DBRR

Write a 120 word response to Kenneth, use refrence as well

Hurricane Maria

 

As a responder to this event, I can attest to many of the things that went well and didn't go well with hands-on experience.  Since Hurricane Irma had just come through Puerto Rico FEMA already had boots on the ground that were in need of relief.  Florida Urban Search and Rescue Task Force II (my team) had just gotten back from responding to the Florida Keys after being affected by Hurricane Irma.  Right after we got back we went to work to relieve the crews that were in Puerto Rico still assisting in the wake of what Irma had done there.  Because we were there to relieve them we were on the ground for a direct hit by Hurricane Maria only two days after getting there.  To start the positives I will say the fact we were already there prior to the storm making landfall made our response much quicker and more effective as we prepared for the potential of Hurricane Maria before leaving South Florida.  

Another positive that occurred was that we had so many people from South Florida that had family members in Puerto Rico that we received many direct locations of people that were hardest hit because they could get calls out to South Florida for a few hours.  Because of that intel, we were able to get to those most affected areas very quickly to make as many saves as we could.  

Another positive that is related to the second one is because our team is so culturally diverse we were able to integrate very easily with people in the area.  Communication was much easier for us than it was for the teams that came before us that were from Virginia and Colorado.  

 

3 negatives that occurred were that we had major security issues because force protection didn't show up until two days later.  We were held up at gunpoint in two different locations by people wanting to take our equipment.  It was determined that no team could leave the base of operations anymore unless accompanied by a force protection agent and it could only be during daylight hours.

Another negative was the rampant misinformation provided by local city government officials that were attempting to gain resources by hiding the resources they actually had.  Unfortunately, this turned into many resources being dispersed to areas that didn't need it as much as others.  

The final negative was a big problem for us and that was because of rain that came for a few days after the Hurricane the dams in the mountains in Puerto Rico would auto-release and wipe out areas that had already been cleared by our teams.  The sensors in those dams were damaged and would not close the dam after an auto-release and it resulted in many lives being lost days after the storm.  In the future when we respond to more of those kinds of situations in Puerto Rico we need better communication with the engineers of those dams and with city officials.

Write a 120 word response to Jaqueline

For the first part of the discussion, using the disaster you used for the Disaster Reaction Paper (from week 1), identify the 3 positive actions that occurred in the response and 3 areas for improvement.

Hurricane Andrew a 1992 storm was one of the most costliest storm in lives and money and it has taught us how to better prepare for storms of its magnitude. Some positive actions that came forth as a result of the storm are, the solidarity of people, the improvement of building codes, and better forecasting. Neighbors helping neighbors was one of most impactful occurrences that took place after hurricane Andrew. During a time of uncertainty people were there to help and support each other. Another action that occurred after hurricane Andrew is the improvement of building codes. Andrew revealed the slack building code which was the main reason for the storm’s extensive damage in Miami. Due to the destruction, Florida now has the most stringent building code in the United States. Finally, meteorologist have sought ways of better forecasting storms of their track and better ways of determining a precise point of land fall.

The three areas that needs improvement after Hurricane Andrew are the improvement of FEMA, educating the public on the psychological impact after the storm, and to send the National Guards to assist law enforcement offers. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created by President Carter in 1979 to streamline how the federal government assisted states during their time of crisis. Over the years the agency was being ignored as the country went without any major crisis. After hurricane Andrew the weaknesses of the agency was exposed due to their inadequate response to the after math of hurricane Andrew. They were disorganized and slow to render help, causing survivors to be in a greater state of distress. They have taken actions to better the agency by working closer with states in improving their response to natural disasters. Another area that needs improving is the education the public needs in regard to the psychological functioning in the aftermath of a hurricane. The health care personnel should encourage people to share their experience with others, it is always important to know that you are not alone, to gain support, and it also helps to make sense of what happened. Finally, the last area that needs improvement is the delayed response of the National Guards, since the local law enforcement and their families were also affected there is a greater demand for additional help. The National Guard will be able to free up some of the pressure placed on the officers. By securing vacant buildings, directing traffic due to down traffic lights, provide security for construction workers and shelters, and assist with the distribution of food and other necessities. In addition to providing assistance to citizens the National guard can help protect businesses and residential homes that were impacted by the storm from looters.

 

Seemuth, M. (2017). Irma could be a tough test of Florida’s upgraded building codes. Retrieved from https://therealdeal.com/miami/2017/09/09/irma-could-be-a-tough-test-of-floridas-upgraded-building-codes/