Background
A category 4 hurricane named Karl made landfall on August 29th in the city of Old Orleans. Preparations for the disaster were enacted in a timely manner. However, the damage outcomes exceeded initial forecasts and led to almost 200 residents being stranded, older residents were left without their medication. Half of the housing received water damage and started to grow mold. Moreover, due to the damage on the local chemical plant, the water resources in the area were contaminated. Nevertheless, local health department was prominent in their actions and properly responded with adequate measures. Namely, all of the stranded people were notified via radio systems and cell phones about the possible contamination and proper safety protocols. National Guard distributed bottled water for homes in contaminated areas. The local police department rescued residents with specially equipped vehicles.
Major Problems
The outcomes of the hurricane led to the exposure of three severe problems in relation to epidemiological concerns, environmental toxin exposures, environmental justice, risk communication. It is empirical that the case has a flaw in the addressing of the risks associated with the lack of environmental justice. This term refers to the enforcement and regulation of environmental laws and policies (Banzhaf et al., 2019). The presence of dangerous contamination and its effect on local water resources are evident indicators of lacking regulations to the chemical plant. The construction of such facilities, especially in the area with high likelihood of hurricane emergence, requires preparations for the worst-case scenario.
In terms of risk communication, a problem could be present in relation to the utilization of cell phones and radio. These methods, despite their effectiveness in a safe environment, require for more drastic measures that will not employ technology towards which access may not be available due to the chaos and most likelihood of power shortage (Balog‐Way et al., 2020). Moreover, water contamination may deteriorate the local community exponentially and lead to the risk of deterioration of the epidemiological situation (Edelstein, 2018).
Strengths and Weaknesses
Nevertheless, it is evident that local healthcare was able to set up appropriate disaster management protocols that actively engage all available personnel and governmental parties such as national guard and police department. Thus, it is possible that the local administration has tight connection with other bodies that allowed their swift participation and active duty. In terms of weaknesses, the disregard of possible power shortage, and contamination of water due to lacking enforcement procedures. Moreover, even though the majority were able to safely evacuate from the scene approximately 200 households were not able to evacuate in a timely manner.
Evaluation
Natural disaster planning is essential in any given community due to the vastness of damages and risks. To reduce the risks and damages introduction of emergency nursing specialists in the community may contribute to the safety and protection of the community (Hugelius & Adolfsson, 2019). According to Lindell et al. (2020), when estimating evacuation time estimates (ETEs) for storms with late intensification or late track changes, household evacuation preparation time distributions are crucial. Although evacuation preparation durations have been evaluated based on anticipated job completion times, actual task completion times, and departure delays, it is uncertain if these methodologies provide comparable findings (Lindell et al, 2020). Therefore, perhaps the establishment of technology dedicated to sensing the upcoming hurricanes and allowing for more effective responses will improve the situation and limit the scope of damages.
References
Balog‐Way, D., McComas, K., & Besley, J. (2020). The evolving field of risk communication. Risk Analysis, 40(S1), 2240-2262.
Banzhaf, S., Ma, L., & Timmins, C. (2019). Environmental justice: The economics of race, place, and pollution. Journal of Economic Perspectives, 33(1), 185-208.
Edelstein, M. R. (2018). Contaminated communities: Coping with residential toxic exposure. Routledge
Hugelius, K., & Adolfsson, A. (2019). The HOPE model for disaster nursing–A systematic literature review. International Emergency Nursing, 45, 1-9.
Lindell, M. K., Sorensen, J. H., Baker, E. J., & Lehman, W. P. (2020). Community response to hurricane threat: Estimates of household evacuation preparation time distributions. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 85, 102457.