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.