October Issue

NEWS 7
Hurricanes Harvey and Irma:
Emergency and Relief Efforts
Khyrsten Mieras,
Contributor
On August 25, Hurricane Harvey became
the first major hurricane to take landfall in the
United States since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
After days of flooding, damage and destruction
to a large number of homes and businesses,
especially in Texas and Louisiana, Hurricane
Harvey has resulted in serious devastation.
Hurricane Harvey was closely followed by
the devastation of Hurricane Irma, one of the
most powerful Atlantic storms ever recorded,
in Florida and the Caribbean. Both hurricanes
were later downgraded to tropical storms.
The hurricanes have caused at least 85 deaths,
the evacuation of thousands of people, and
billions of dollars in repair costs. Texas and the
general Southeastern region will require an
extensive amount of rebuilding and recovery for
the hurricane victims. Hurricanes Harvey and
Irma have triggered serious debates regarding
how to handle emergency and relief efforts,
in which the US, the Caribbean, Canada, and
other countries were involved.
Natural disasters like hurricanes and tropical
storms are a sensitive issue due to the negative
perception of how previous disasters were
handled. During Hurricane Katrina in New
Orleans, former president, George W. Bush
and the US federal government did not respond
adequately; they were largely unprepared and
uninvolved in rebuilding the affected areas.
Several key changes have improved the
American response to hurricanes since then.
The recent storms were less deadly and have
caused less than expected infrastructural
damage. The federal and state governments
have also stepped up to help provide aid and
recovery for communities.
There were also quicker military rescue efforts,
as most of the paperwork was already approved.
Responders now have more training and better
planning, while emergency supplies were ready
to go. Now federal responders are learning how
to deal with more frequent and extreme types of
weather more efficiently.
“What we learned in Katrina can be seen
directly in Houston. At every level the response
is more robust,” said William Lokey, who served
as the Federal Emergency Management
Agency’s coordinating officer for the response
to Hurricane Katrina.
The Caribbean islands, specifically Cuba, the
British and US Virgin Islands, Anguilla, St.
Maarten, Puerto Rico and Barbuda, also seem
to have improved their hurricane responses.
While many faced major flooding and damage,
they have become better at providing shelter
and limiting the death rate.
Furthermore, many international governments
and initiatives are helping with the hurricane
recovery. The United Kingdom, France and the
Netherlands have sent troops and aid packages
to the Caribbean. Organizations like the Red
Cross and UNICEF are also providing aid.
Another example of an organization that
is lending a helping hand is ‘One America
Appeal’; announced by five former presidents,
it is a campaign to help victims recover from
the effects of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
Participating presidents are Texas natives
George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush as
well as Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Jimmy
Carter. President Donald Trump later tweeted
his support for this effort.
In a press release, the campaign said, “One
hundred percent of funds donated to the Florida
Disaster Fund will go toward disaster-related
response and recovery because the fund has
no overhead costs.”
Canada has also offered assistance with the
hurricane emergency and relief efforts. In a
press briefing, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
said, “Canada and Canadians will always
stand ready to assist in this time of need for our
neighbours in the south.”
Trudeau added that, “Canada is engaged with
and in close contact with the Caribbean disaster
emergency management agency to determine
the needs and to co-ordinate potential
assistance as requested.”
In response to requests for assistance from
Florida utilities, Toronto hydro crews will join
in helping with Florida’s recovery. There are
widespread hydro problems and millions of
Florida homes and businesses remain without
power. Reciprocal agreements have been
made with North American utilities to provide
help during major power outages.
Jady Liang, a second-year human biology and
environmental science student says, “I agree
with the Canadian government on sending
help to the US government because it serves
as a good practice in case a similar situation
happens in Canada. I feel that it strengthens
our relationship with the US and that we can
get help if we encounter a similar situation in the
future. Through this, our response group has
the opportunity to learn new ways to respond,
reflect and improve where needed. It’s a great
way of sharing knowledge. Canadians are very
compassionate, and I think they did a good job.”
www. the-underground.ca OCTOBER 2017
VOLUME 37, ISSUE 02