The five living former US presidents have raised more than $31m (£23.5m) for victims in the US.

Long-term Response

Coming in the future!

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LESSON 09 OUTLINE

Introduction.

• Lesson Objectives
• Hurricane Katrina
• Social Justice Issues
• Geospatial Intelligence and Katrina
• Future Emergency Management GEOINT Applications
• Summary and Final Tasks

Lesson 09: Case Study: Hurricane Katrina

This lesson will conclude our three week examination of emergency preparedness and disaster management. This third lesson is a case study of Hurricane Katrina.

If you have any questions now or at any point during this week, please feel free to post them to the Lesson 09 - General Discussion Forum . (That forum can be accessed at any time in ANGEL by clicking on the Communication tab and then scrolling down to the Discussion Forums section.)