Combatting the effects of environmental catastrophes

Sophia Akbar (OHS), Amy Brooks (WHS), Alexandra Abbate (WHS)

Natural disasters carve our world and shape the development of countries globally, exacerbated in this era when the climate crisis is at the forefront of our minds and driving societal change.

Natural disasters such as floods and hurricanes can have devastating impacts ranging from social disruption individually to a country’s economic growth and development for centuries to follow. This series of pictures collected by Adam Chodzko, depict a variety of natural disasters, illustrating how everybody is connected to these catastrophes that plague our modern world.

In an age of genetic modification and robotic engineering, you might think that natural disasters were a problem of the past, however 2012’s Hurricane Sandy proved otherwise. Named as the deadliest, most destructive and strongest hurricane of 2012, Hurricane Sandy inflicted $70 billion worth of damage, accumulating America’s highest costing hurricane on record at the time.

Hurricane Sandy affected multiple countries in the West, including Cuba and Haiti. The storm killed 52 Haitians, flooded much of the country’s south, and displaced over 18,000 families. Up to 400,000 Haitians were still living in camps for those left homeless by the country’s devastating 2010 earthquake at the time. Haiti’s long term political instability at the time made it a highly vulnerable target for the hurricane to strike in - although there is never a good time for a disastrous storm to strike the country, this had a larger impact on it than expected.

Food security remained a concern as the country struggled with the impact of multiple hurricanes and natural disasters hitting it in the space of 3 months, as well as drought. 2 million people were at risk of malnutrition since more than 70% of crops were destroyed in the south of the country. This food insecurity impacted many in Haiti, however it would not be a concern in America due to their contrasting levels of development. Whilst America has the economic resources to import food in times of need, low income developing countries such as Haiti cannot; instead they face life threatening resource scarcity.

The USA was also affected by Hurricane Sandy, experiencing disruptive and devastating effects including flooding, coastal surges and blizzards. Economic disruption was caused as people were unable to work and infrastructure was partially destroyed. However, the Federal government was quick to step in, and invested $787 million for Hurricane Sandy recovery to restore shorelines and encourage local efforts to protect communities from future hazards. Furthermore, the Subway network in New York was up and running within 3 days after being flooded, allowing commuters to regain a sense of normality. More than $2.4 billion in low-interest loans was given to individuals and businesses.

Although it was the same storm, its impact seems to have played out in two different worlds. While reports that electricity was slowly being restored in New York came out, villages in Haiti questioned having electricity to begin with. This stark contrast directly highlights the difference between recovery in possibly two of the most divergent countries in terms of economic development. Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. 80% of residents live in poverty, in contrast to 10.8% in Connecticut, an American state affected by the storm surge in particular. Haiti’s mass destruction from the 2010 earthquake further shows how liable less economically developed countries are to natural disaster impacts. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake, over 500,000 lived in tent cities around Port-au-Prince alone, and refugees were provided with a crucial minimum of food and physical security. In general, AC’s such as the US in this instance, recover from natural disasters efficiently. LIDCs like Haiti are far more reliant on foreign aid, and the impacts are vastly more destructive.

http://www.alliewist.com/Recipe-for-Potable-Water

Simple technologies, such as this ‘Recipe for Potable Water’, can be adopted by LICs who are less able to cope with issues caused by disasters. Typically, environmental catastrophes disrupt and contaminate vital water sources. Bacteria that originates from sewage systems contaminate the water, uncontrollably spreading disease, meaning that victims of these disasters need an immediate solution. As shown in the image, household items and a chunk of asphalt, which have been taken from a location affected by Hurricane Sandy, form a simple desalination device. This DIY technology would have massively benefited the Haitians, as 7500 died from an outbreak of cholera caused by contaminated water. This device would have meant that they could have desalinated seawater in order to drink it. The outer bowl contains salty water that evaporates, condensing on the clingfilm and allowing pure water to form in the central bowl.

This innovative item has the potential to stop waterrelated deaths, and it is inspiring as it uses rubble from disasters of the past to positively influence the future and encourage the survival of those affected by natural disasters. Bibliography:

https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/ blog/2013/10/28/hurricane-sandy-recovery-effortsone-year-later

https://www.aquafinance.com/resource-center/ news-articles/how-3-different-natural-disasters-affectgroundwater-quality/

https://www.livescience.com/40774-hurricane-sandy-simpact-infographic.html

https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2012/11/ hurricane-sandy-the-long-recovery/100405/

https://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/ presscenter/articles/2012/11/02/hurricane-sandykills-around-80-in-the-caribbean-1-8-million-affectedin-haiti.html

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/ americas/01/12/haiti.facts/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/nov/02/ aftermath-hurricane-sandy-haiti-disaster