Hurricane Relief Essay Sample

New Orleans is a city known for its fondness to attract hurricanes due to its geographical area. The result is millions of dollars worth of damages that have succumbed to the city for many years. There is always a major concern into providing the city with preventative measures and safety guidelines to ensure that citizens do not sustain more damage than they have to and also minimize the number of deaths. Hurricanes are very dangerous and destructive forces in nature that usually exist due to long processes involving the wind, vapor, and heat. The result of this process builds up a massive storm that frequently hits major coastal areas and causes floods from the large amounts of rainfall. When the state department called for a storm emergency, ahead of Hurricane Katrina, I was left with two choices whether to stay or to leave the city. This is a choice that could be the difference between survival and death. Whichever choice I had to make I knew I had to have a plan. This essay will explore the choice that I made and how to go about the process to ensure that I survive the storm in one piece. Background knowledge of the hurricane and safety procedures will also be included in the paper.

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Safety and precaution are what I had running through my mind and I needed to ensure that I was able to survive the impending doom. Hurricanes have been known to swoop in at a very fast rate and there is usually no time to spare in such a situation and every minute counts. Choosing to leave the city would be a good start, but there is always a risk of getting caught in traffic as most people may also decide to leave. This would make the situation even more difficult because getting caught by the storm in traffic would mean that I would get trapped and it could turn fatal. The best thing is to seek shelter in the city and get in contact with family and friends. The risk of death in hurricane-prone location is increased when people remain in unsafe locations when the storm hits.

The first step was deciding what to do and I decided to stay in the city. I would have to seek shelter in a government-designated safe area where people are converging to ensure that I will have a lot of help from a large group of people. The next step is to get supplies from the supply store, which would help in the time of the hurricane. Supplies help minimize the risk of going through the tough time without any outside relief and would buy me time. Supplies in the form of torches, first aid kits, analog radios, water, food, and life jackets are basic but necessary for riding out the storm.

When I purchased these supplies, I headed down to the shelter and texted all my family and friends to let them know where I was and that I was okay. I had to get my friends with me to ensure that I had people I can trust around me. It can also be an emotional and psychologically demanding time and I needed people that I could be comfortable around. This step involves a proper execution since most of the time there is usually a power outage so it is good to text friends and family in advance and try to avoid calling as that would drain the battery and would consume much time.

The third step was to get as much information about the storm as possible to ensure that I have full information. Information is power and when one is informed it is possible to make better decisions that would save my life and the lives of others. Following the emergency relief workers, instructions are also important in the step of dealing with the hurricane. Especially the category 5 hurricane, which is very dangerous and comes with increased risk of fatalities due to its strong winds, and flooding. There was always the risk of the levees breaking. The shelter had to be on high ground to ensure that floods could not reach it.

The next step is collaborating with other people and the emergency relief workers, which is critical in managing the situation. I played my part in volunteering and prepared the shelter for the strong winds together with the other occupants of the shelter. We had to barricade all the windows and ensure all pathways were clear for the people coming in or out. It was also essential to have a place to sleep and keep my supplies because at that time people will look to take advantage of other peoples supplies. It is important to remember to protect supplies and the supplies of friends and family to avoid being stuck with no proper tools for survival. This is true especially for food and water, which are usually among the first to run out when in a hurricane.