All hazards, whether natural, technological or war hazards, are able to cause loss of life, property damage, and various secondary effects1. Hurricane Katrina, which devastated New Orleans in 2005, is a recent natural disaster that will be remembered by many as one of the most deadly hurricanes in history6. The sinking of the RMS Titanic, in April 1912, which many believe to have been caused by a collision with an iceberg, was in fact caused by its poor technology3, making it one of the most memorable historical technological disasters to have ever occurred. While these two disasters may seem unsurpassed, they will be analyzed and compared, in order to determine possible similarities and differences that relate to the disasters’ elements of risk. (i) Description of Disasters: Hurricane Katrina is said to have been the most costly and deadliest hurricanes in U.S history, resulting in $81.2 billion dollars in damage and 1836 casualties6.
In 2008-2009 the island was ravaged by hurricanes causing massive destruction to the natural resources and causing strain on the already untrusted government. In 2010 a massive earthquake hit the Haiti killing thousands. The elections that followed did not have a large turn out and the election went to Michel Martelly. According to Time World (2012) Dominican Senator Félix Bautista, who owns or controls construction companies that in the past year have received Haitian government contracts worth more than $200 million and paid Martelly a total of almost $2.6 million during Martelly's presidential campaign and after his landslide victory in Haiti's 2011
She caused billions upon billions of dollars in damage. The city’s lack of preparedness was as large of a culprit as the hurricane itself. If another hurricane strikes, the city will now be more ready. Katrina will definitely go down in the hall of fame for worst storms ever to hit this Earth. Works Cited Bellar, Ashley.
Zephyr Mauibem Mr. Dendi, Mrs. Napai History, English 9 November 2012 Hurricane Katrina Imagine what it would be like if your home, your belongings, even loved ones were gone. This is what Hurricane Katrina was like for citizens in the Gulf of Mexico area. States like Mississippi, Louisiana, Alabama, and Florida were greatly affected. Hurricane Katrina was a turning point in history because it affected natural disaster safety plans. Katrina also caused financial problems, and changed the way people viewed natural disasters.
| Throughout our nation’s history, great disasters have prompted major changes in society—turning points with an undeniable impact on American civilization. In the case of the infamous 1911 New York City fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory, it took the tragic loss of 146 lives to help put fundamental workplace health and safety considerations on the national agenda. The Triangle Factory Fire’s loss of life was fueled by non-existent fire prevention measures, inadequate safety codes, lack of proper firefighting equipment, poorly planned fire escapes, and inaccessible exits. The aftermath of the fire would be the catalyst for three key changes to our industrialized nation: improved fire codes, healthier working conditions for labor workers, and increased factory safety standards. The Triangle Shirtwaist Company made shirtwaist style ladies’ blouses, popularized in an expanding retail market for ‘ready to wear’ clothing.
Homes can be destroyed, lives are lost, and a mix of emotions stir up within the minds of the entire human race. One account of an overwhelmingly awful event is the Lisbon earthquake of 1755. This earthquake both created a chain of fires within Lisbon, along with causing a tsunami to come crashing down in the city. As one of the deadliest earthquakes of all time, it had a great impact on the people of Earth. Upon seeing the remnants of the once great city, Voltaire wrote a poem on the disaster and dedicated a section on it in his famous novella, Candide.
“The 7.0-magnitude earthquake would be a strong, potentially destructive earthquake anywhere, but it is an unusually strong event for Haiti, with even more potential destructive impact because of the weak infrastructure of the impoverished nation” (Thompson, 2010, p.1). There were more than 40
The communication and rhetorical decisions between Five days at Memorial and “Globalism’s Discontents” When challenges are coming and deadly choices need to be made, people always prove who they really are, which can be an ordeal of the basic humanity. As one of the biggest hurricane in the last 100 years, Hurricane Katrina seriously impacted the coast of United States in August 2005; “Katrina caused widespread devastation along the central Gulf Coast states of the US. Cities such as New Orleans, LA, Mobile, AL, and Gulfport, MS bore the brunt of Katrina's force and will need weeks and months of recovery efforts to restore normality” (Waple, ncdc.noaa.gov). During the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, doctors at Memorial Medical Center used the “triage system” to put patients into different levels for evacuation and some of them were euthanized by medical due to the lack of power, medical conditions, and the limitation of rescue. After two-year researching, Sheri Fink published the article “The deadly choices at Memorial” in the New York Times Magazine in 2009.
The 2010 disaster in Haiti showed the power of the socialistic system on a global scale. On January 12 a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw (moment magnitude scale- used to measure the size of earthquakes) struck near Port au Prince, the capital of Haiti. (USGS, 2012) By the January 24th, there was a total count of 52 aftershocks measuring from 4.5 Mw – 6.1 Mw. Haiti reacted with an appeal for humanitarian aid from many aid organizations, the United Nations, and René Préval, the president of Haiti. Many countries responded to the request by launching fund-raising efforts, as well as sending rescue teams.
The United Nations International Secretariat for Disaster Reduction later cites Cuba as a model for hurricane preparation. The Cuban way could easily be applied to other countries with similar economic conditions and even in countries with greater resources that do not manage to protect their population. On Sept.14, 04, Hurricane Ivan gave to the city of New Orleans a warning as to a need to upgrade their present evacuation plan. Hurricane Ivan approaches the Southern Gulf Coast. Residents of New Orleans have been urged to leave the city, but its evacuation routes were so congested, the authorities acknowledge that hundreds of thousands of residents would not get out in time.