Hurricane is one of the various forms of natural hazards that have been considered the primary source of property damages in the U.S for more than a century. For instance, the hurricane Sandy that occurred in the East Coast in the year 2012 was the country’s second largest hurricane to affect numerous states and societies. According to the United States of America weather report, multiple lives and enterprises were disrupted, and majority of the buildings obliterated (Pizzi 1). The incident left the destroyed homesteads with little or no food and energy for more than a month. As such, based on the rising loss of properties facilitated by the catastrophe, the American government has developed techniques to help in understanding and enhancing its forecasting capabilities and warning times.
Actions to Undertake in the Event of a Natural Disaster (Hurricane)
Hurricanes are the massive storms that develop over the warm oceanic bodies that travel towards the arable regions. The potential impacts from the catastrophe encompass strong winds, intense rainfall, storm surges, tornadoes, landslides, and flooding in both the coastal and inland areas. Notably, the U.S spending on losses resulting from hurricanes has been projected to be $290 billion for the year 2012 (Meyer et al. 1389). Therefore, understanding of the actions and safety tips during the event happening is vital in avoiding massive losses that accrue from the calamity.
Before the occurrence of the hurricane, people are usually advised to move from their households to prevent loss of lives. However, other individuals ignore the information mainly to protect their properties and other valuables such as vehicles. As such, it is advisable to enlighten the family members on the possible happenings during the catastrophe and develop an emergency strategy for the family including the evacuation and meeting area. People staying in the affected places are required to use their radios or television to monitor the status of the event (CDC n.p). Furthermore, in regions that are more susceptible to floods people need to move their items to high places away from windows and doors to deter damages in case of flooding.
During the hurricane occurrence, one needs to evacuate their homes if instructed by the local agencies and deter from using the flooded roads and be conversant with the damaged bridges. People are to stay in their houses if not told to vacate or when one is unable to do so due to fear of injuries. The affected populace is required to be vigilant and keep track of the weather reports to avoid loss of lives. However, if one is trapped in a room by floods, it is recommended that the person should move to the highest part of the building and wait for an emergency response (CDC n.p). Furthermore, it is advisable to turn the freezer settings to the coldest level to enhance food storage.
Conclusion
Hurricane is one of the natural disasters that have significantly impacted most of the American States due to the significant number of properties and lives lost after the incident. As such, the government has developed technologies that are used to forecast and provide adequate information on ways to prepare for the event. For instance, in the happening of the catastrophe, people are advised to evacuate their homes or stay indoors away from windows and doors to avoid injuries. Equally, individuals are required to be vigilant on the weather reports provided by the authorities and move to higher parts of a building in the event of flooding.
Works Cited
CDC. “Evacuate Or Stay At Home|Hurricanes”. Cdc.Gov, 2018, https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/evacuate.html. Accessed 30 Oct 2018.
Meyer, Robert J., et al. “The dynamics of hurricane risk perception: Real-time evidence from the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season.” Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society Vol. 95, No. 9, 2014, Pp 1389-1404.
Pizzi, Michael A. “Hurricane Sandy, disaster preparedness, and the recovery model.” American journal of occupational therapy Vol. 69, No. 4, 2015, Pp 6904250010p1-6904250010p10.