A Rapid Needs Assessment of the Rockaway Peninsula in New York City After Hurricane Sandy and the Relationship of Socioeconomic Status to Recovery
PAD3874: COMMUNITY RELATIONS THEORY/PR 180 (23322)
Isabel Felipe
Florida Southwestern State College
Professor Matt Visaggio
1/16/2017
Summary: This case study covers the response efforts of government officials and volunteers after hurricane Sandy to help restore services in certain locations. The main focus was on the Rockaway peninsula in New York city. Based on the economic status determined how soon they were able to receive recovery assistance for their basic needs. (Subaiya, S., Moussavi, C., Velasquez, A., & Stillman, J.2014) Low income households worried the most about the essentials,
In the article “For Houston’s Homeless, a Terrifying Night Under Siege by Hurricane Harvey” by Julie Turkewitz, the main focus is the harsh reality of a hurricane this string for those who are homeless in Houston. First, Turkewitz sets the harsh reality by telling the readers about Roy Joe Cox- a homeless man in Houston- who is preparing to cope for the Hurricane with what little he has. She then builds her claim by writing about what the effects of Hurricane Harvey are, and what officials are expecting to happen. Next, Turkewitz suggests that any homeless person who is in Houston at this time should seek shelter at the available locations. Finally, she brings the harsh and sad reality for the homeless men and women in Houston by quoting Roy Joe Cox as he asks, “I’ve never experienced a hurricane. Is it going to rain out that bad? Is it going to flood me out? I mean, I don’t want to die over a hurricane . . . I’d rather not die.” (Turkewitz, 2017).
Research on the NBEOC used during Hurricane Sandy consists of an extensive review of peer-reviewed articles using ProQuest and EBSCOhost, and journals associated with public and environmental health. Additional contributions to the research paper will include the FEMA website and the PS7 Review. The PS7 Review is a monthly newsletter created by FEMA to educate and inform community partners about its mission to increase collaboration amongst the private sector and whole community (Homeland Security, 2013). The final research paper will begin with an overview of Hurricane Sandy, followed by a description of the design and location of the NBEOC, and conclude with the media’s role in dispersing disaster information to the public. While taking into account that “more than 60 percent of NRCC personnel rated the NBEOC as effective or very effective” (FEMA, 2013), a major limitation of this research is that the NBEOC has not been implemented enough to back this statement. Therefore, information collected during the research process will assist in determining whether the NBEOC demonstrated organizational excellence before, during, and after Hurricane
The recovery projects focused on essentials for restoring services, infrastructure and quality of life to pre-Katrina levels. 51 Through many extensive analytical assessments conducted by the Schwartz group, they were able to lay groundwork for realistic and fundable plans and programs to insure the right information for both residents and planners.52 This assessment of economic impacts of both pre- and post-Katrina included GIS mapping and intense analysis of political, social, spatial conditions in both districts.53 This information was used to identify problematic areas and to serve as a basis for realistic planning proposals.
One of the most horrific times in New Orleans history was due to Hurricane Katrina. On August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans causing massive destructions and flooding throughout all of New Orleans. Katrina forced many individuals to be evacuated from their homes due to flooding. In some parts of New Orleans the water reached up to 15 to 20 feet causing mass chaos and confusion. With the mass of destruction and lack of protection from the local law enforcements, crime in New Orleans spike considerable. There were individuals who were looting and sacking stores, gangs were more prevalent and visible. This created an issue for the New Orleans police department because many of their five hundred officers were cut off by the storm and floodwaters causing many to walk away from their posts. This left the department in shambles, having police New Orleans without having all of its police officers in place to help maintain order. A lot of policeman faced high levels of stress and distress due the rising flood waters, the conditions made their job increasingly tougher. Not only were they tasked with maintaining order, but many of their families were affected by the storm as well. The policemen became targets of angry residents and mob violence and in some instances having to protect
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
Have you ever driven down the Garden State Parkway and seen car magnets that have “Jersey Strong” written on them? To summarize what “Jersey Strong” means in a few words is that no matter what obstacle strikes the Garden State, the people who live in New Jersey can get through anything together. In the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season, New Jersey was hit by a deadly hurricane that left southern parts of the state in complete ruins. Not only were thousands of homes and businesses destroyed, but also over one hundred people were killed nationwide. This hurricane was a natural disaster that thousands of people could never forget about. The history making hurricane, Hurricane Sandy, did not only leave destruction in New Jersey, but also personal and economic troubles.
This case study showed all of the services that were used after the devastation of Hurricane Helena. It takes a lot of helping people and services in this type of tragedy. The services provided in this case were the Red Cross, FEMA, School Counselor,
After Hurricane Sandy there was a bunch of damage done to theses states : Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Bahamas, and the U.S. (“Superstorm Sandy”). “The hurricane left an estimated 200,000 people without shelter” (“Superstorm Sandy”). The property damage was an estimate from between $30-$50 billion (“Superstorm Sandy’’). Many people had no home for a long time nothing to come home to or
Hurricane Katrina was a devastating disaster that has affected many people in New Orleans. The communication broke down hours after Katrina because of the unexpected fast winds and floods that broke down “3 million phone lines and 1,000 cellular towers in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama.”( Joch ). Because of the millions of phone lines that were broken down, contacting the government for help was difficult hours after hurricane Katrina. Not only that, the people of New Orleans underestimated the power of Hurricane Katrina causing many to be “ stranded with no food or water” (Narrator, “The Storm”,PBS).
Hurricane Sandy pushed across New York coast and left a devastating trail behind. There devastation was so great that it caused federal, local, and regional levels to develop plans and strategies for future crisis. An emergency situation on a magnitude as Hurricane Sandy created a collaboration of many emergency services. FEMA, Red Cross, Department of Transportation, and many local agencies were involved with managing the chaos caused by the storm. Collaboration was utilized during the occurrence of the storm and after the storm. Several of the agencies and their involvement will be described.
As the Assistant Administrator of National Preparedness with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (F.E.M.A.) when Super Storm Sandy made landfall on October 29, 2012, in New Jersey it brought with it storm surges of more than 11 feet, killing more than 100 people (including 43 in New York of which 34 occurred in Queens and Staten Island), destroying or damaging thousands of homes, and leaving more than 8 million people without power.
Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in August of 2005. A once vibrant and cultural community was decimated by harsh winds and extreme flooding. The rescue efforts sent to Louisiana were substantial, consisting of now only FEMA but also donated services from other countries as well. Even so thousands of people were displaced from their homes. There are people who refused to leave even after their homes were flooded and their mementos lost to the dirty polluted water. Ten years after the fact the city is still under construction. There are varying degrees of repair from street to street, the tourist area was one of the first few areas to be repaired, and the neighboring residential areas seem to have become of secondary importance. People were forced into homelessness because they could not afford to repair the house they had worked to attain before the hurricane toppled their economy. Still to this day the homeless line the streets, which should seem scary and dangerous, but it does not feel that way. It has become obvious that people need to learn to look beyond their own beliefs to better understand the world as a whole because not everything is how it seems.
The opinion of New Orleans residents regarding how Hurricane Katrina was handled by the government also depends on the resident’s race, class, and gender. Many of the poor urban residents in New Orleans that were the most devastated by Hurricane Katrina were African American (Pardee, 2014). These residents felt that they were forgotten by their government and left to die because they did
In my opinion, the low-and middle-income homeowners affected by Hurricane Sandy should receive subsidized coastal flood insurance so they can continue to live along the shore. People deserve to receive this flood insurance because according to Ed Beeson and Erin O'Neill (2013), before the Hurricane Sandy occurred, The Federal Emergency Management Agency begun to eliminate the allowance for flood insurance, so homeowners will start to pay more for flood insurance. It is not fair to people to increase their amount of premium for the flood insurance. As mentioned in the article, " [homeowners] will face 25 percent rate increases every year until their premiums reflect the full risk of flooding" (Beeson & O'Neill, 2013). Not everyone is able to
Before we discuss disaster management, it is important to briefly sum up the events of the events that began on August 25, 2005 to fully understand the brevity of the situation. Meteorologists began warning inhabitants of the regions that were hit by Katrina on August 23, 2005. By the 28th, evacuations were under way, that day, the National Weather Service predicted that after the storm hit, “most of the [Gulf Coast] area will be uninhabitable for weeks…perhaps longer.” (Spowart, 2015) New Orleans was particularly vulnerable. More than half of the city was built below sea level, and the levees protecting it were built on porous sand. The poorest parts of the city were completely unprepared for a storm surge. Many of these citizens lacked transportation and could not evacuate, and were left to wait out Katrina in their