Responding to Natural Hazards - Cyclone Larry

MAIN TASK - Each student will need to create a RESEARCH REPORT based on one of the GROUP KEY FOCUS questions.

The following activities have been set up to help you with your research process.

INTRODUCTORY ACTIVITY
View the pictures of the roof changes in Darwin before Cyclone Tracy and after.
You will need to suggest and discuss why these changes occured.

RESEARCH ACTIVITY
The general research will be background information for your research report.

GENERAL RESEARCH - How cyclones form and behave?
Questions that need to be covered:
1. What is a low pressure system?
2. What is a storm surge and how does it occur?
3. What is a cyclone?
4. Create a map of a cyclone cycle.
5. Explain the cyclone severity rating system used in Australia
6. How were the communities in Far North Queensland alerted that Tropical Cyclone Larry was approaching?


ACTION RESEARCH GROUP - RESEARCH REPORT QUESTIONS


Key Focus 1 - Which emergency service agencies best helped victims of Cyclone Larry? Do you think this was an efficient process? Propose an emergency plan for communities affected by cyclones?
Background Questions that need to be covered:
1. Which emergency service agencies might be able to assist you or provide you with information on cyclones?
2. What is a cyclone watch?
3. What should you do when a cyclone watch is issued?
4. Create a map identifying the path of Cyclone Larry. Where did it go?
5. What happened with the power supply to the towns and region after Cyclone Larry?
6. Devise an emergency plan for communities affected by cyclones.

Key Focus 2 - Which areas were affected by Cyclone Larry? What was the impact on the Australian banana industry and sugar cane industry? Why were the disaster programs created after Cyclone Larry? Suggest improvements to these programs?
Background Questions that need to be covered:
1. How large is the area of Queensland in square kilometres?
2. What are the populations of Cairns, Cardwell and Innisfail?
3. Locate a satellite map of the Queensland Coast line as Cyclone Larry came inland. Identify the communities that were most affected. Print or save a copy for your presentation.
4. How much of the banana and sugar crops were lost in Tully, Innisfail and the Atherton Tablelands?
5. How much of the Australian banana and sugar cane industry is situated in these areas?
6. What was the estimated value of the crop of bananas and sugar cane that was destroyed in Tropical Cyclone Larry?

Key Focus 3 - Key focus - What were the specific effects of the cyclone, on towns and communities? What relief and aid arrangements were implemented? Were the relief efforts were efficient?
Background Questions that need to covered:
1. Find out about the wind speeds at Innisfail from 3.30am-12noon on March 20, 2006, when Cyclone Larry impacted the region.
2. When a cyclone strikes a community what should you do?
3. Name 3 towns that were affected by Cyclone Larry and what type of property damage they recorded? Map this area.
4. Select one of these towns and find out about its population, type of housing, businesses and public transport that were affected by the cyclone. (Use images to compare before and after effects of Cyclone Larry).
5. Why was the rainfall after Tropical Cyclone Larry a problem to the regions?
6. What were some of the relief arrangements and what type of monetary grants were made available to effected communities?

Individuals from different Action Research groups will then form a new Jigsaw group to share their information.