Hurricane Ike

Running head: HURRICANE IKE 1

HURRICANE IKE 2

Hurricane Ike

Hurricane Ike hit the coastal coastline on September 13, 2008. The hurricane was expected, and before it occurred preparations had been made with the Texas Military troops on standby. The governor had marked the area a disaster region and the occupants warned. The hurricane’s lifespan began from September 1 to 14, lasting about two weeks (East et al., 2008). It progressed in the course of its span, reaching category 4 in the open waters of central Atlantic and made a landfall along the upper coast of Texas. Other parts affected were the Bahamas, Haiti, and Cuba. However, the attention to the hurricane was the damage it caused to the citizens of along the coastline it passed.

The hurricane resulted in massive damage to property at the Atlantic coastline. The effect began in the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Bahamas when power was lost throughout in all the houses. Buildings were destroyed and the health systems were disrupted in the islands, and there was no water. The Haiti people were heavily hit with the destruction of property, leaving the nation in a humanitarian crisis. In Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana, the United States temporarily closed its oil and refinery lines, leading to high prices of gasoline. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, the estimated property damage in the three states was $34.8 billion (Gall et al., 2011). According to the national Hurricane center, Cuba and the Caribbean islands lost $37 billion (Gall et al., 2011). In the overall affected areas, there was massive loss of employment due to loss of business. Cattle ranchers were not spared either.

The seafood industry was also not spared, as the billions of sea animals were dumped on the debris and floor of the Gulf of Mexico. The oyster reefs of Louisiana and Texas were also destroyed, starving the seafood demand all over the U.S. The infrastructure was also heavily bungled, with buildings in the cities shattered and the transport system heavily destroyed. People could not travel, and businesses were unable to run. The sad impact of the Hurricane however occurred when more than a hundred lives were lost in both the U.S. and the Caribbean islands (Zane et al., 2008). The evacuation procedures had to be undertaken to save hundreds of people trapped in homes and buildings (Huang et al., 2012). There were also massive injuries.

Texas was issued with warnings about the expected hurricane and the community began the preparations. The then president, George W. Bush issued a statement from Washington on the need to prepare communities for the impending catastrophe. It is a natural disaster, and it could not have been prevented. However, the preparations were to limit the amount of damage it would cause. The governor ordered all resources to be deployed, while the military was put on standby. The citizens began to gather supplies, as busses were rolled for residents in Houston and Arkansas in case evacuation efforts would be required. In the churches, disaster response trucks were loaded, ready to go for an early response immediately the hurricane hit. All efforts were well placed and all stakeholders in the US ready to combat the impending disaster. For example in Brazos County, the emergency response officials engaged in endless conferences and meeting to ensure all preparations were ready. The volunteer organizations were put on alert for assistance.

Communities were evacuated beforehand in the hotspot areas, while people were advised to keep off the streets and city buildings in Texas and Houston (Huang et al., 2012). However, in Cuba, Haiti, and Mexico, things were different. A substantial response plan was not initiated and any preparations were poorly implemented. In the Bahamas and Caribbean islands, the preparations for the communities were shoddy as well. Haiti could not make any efforts since hurricane Ike was coming on the back of a Hanna and Gustav disasters (Rego & Li, 2010). Therefore, it suffered the largest impact with the highest loss of lives of about 74, and all bridges were washed away (Zane et al., 2008).

However, despite the heavy preparations in the U.S. and lack of it on the other affected areas, the Red Cross in particular is credited for the magnificent efforts they put in saving the victims of the disaster. They helped in the evacuation process, and in Haiti, when a humanitarian crisis arose, the Red Cross ensured the provision of basic needs while improving the level of sanitation (Huang et al., 2012). The U.S. government and the federal states committed financial assistance to the victims of the disaster in the Texas coastline, Louisiana, and Houston among others. The federal emergency management Agency was vital in committing the volunteer personnel to assist the evacuation efforts. Other smaller organizations joined such efforts to donate relief food and blood for the injured victims.

The hurricane Ike is not the end of major natural disasters, and there are indications of others. The core requirement is the preparation of communities against similar catastrophes. The FEMA has carried out educational programs to prepare communities for future disasters (McAdams et al., 2011). The national hurricane center also conducts periodic risk analyses to put forth emergency plans in case an unexpected disaster hits. On the industrial part, the oil pipelines have been modified not to cause fires in such situations.

References

East, J. W., Turco, M. J., & Mason Jr, R. R. (2008). Monitoring inland storm surge and flooding from Hurricane Ike in Texas and Louisiana, September 2008 (No. 2008-1365). US Geological Survey.

Gall, M., Borden, K. A., Emrich, C. T., & Cutter, S. L. (2011). The unsustainable trend of natural hazard losses in the United States. Sustainability, 3(11), 2157-2181.

Huang, S. K., Lindell, M. K., Prater, C. S., Wu, H. C., & Siebeneck, L. K. (2012). Household evacuation decision making in response to Hurricane Ike. Natural Hazards Review, 13(4), 283-296.

McAdams Ducy, E., & Stough, L. M. (2011). Exploring the support role of special education teachers after Hurricane Ike: Children with significant disabilities. Journal of Family issues, 32(10), 1325-1345.

Rego, J. L., & Li, C. (2010). Storm surge propagation in Galveston Bay during hurricane Ike. Journal of Marine Systems, 82(4), 265-279.

Zane, D. F., Bayleyegn, T. M., Hellsten, J., Beal, R., Beasley, C., Haywood, T., & Wolkin, A. F. (2011). Tracking deaths related to hurricane Ike, Texas, 2008. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 5(1), 23-28.