TSoW (The size of Wales) example

Extract from https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zpxgk7h/revision/6

Float mouse over "478 square kilometers" below the image.

Tropical storm case study - Hurricane Ida

2021 was one of the most active tropical storm seasons since records began. Within that year, Hurricane Ida was the most powerful and costliest storm in the Atlantic.

Hurricane Ida first made landfall on the 26th August 2021 in the Cayman Islands. It gained energy and grew stronger within the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Three days later, on the 29th August, Ida reached the state of Louisiana on the US coast.

Hurricane Ida brought wind speeds of 277km/h and between 120 and 250mm of rainfall to Louisiana. This led to widespread flooding and a wide range of other impacts.

Impacts

Economic

• Hurricane Ida was estimated to have cost over $65 billion in damages.
• Buildings, cars, people's possessions and business stock were lost.
New Orleans airport cancelled all flights, leading to disruptions in business, tourism and trade.
• 478 square kilometers of sugarcane crops in Louisiana were destroyed. This was around 26% of the total sugarcane harvest in the state, resulting in loss of earnings for farmers.
• More than 90% of oil production in the Gulf of Mexico was shut down as a result of the storm. This led to a loss of earnings in the region.