Hurricane Sandy

My name is Digna Colon and I am giving a report on Hurricane Sandy and its devastating impact in NYC. Hurricane Sandy has been categorized as one of the most powerful hurricane that has hit NYC. Many people states that Sandy can not be compared to Irene, which did not create as much damages as Sandy has; not only within NYC but also all over the state of New Jersey and the whole North East Coast of the United States. As a result the city has to deal with the physical and financial damages of such natural disaster. Mayor Bloomberg described Sandy as a” Mega Storm which has destroyed the city” because of the huge aftermath. He is already having discussions about reconstructing the city to bring everything to its normal state as soon as possible. Many people lost electrical power and there is major flooding all over the affected areas. I saw in the news many properties that were destroyed by hurricane Sandy including houses, cars and trees that were moved from its ground areas to the streets and highways. What really impacted me were the many people that needed to be evacuated from the flooded zones including the elderly who also lost everything they had. Some Medias are complaining about the lack of diligence from some hospitals such as NYU Medical Center whose emergency generators were out of services and that caused for hundreds of patients to be transferred out. I was also able to witness the incident of the Crane collapse in Midtown Manhattan on 57^th Street and 7^th Avenue. This incident created another major emergency in this area since the strong winds were hitting the city at a speed of 92 mph to 115 mph at that moment. As of right now, many people had to be evacuated from 57^th Street due to the fear of the crane falling on top of the near buildings. City officials reported that as part of the safety protocol during hurricanes, cyclones or major storms, all construction sites MUST secure their work equipment including the cranes. It really amazed me how connected all these information is to my ENG 101 class.  I think that every past and current issues brought up in class about climate change were also brought up now during Hurricane Sandy.  For example, many schools were used as emergency evacuation shelters, but in reality many will not be able to return to their homes as many homes were destroyed completely. Our main source of transportation, the MTA is completely out of service due to the flooding until further notice. If I was Mayor Bloomberg, I will continue doing exactly what he is doing right now, following up and connecting with all city officials and the public. As the Mayor, I will also use this opportunity to create awareness and show the city the struggles that climate change is bringing upon us. It is also important for people to listen and take every order seriously. In addition, I would have also required that all NYC hospitals to have mandatory inspections of all emergency electrical equipment such as the generators. “My Sandy Experience” allowed me to understand the connection of my first assignment in depth. I can truly see so many things from a different point of view now since I was able to experience Sandy from a very close angle.  It was surprising to see that after so many learning experiences such as Hurricane Katrina, Irene, The Black Out and now Sandy the city is still not fully ready to respond during a major natural disaster. Finally, Sandy made me revive some scenarios from Zeitoun’s experience during Hurricane Katrina and it really overwhelmed me. The images of Hurricane Katrina came to life during Sandy as I was watching the destruction it created in many parts of the city and all over the affected states.  As we already know Zeitoun, decided to stay in the city of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina refusing a major order of evacuation.  The story tells is how he wanted to watch over his work site and economic wealth being. Just like Zeitoun, many people in NYC were told to evacuate their homes mainly due to the flooding threats. Many risked their lives and stated in the A zones taking for granted the warning of the danger of the Hurricane. Many people also refused to evacuate because last year the city also ordered to evacuate for Irene and nothing happened to their homes. However, about 16-18 people were officially declared to have lost their lives during Sandy just within NYC, and many of the victims were found within the areas that were ordered to evacuate.

Blog # 4

The Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina

In August 29, 2005 Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, covering an 86% of the city and leaving it devastated. Based on the video Drive through the Lower 9^th, the Lower Night Ward region suffered the worst damages of flooding. With a population of 14,008 and 98.3% of them African Americans and house owners of a 59% this region had ended upside down. Houses and trees were moved from their ground and the flooding level reached up to 17 feet covering entire houses. To give us an example of the flooding magnitude caused by Hurricane Katrina on this region the film compared the flooded areas with the size of seven times of Manhattan. Many people couldn’t leave the city because of their low income situation. Some weren’t economically ready so they didn’t have another option than stay behind risking their lives; compere to those that were able to leave the city. A victim from the Drive commented that “Hurricane Katrina didn’t cause all the destruction, but the government since they are helping people from other countries and doing anything for the people of The Lower Ninth Ward”. In other words, the government forgot about them (Drive through the Lower 9^th).  A good example of this statement is also found in the book of Zeitoun by Dave Eggers.  Zeitoun was one of the many, whose decision was to stay in the city because he wanted to look after his worksite and because he was concerned of his wealth being. However, he also ended up rescuing people in his canoe. He rescued people that were struggling, from elderly to pets that were left aside by the government (Eggers 110). In the article,” 6 years After Katrina, Lower 9^th Ward Still Bleak” by Cain Burdeau, he clearly describes how the Lower 9^th Ward has been abandoned by the government. He also makes a comparison of the neighborhood with a” ghost town” completely abandoned. The grass has growth taller just like people’s houses are still in bad conditions and the streets are empty.

Bibliography

Drive through the Lower 9^th (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubbjgLDKGyk).  The book of Zeitoun, by Dave Eggers

Blackvoices article, “6 years After Katrina, Lower 9^th Ward Still Bleak” by Cain Burdeau (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/08/28/6-years-after-katrina-low_n_939782.html)

In-Class Zeitoun

Zeitoun's decision was to stay in New Orleans to look after his possessions and job site, although Kathy wanted him to go with them he felt the necessity to stay and face the storm. As he remained in the city and the storm was making straggle, he helped people that stayed behind and were unable to get any help during the flood. Since conditions were worsen he maintained contact with Kathy while she insisted that he should leave the city by saying "please leave" (Eggers 89). She felt that she needed to warned him, since the media was reporting that the city was getting into a "third-world"  state meaning that there were not help available Zeitoun felt that he was being needed in the city. He felt satisfaction helping others in he canoe " the canoe was good,the silence was crucial" to save the woman who was flooding and stuck inside her home and to help the elderly couple that were struggling in a wheelchair and to feed the dogs that were left behind. Zeitoun couldn't tell to Kathy, but he was certain that he made the right decision and that he was there for a reason and that was God's will.

In Class Blog

What have we learned about Zeitoun and Kathy from the book so far, and how do you think their personalities affected their decisions as Hurricane Katrina approached?

 I have learned a variety of things from Zeituon and Kathy so far. Zeituon and Kathy are the main character of the nonfiction book by Dave Eggers. Zeituon and Kathy are a marriage with four children Zachary (Kathy’s son from her first marriage), Nademah, Aisha and Safiya. Living in New Orleans and as a storm Katrina is heading into the city, both decided to make different decisions on whether or not they should leave the city. Zeitoun a hardworking man and dedicated to his business and his family economic wealth being. He is also known as a responsible man who cares a lot about his reputation when it comes to his work. I can almost describe him as a workaholic person. Kathy is a serious woman and caring mother who cares a lot for her family as much as Zeitoun did for his job. Kathy is also a decision maker, and she did not need Zeitoun’s full support; she was brave enough to make family decisions on her own. Although their personalities were a little bit different they were able to manage each other very well. Zeitoun was a romantic man and Kathy loves this. They were a happy marriage and got along very well personally and professionally.

When Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco of New Orleans ordered a voluntary evacuation, Kathy determined to leave the city to protect her children and to protect herself (Eggers 51). She wanted Zeitoun to go with them, but he refused to leave the city because he wanted to secure his job site (Eggers 53). Kathy tried to convince Zeitoun by all means, but he was a stubborn man and Kathy couldn’t do anything against it. Kathy went to her family house in Baton Rouge, leaving her husband in the city. Although Zeitoun’s decision to stay in the city was based mainly for his possessions, he ended up rescuing and helping many people and pets which he did not imagine he would do.

Summary

Zeitoun (55-62)

 This passage talks about different situations that were taking place in New Orleans at the same time. On the one hand, while the city was turning into a mess and although there was an official announcement for people to leave the city, Zeitoun refused to leave. Rather he stayed looking after his job site and the neighbor’s houses. On the other hand, Kathy and the kids were heading to Baton Rouge where her family lives. Kathy took the announcement very seriously, since it was rare that the city made it official. Kathy was looking forward to put the kids and herself in a safe place. She was so overwhelmed and tired by the huge traffic that she took the wrong route making her trip longer than it was supposed to be. The most important thing is this passage, besides the right decision that Kathy made of evacuating the city was when Kathy went to the MDV to get her driver license. Because of Kathy’s religion she wore a “hijab” (a scarf to cover her hair). When Kathy sat down to take the picture, the lady at the MDV told her to “take that thing off” (Eggers 58) which Kathy’s mother reacted to by saying “you can’t make her take it off, It’s her constitutional right” (Eggers 58). Kathy tried putting some humor to this shameful moment that everybody was witnessing asking her mother for a brush so her hair didn’t come out messy, but what’s really count is that she took her picture wearing her scarf.  I think this is very important because even though Kathy’s family didn’t seems to agreed when Kathy converted into a Muslim, this situation showed that her mother did not wanted any one to abused her daughter. This also showed that Kathy was being discriminated by the lady at the MDV, probably because Kathy was Muslin. No one deserves to be discriminated in any possible way. I believe is important for all people to learn to fight for their rights just as Kathy’s mother did for her daughter.