Table of Contents
Hurricane Effects
Transport and Logistics in Current
Hurricane Sandy Logistics and Transportation Response
Evacuation
Hurricane Irene took place between August and Sept 2011. It began as an Atlantic tropical wave. It spread due to light wind shears and warm water. Later it gained strength as it entered the interior. Its impacts were particularly felt in New York, North Carolina. New York’s storm surge had a similar effect to the 1972 Hurricane Agnes. Storm surge, flooding and heavy rain caused the majority of the damage. The most critical systems were the power grids, bridges, air transportation, and roads. (Yoon & Raymond, 2012). This pear analyzes the impact of Hurricane Irene and logistics issues.
Hurricane Effects
The effects of Hurricane Irene’s onset were not predicted. The lowland area was more affected by Hurricane Irene than the New York City inland. Shinn (2013) claims that roads were swept by the storms, which made water transport impossible because small boats could not be used to transport water. Some roads and subways were swept and others blocked, making them impassable. Floods caused difficulties for low-land residents, who were often trapped and eventually drowned by the floodwaters. Also, many electrically-dependent operations stopped because of the loss of power lines. The destruction of power lines caused severe damage to the cabbage treatment plants and collection centers. This led to a significant increase in water contamination. Waterborne diseases were in danger. A well-organized team of transport specialists was vital for safety and reducing casualties. Current Logistics and TransportationAssuming that a state of Emergency has been declared in the affected areas and I being the Incident Commander, there is need to formulate an effective emergency response as I await the federal assistance to take over. Buck et.al. (2006). The Incident Commander’s role is to organize and handle all aspects emergency response.
It is essential to assess the situation and determine the best response. A team would be dispatched immediately to assess the situation, and the Incident Commander would communicate back. After that, the Incident Commander will direct a team to assess the situation and then proceed to prepare the team for their response. It is essential to immediately conduct training and to certify the equipment. All resources can be mobilized and assistance sought when needed. This team would need to make sure that emergency boats and transport machinery are available. Choppers could also be added to ensure that people are safely transferred from storm-prone areas. The prepared team (Vasconez) will determine the tactics and procedures that would be used to respond.
Support teams for information management and communication are important to facilitate communications and respond quickly. This team assists in the development of information policies and ensures that personnel are safe when responding to emergencies on the ground. The Command System’s effective coordination ensures that the situation is contained before the federal team arrives. The Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Homeland Security managed the transportation and logistics for Hurricane Irene. To ensure safety for the affected, the two response teams collaborated with state authorities.
Hurricane Sandy Logistics and Transportation Response
Safety of the public is ensured by transportation and logistics. You can predict when hurricanes will occur. The impending dangers of Hurricane Irene or Sandy were already known by federal agencies that deal with emergency response. There are many similarities between logistics and transportation during and after hurricane Irene. These similarities can be attributed to the evacuation notices and the bodies responsible in emergency response and transport of people during hurricanes.
Evacuation
Brown and Parton (2014) report that most New Yorkers did remained in evacuation zones throughout both hurricanes.
Evacuation orders were issued for both Sandy and Irene before they occurred. Before the hurricane made landfall, major transportation sub-ways were due to close. However, most residents didn’t leave and others started to leave. A few people also didn’t realize they were in evacuations zones, those low-lying places.
Transport and logistics are important to consider when planning for an emergency response. (Riesbeck 2010). Good transport plans ensure that people are safely transferred to safe ground during hurricane emergencies. It is essential that both the federal and state governments plan well and coordinate logistics and transport to prepare for emergencies.
