Disasters : What They Are

Race and class identity of various groups of people render a great deal of influence on the experience one faces after a natural disaster. Unfortunately, oppression comes along with the quality of life for poor and middle classes. Thus, the experiences of higher and lower social classes are vastly different in terms of physical and psychological effects on the people. Higher social classes have the ability to restore any damages caused from a natural disaster in a timely manner, such as Hurricane Matthew. On the contrary, those people of the lower economic and social classes affected by the hurricane in Haiti, Bahamas, and Jamaica this past weekend will take a number of months or even years to rebuild their prior lifestyles. On pg. 4 in the

And it involves interaction with familiar faces, tasks, procedures, and organizations. (Auf der Heide, Erik. 1989) An emergency is generally personal in nature. A disaster is “an event associated with the impact of a natural hazard, which leads to increased mortality, illness and/or injury, and destroys or disrupts livelihoods, affecting the people or an area such that they (and/or outsiders) perceive it as being exceptional and requiring external assistance for recovery” (Cannon 1994, 29, fn.2). Finally, a catastrophe can be viewed as “…any disaster that overwhelms the ability of state, local, and volunteer agencies to adequately provide victims with such life-sustaining mass care services as food, shelter, and medical assistance within the first 12 to 24 hours.” (GAO, Disaster Management, 1993, p. 3).

and Dentistry and Director of the Program in Disaster Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry and the UR Center for Disaster Medicine and Emergency Preparedness. For over a decade, he has responded to numerous national disasters as a volunteer with the American Red Cross. He has also developed comprehensive disaster mental health training programs for the New York State Office of Mental Health and the New York State Department of Health currently being disseminated throughout every county, state psychiatric center and acute healthcare facility throughout New York State.

Completely out of human control, natural disasters take their toll on people by destroying properties and crops, as well as killing people. There have been many tornadoes in the past, because of these events there are now better warning systems and rebuilding programs. After hurricanes, many people open up their homes for people in need. There are also many large-scale refugee centers that help people that have lost everything due to a hurricane. Adversity brings out a kindness and generosity that is not always present until a storm wakes people up to the needs of others. A man-made storm can also bring an awaking to American society.

Junot Diaz once said “Disasters don’t just happen. They are always made possible by a series of often-invisible societal choices that implicate more than just those being drowned or buried in rubble” (Junot Diaz, 1). This quote introduces the idea of what is referred to as a social disaster. A social disaster can be a natural disaster such as earthquakes, tsunamis, or hurricanes etc. that are associated with some environmental, cultural, or political problem (Hovenac, 1). These societal problems can be a result of the natural disaster but more often issues that have always been there that are uncovered by the event of the natural disaster. When we look back at natural disasters that have occurred in United States, we notice that societal issues also arise with these events. A known example of this is when Hurricane Katrina hit the United States in 2005. As a result of the storm, researchers claimed that the socioeconomic status of those affected by the storm played a vital role in the damages that they face. This natural disaster brought attention to the pressing issue of the socioeconomic imbalance in our country and how it affects those in a natural disaster.

Natural disasters can bring communities together, even if they have been torn apart. One morning, residents of New Orleans emerged from various shelters and their homes to examine the remnants of Hurricane Katrina. Several hours later, they realized there was more devastation awaiting them. Hours later, “…a breach in the levees allowed water to continue to rise until whole neighborhoods were flooded.” Hurricane Katrina brought great attention to the lack of local and disaster relief programs. Most programs are not designed or funded to help assist people for more than four or five weeks. When federal assistance money (FEMA) started to run out, the people were expected to find jobs or get help from other government agencies. This only caused

A natural disaster is a natural event such as a flood, earthquake, or hurricane that causes great damage or loss of life. “The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger and “Super Disasters of the 21st Century” by Jacqueline Adams describes the cause and effect of nature’s savagery. Each author uses similar and different strategies and techniques to accomplish this goal. In an excerpt from the article “Super Disasters of the 21st Century,” Jacqueline Adams points out recent disasters and provides an in depth look at how hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis occur and the devastation that result. In an excerpt from “The Perfect Storm”, Sebastian Junger combines a first person anecdote

This year countries from around the world have been severely impacted by deadly natural disasters. For example, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria created destruction and devastation to the Caribbean, Florida, and Texas. In south Asia, torrential rain and floods have affected millions. Mudslides and flooding have wrought

Many individuals in the country are struggling to make ends meet on a good day, so what happens when disaster strikes? They are unprepared, have a harder time recovering, and their risk and devastation are increased in the disaster. Class inequality impacts individuals on the lower end of the scale. They have less access to resources to prepare themselves before the disaster strikes, and after disaster strikes they have even less resources to recover with. Lower class individuals are also at a higher risk of devastation during a disaster because they cannot always escape before the disaster hits or have the potential to live in areas that are less likely to be affected.

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast leaving bits and pieces of people’s lives in its wake. While those in need did receive much needed response and help from surrounding areas, other states, and the government, there was much that was learned from this disaster as well. A disaster was declared and FEMA stepped in, along with the Coast Guard, National Guard, and State Defense Forces to provide their assistance (Bucci, et al., 2013).

Hurricane Katrina is the most expensive natural disaster in American history (Kates et al., 2006). This is supported by the statistics from August 2006, where the death total surpassed 1800 and the cost of the destruction was projected to be near $125 billion (Kates et al., 2006). Katrina produced extensive destruction alongside the central Gulf coast states (i.e. Louisiana, Mississippi and Florida) of America and that resulted in many residents having to abandon their homes (Parker, 2009). For example, the New Orleans flooding that followed the Katrina was disastrous as it resulted in the removal of an excess of 250,000 individuals (Parker, 2009)

Natural disasters bring both the good and bad aspects of humans. Some companies take advantage of the situation of desperation while generating a profit at the expense of others pain and suffering. A research study conducted in the aftermath of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado activity. The data reveals how the

“Social and ecological vulnerability to disasters and outcomes of any particular extreme event are influenced by buildup or erosion of resilience both before and after disasters occur” (Adger et al., 2005, p. 1036). In the Bangladesh Typhoon, major erosion occurred even after the storm had passed causing agriculture to wash away. Additionally, many more people died in the Bangladesh Typhoon compared to Hurricane Andrew and this could have been because people in coastal regions in the United States are more used to having the resources and support when it comes to protecting themselves from a natural disaster. Hurricane Andrew did result in larger damages compared to the Bangladesh Typhoon and this may be because Florida, where the most damage occurred, is closer to the coast compared to where the Bangladesh Typhoon did its most

Every emergency or disaster, from a small house fire to a hurricane that devastates entire communities, have a distinct cycle. This is

This paper will discuss the differences between two different natural and man-made disasters. The disasters that will be discussed are Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. Additionally, this paper will look into the specifics of what constitutes a natural and man-made disaster. Specifically, this paper will look into each disaster to include the events surrounding them; the risks; and the assessments. Furthermore, this paper will look at some of the details of each disaster and why there was so much devastation. Finally, this paper will look at a few similarities, but mainly the differences between the two, and how the effects of each still linger today.