Damage and Fatalities in the Caribbean, Central America, United States and Canada

The impacts of tropical cyclones in the Caribbean and Central America, the eastern United States, and eastern Canada are varied for three reasons.

1) Each region receives a much different frequency and intensity of tropical cyclones.

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This image clearly shows that tropical cyclones are much more common in the Caribbean and off the coast of the eastern US than in Atlantic Canada.

2) The three regions have different physical environments that lead to varied impacts.

Almost 75% of Central America and the Caribbean is dominated by mountains. These mountains are the result of powerful volcanic activity. A lot of these volcanoes make up the thousands of islands of the Caribbean. The second dominant geographical feature of the Caribbean and Central America is the coastal plains. These are low-lying coastal areas that were once under water and are now long, flat beaches.

The geography of the Caribbean plays a large role in the extent of damage done by tropical cyclones. First, the Caribbean’s small islands are easily flooded when a storm passes. Second, beaches do not protect the coastline against the effects of storm surge and it can reach further inland. Finally, the mountains can contribute to a higher level of precipitation if humid air is pushed up over them.

Although the eastern coast of the United States is quite varied geographically, one common feature is that it is very heavily populated. Florida gets the most hurricanes every year in the US and is very populated along the coast and on small islands in the vicinity. Recently, oceanfront condos have been rising directly on beaches and along narrow sand spits. These structures are very vulnerable to the storm surge, heavy rains, and high winds of hurricanes.

The high tides, rough topography, and numerous bays and estuaries of Atlantic Canada limit the potential damage from tropical storms. The Gulf Stream can act as a preferred path for tropical cyclones, giving them the energy to continue further north and allowing wind speeds to stay high due to reduced wind resistance, but steering storms away from Atlantic Canada.

3) The three regions have very different building code regulations that can impact the extent of damage that a tropical cyclone might have.

Building codes in the Caribbean and Central America are set by each federal government. It is generally agreed that these building codes are insufficient in the case of critical facilities, such as emergency shelters and hospitals, because they must continue to function during a hazard event rather then simply survive it. This compromises the safety of the residents of the Caribbean and Central America during the storms themselves. Also, enforcement is generally the weakest part of the system, often due to lack of human and financial resources.

Building codes in the United States are varied due to the diversity of natural disasters (hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes etc..) that occur. Seven years after Hurricane Andrew in Florida, Florida is proposing to weaken the current building codes. This is causing conflict between residents, who lost their houses in Andrew, and building industry associations, who want cheaper building prices.

Enforcement of US building codes, like in the Caribbean and Central America, is a problem. It is estimated that up to 40% of insurance claims after Hurricane Andrew have been attributed to construction that did not comply to existing rules.

The National Building Code of Canada (NBC) provides minimum requirements for health, life safety and structural sufficiency in new buildings in Canada. These regulations are adopted unchanged or are modified and used by municipalities across the country. Since Canada is more prone to winter storms than tropical cyclones, many of the regulations refer to heavy snow and high winds. It is generally agreed that Canadian building codes are stringent enough for our different extreme weather phenomenon. Most tropical cyclones that reach Canada cause very little structural damage.