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Your
Task
Up until now, you have studied fires,
hurricanes, and volcanoes to prepare for your upcoming e-Mission.
Your studies have sharpened your thinking about how complex
nature can be. Now that you are aware of the volcanic activity
on Montserrat and of the storm headed toward the island, it
is time to apply all you've learned to help the people of Montserrat.
Each team must carry out a detailed study of Montserrat. However,
this might be difficult. The data has been delayed because of
the malfunctioning Low Earth Orbiting (LEO) satellite, and all
other communications with Montserrat are cut due to bad weather
and seismic activity.
What Do You know?
To learn as much as you can about Montserrat,
refer to the pages listed in the navigation bar to the left.
These pages contain maps and any up-to-date information about
Montserrat that we have been able to gather at e-Mission Headquarters.
What Do You Need To know?
At the beginning of your e-Mission, a
crew aboard the Challenger shuttle will be trying to repair
the LEO satellite. After the satellite is repaired, Mission
Control will send your teams all the available data on Montserrat
for your analysis and interpretation. You must use your scientific
studies and your analysis of the island to summarize the situation
and to make predictions and recommendations for immediate action.
You need to think about all that could happen on the island
and what to do about it. You should develop alternate plans
of action in case different events occur. We will call these
"contingency plans." Mission Control will use your
contingency plans to advise Montserrat's government about what
actions you recommend.
"Plan for the worst
and hope for the best"
In your plans, you need to consider the worst
that could happen and prepare for such a contingency.Three of
the plans you must think about are:
- What would happen on the island if the volcano were to
erupt much more than it has been erupting over the last few
months? How would the ecosystem be affected? How would people
be affected? What do we do about it?
- What would happen on the island if a hurricane hit? How
would the ecosystem be affected? How would people be affected?
What do we do about it?
- What do we do if both events occur at the same time?
Please be specific. Discuss your thoughts
with the other members of your Emergency Response Team. Then compose
your thoughts about possible future events on the island that
might place the people in danger. Be ready to offer your advice.
Here is a summary of your tasks at t-Minus 1 week.
- Learn as much about Montserrat as you can. Study the island's
geography, its human infrastructure, and its history of hurricane
and volcanic disturbances. Be particularly alert to what parts
of the island might be most exposed to danger should one or
both of these events occur.
- Practice developing a contingency plan. Make a list of what
you think might happen and what the people should do to prevent
a disaster.
- Evaluate your team.
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