The impact of Hurricane Sandy
The impact of Hurricane Sandy was felt across most of North and Central America, with the aftermath being monumentally catastrophic. However, the government was seemingly prepared in advance with FEMA (2013) reporting of a “tropical storm watch issued for sandy” on October 22nd, 2012. The strategic planning timeline for Hurricane Sandy highlights FEMA’s efforts to provide life-sustaining resources to victims of the disaster with the issuance of a nationwide alert with an accompanying presidential disaster declaration, deployment of hundreds of aid personnel, the swift dispensation of financial support and generally quick action by FEMA. However, there is still room for improvement, especially with preparedness efforts aimed at recovery resource provision.
The government’s swift actions, especially in offering life support aid to victims, showed preparedness for the eventuality of a colossal calamity, which is highly commendable. Apart from relatively effective mass evacuations in potentially affected areas, the also government took significant steps to ensure better coordination among various disaster agencies. This action facilitated better support with the prompt release of federal resources and deployment to areas of need (CSIS, 2013). States also initiated relief and long-term recovery steps with help from the media, private sector, and philanthropic organizations towards facilitating effective communication between the public and the rescue teams. Seemingly, “those partnerships, coupled with disaster grants and volunteer organizations, were a key element of immediate response and longer-term recovery.” (CSIS, 2013)
While the government did its best to deliver crucial assistance effectively, it failed in its execution of the plan with regards to accessibility to the victims. With the most infrastructure severely damaged, even with swift response to victims, the responders could not effectively administer help. The government later learned that “cities and communities need new tools to deal with situations in which it is unrealistic for people to stay in a particular place” (Betterworldsolutions, 2017). If I were in charge of rescue efforts, after the severe mishandling of Hurricane Katrina almost a decade prior, I would have made more preparations towards fortifying the infrastructure into potentially affected areas. This action, I believe, would have significantly reduced the loss of life and facilitated faster rebuilding after the hurricane passes.