Natural disasters are complicated phenomena that are, in fact, not simply "natural" but rather often also social in their origins and consequences. Their effects, in this regard, reflect economic and social histories that have left behind social inequities and planetary change. In my high school social studies classes, as one illustration, we take the case of hurricanes and examine the multitude of scientific and social sources that underline their destructive power. We then employ Hurricane Katrina as a vehicle for concretely exploring some of these processes, including race and inequality, and the short- and long-term effects of hurricanes on human-built landscapes.
This is part one of this series and is focused on background information about hurricanes and their impact. This section enables students to understand why and how hurricanes matter, different ways and debates regarding how societies evaluate the danger they pose, and how humans have contributed to exacerbating their magnitude through planetary change.
This sets up subsequent sections (two and three) where students turn to the case study of Hurricane Katrina, its unequal impact on populations in New Orleans, and the unequal recovery that has ensued.
What is a Disaster? - 20 minutes
Students begin the unit by free-writing on the theme of "disasters" more generally for around ten minutes. What connotations come to mind? What can count as a disaster? Who? Why? When? How? With what effects? What are stories of disasters? The class then has an opportunity to share insights from their responses.
Introduction to Hurricanes - 15 minutes
Answering questions in this worksheet prepared for the lesson, students first explore the Saffir-Simpson scale with a National Hurricane Center overview that is then further visualized in this Weather Channel video. The class then interrogates what a storm surge is and why it is typically the deadliest aspect of a hurricane through this video from Vox.
The Destructive Power of Hurricanes - 40 minutes
With this background information, students can now engage with some of the criticisms directed towards the hurricane rating system. This editorial article written by two Western Carolina University coastal research scientists, Rob Young and Katie McDowell Peek, makes the case for a change in the hurricane rating system, from one basely solely on wind speed to one that encompasses a variety of other factors such as precipitation and storm surge potential. They highlight relevant evidence in terms of destruction to human life and infrastructure as part of their argument.
Students should be able to identify the central argument of the text and the specific factors they want included in a new rating system and why.
Students finally watch this video from PBS examining the link between climate change and hurricanes. Drawing connections between texts, students should be able to explain how climate change underscores the arguments from Rob Young and Katie McDowell Peek.
Homework
This lesson sets up subsequent lessons (two and three) in this series focused on Hurricane Katrina and its unequal impact on different populations in New Orleans.
For homework before the next class, students should complete a reading that provides background information on the historical development of New Orleans and how this history shaped Hurricane Katrina's impact, including its disproportionate effects on Black residents.
The text is titled The Geography of Social Vulnerability: Race, Class, and Catastrophe and is authored by Susan Cutter as part of the Understanding Katrina series of articles.
Students must respond to the prompt:
How did the historical development of New Orleans create both physical and social vulnerabilities?
Further Learning
Students can engage in-depth with hurricane modelling and the impact of climate change through reading a scientific research article on the topic: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0673-2
Comentários