Hurricanes and Their Impacts
Hurricanes have recently ravaged the western hemisphere, causing untold devastation to those who live there. They include, but are not limited to, the loss of life and property damage. As a result, it is critical that people become aware of the precautions that should be taken to avoid hurricane-related damage, particularly when one is imminent. The following is a discussion of the preparations that institutions, homes, and workplaces make in the event of a severe storm. In this regard, Nassau Community College, workplaces throughout Nassau, and the majority of homes have safety features, measures, and activities in place to prepare for severe storms, particularly hurricanes.
Nassau Community College
There are various ways in which the Community College prepares for the heavy storm. Firstly, the college has several Televisions and Radio sets in many of its departments that may assist in informing the institution with information regarding the happenings of the storm or any further direction that may be specified (Labib, Ashraf, and Martin, 7870). In addition to that, the college reserves the right to alert the staff or students on the hurricane development, or close the institution upon the National Weather Service alert of an impending one. The measure is intended to relieve staff and students of their duties or activities in school, thus, allow them enough time to concentrate on safety, either at home or within the institution.
Moreover, the College has listed various activities that have to be carried out should they get information of a hurricane watch. Firstly, the College can suspend activities that it deems unnecessary and begin securing all vulnerable and identified areas so that the storm does not make a lot of disruption on students. Secondly, the college has made it a norm that, in case there a hurricane watch announcement, they have to ensure vehicles and generators have enough fuel, as they can be in use during the heavy storm (Lazo, 1840). Additionally, the college evaluates trees for trimming to avoid branches from damaging properties. On the other hand, the college also issues warning of the same. In doing so, the institution turns off all delicate equipment and places them in a safe place. Another way to relay warning is through altering closing dates, and this can be communicated to voicemail messages.
Homes
Hurricanes are usually disruptive and tend to cause damages, as such, most homes prepare for the storm in many ways. Firstly, there has to be non-perishable food that can sustain people for at least three days. Since food is a basic need, hurricanes can make it difficult for purchasing the same. Having plenty of food in place will help sustain people indoors. In addition to that, most homes have first aid kits for use in case the storm injures people (Rosenzweig, Cynthia, and William, 341). Television sets and other devices for relaying information are commonly available in most homes to make sure that people receive updates regarding the hurricane, especially, from the National Weather Service.
On the other hand, as hurricanes prefer coastal regions, there are measures that dwellers on those regions have taken as far as preparedness is concerned (Lazo, 1840). Firstly, people have to stay indoors during the hurricane period to avoid injuries. Another place that must be avoided is close to window or doors. In fact, door and window must be closed to avoid the effect of the storm. In addition to that, it is advisable for a person not to either swim or walk on floodwater. Additionally, driving through the same water is not recommended, for the water may seem shallow but has the potential to knock someone over. Another risky place as far as hurricanes are concerned includes but are not limited to riverbanks, beaches, and areas subject to flooding. Also, floodwater has another problem apart from sweeping a person over, in that, the water may be contaminated or contain harmful animals or insects (Rosenzweig, Cynthia, and William, 399). Lastly, most homes are aware of safe routes that may be taken should the situation get worse, and emergency shelter that exists within the area.
Workplace
Hurricanes are feared not only at homes and colleges near coastal regions but also in the workplace, especially, the ones that are operating near the coastline. Therefore, certain features have been put in place to ensure workers feel safe or that, the place is well prepared for hurricanes. Firstly, there is corporation between business organizations and institutions with the government emergency team in responding to search cases (Kunreuther et al., 344). In addition to that, managers and heads of departments adhere to the recommendations set forth by the government on the preparedness for hurricanes. Some of these include but are not limited to informing workers of an impending heavy storm so that they remain extra vigilant on observing safety measures.
Additionally, almost all workplaces have television sets designated on most departments to relay information. The devices serve as safety features in that, in case of hurricanes storm the place, the workers would be in a better position to receive updates on what is happening on the outside. Moreover, most workplaces have evacuation protocols and safety areas where the heavy storm might not be able to cause significant damage. As such, workers and other vulnerable devices can take shelter in this safety rooms during the heavy storm. On the other hand, taking note of the damage that hurricane can cause, most buildings have embraced modern engineering design that can withstand not only hurricanes but also earthquakes (Kunreuther et al., 340). The design serves as one of the best safety feature put in place to offer protection on workers against the dangers posed by hurricanes. Therefore, the feature acts as one of the best preparedness methods. Lastly, workplaces on the coastline have the policy to conduct evacuation drill for new employees in preparedness for hurricanes. The aim of this is to ensure that staffs are well prepared for measures taken in response to hurricanes.
Conclusion
Therefore, as evident in the discussion above, most people and institutions have taken major steps in preparing for hurricanes. One of these major steps involves avoiding risky places as far as hurricanes are concerned. The risky places include but are not limited to staying outside during the heavy storm, swimming and working on flooded areas. As far as Nassau Community College, homes and workplaces are concerned, various preparedness features are put in place in response to the possibility of a hurricane. Some of this safety features include modern building design, putting devices for relaying information and cooperating with the government on responding to hurricanes. These are some of the preparedness features put in place to possibly avoid damages that hurricanes can cause.
Works Cited
Labib, Ashraf, and Martin Read. "A hybrid model for learning from failures: the Hurricane Katrina disaster." Expert Systems with Applications 42.21 (2015): 7869-7881.
Lazo, Jeffrey K., et al. "Factors affecting hurricane evacuation intentions." Risk analysis 35.10 (2015): 1837-1857.
Kunreuther, Howard, Robert Meyer, and Erwann Michel-Kerjan. "Overcoming decision biases to reduce losses from natural catastrophes." Behavioral foundations of policy (2013): 398-413.
Rosenzweig, Cynthia, and William Solecki. "Hurricane Sandy and adaptation pathways in New York: lessons from a first-responder city." Global Environmental Change 28 (2014): 395-408.
