There are ominous clouds in the distance. The wind and the surf have picked up. The animals are in an uproar. What you may suspect but don’t quite realize is that a hurricane is headed your way. Using your tools and island resources, create and execute a plan of action.
Section 06
Research how hurricane weather affects inhabited islands. Also, research how long hurricanes tend to last. Cite two sources.
| 1 (weak) |
75–95 mph | 4.0–5.0 ft. | minimal damage to vegetation |
| 2 (moderate) |
96–110 mph | 6.0–8.0 ft. | moderate damage to houses |
| 3 (strong) |
111–130 mph | 9.0–12.0 ft. | extensive damage to small buildings |
| 4 (very strong) |
131–155 mph | 13.0–18.0 ft. | extreme structural damage |
| 5 (devastating) |
> 155 mph | > 18.0 ft | catastrophic building failures possible |
Table above is from: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/StephanieStern.shtml
- Stong winds can blow for up to twelve hours. Waves get up to be six to nine feet along the beaches. http://weatherblog.abc13.com/2008/08/hurricane-gus-3.html
Create a list of the possible dangers that will impact your shelter, food, water, firewood, medical injuries, and finally your attempts to get rescued.
| Shelter | Food | Firewood | Medical Injuries | Water | Rescue Attempts |
| Absence of trees | Loss of previously killed animals | Wood becomes wet | Broken Bones | Water can become dirty from debris | Hard for helicopters to see |
| Rise in water level |
Loss of animal population from drowning in river |
Wood will blow around | Scrapes, cuts, gashes | Water will have dead animals in it | Harder to locate the island |
| Previous shelter damage |
Animals hide from weather |
Wood will be pulled into water | Head injury's from debris | Water will mix with salt water | All rescue vehicles will avoide area because of storm |
Section [9]
From the hurricane category bag, you will pick out the category of the hurricane. Look at the list of possible dangers and consider the size of the hurricane. Cite your source.
Find a Doppler radar picture/video of the category of your hurricane. Cite your source and post it here:
Create a plan of action for the following:
Will you have to evacuate? Where will you go?
Since we have a Category 3 hurricane, we will have to evacuate the shelters and gather inland, away from the coast. We will have to go next to the volcano, since it provides us with the most shelter and protection from the wind and the floods.
Do you have proper shelter away from floods and debris?
Since our ONLY shelter, which was built somewhere near the coast, will most likely be flooded or blown away by the 130 MPH winds, we do not have proper shelter from the storm. But since we evacuated from the coast, we will be less
affected by the wind and water.
Will you need to stock up on supplies?
Yes, we will need to stock up on the supplies that we need for survival. Since we will need to move to a safer place, the things we need will come with us. We will need to make sure we have enough to survive for a while and things we may need in the future are ot harmed. Without the thigs we will need to bring, we will not be able to survive.
How will you deal with other dangers?
The water problem will be big. Since the rivers and the ocean have probebly flooded and as a result dragged in sticks, bark, mud, animals, and decaying things, the water will be dirty and not safe to drink. We must do something to collect rainwater or do something to be able to boil the water from the river. To collect rainwater we could use coconut halves and place them out to get as much water as possible. The river will most likely be dirty and contaminated for some time. We could collect dew from palm leaves and such when the storm is over. Then, there is the issue of food. Food is a big part of this. We should stock up on things we need like dried meat and fruits so that we can still eat some rations when there is disaster.
Section [04]
You will deal with the aftermath of the hurricane. From a bag, you will choose three ways that you were impacted and create a plan of action for dealing with each one. Look at the things the previous groups came up with (dangers and plans)
All firewood is wet.
We will put the firewood out to dry in the sun around noon until it grows dark and we will check to see if it is dry; if not, we will put it back out in the sun the next day and continue this pattern until the firewood is dry. We will also put smaller sticks, bits of grass and leaves out in hopes they will dry faster. Once they have dried out completely we will light them and they will hopefully dry out bigger logs faster. The wind that is probably still blowing since the hurricane just finished will also help with drying the firewood out so it shouldn't take that long for the firewood to dry.
Water stream is contaminated with the bodies of dead animals. Water is not safe to drink.
We will use palm branches the water has collected on and remove the dead animals from the stream. Then we will boil the water to ensure that any contaminants that were in the water are removed. If the water from the palm branches contains too much debris, we will filter the water to make sure we do not drink any debris that may have gotten into the water during the hurricane.
Your shelter has been completely destroyed/flattened by hurricane.
We will clear an area by the base of the volcano by the stream to build the shelter at and we will collect fallen branches and trees to rebuild the shelter. The ground may be too soggy to have a stable shelter but we will put down any logs that we can to try to keep the ground stable so that the shelters will not soak into the ground or the ground hurting the ability of the shelter to be inhabited. Also, the winds may make it more difficult to work on building the shelters but we will be by the volcano which is a good shelter area from high winds.