Hurricane Scenario - Essay Sample

Introduction

The National Hurricane Center has offered a warning that Hurricane Hanna has strengthened into a dangerous Category 4 storm and the metropolitan area is in danger of the potential landfalls as early as Thursday morning. However, the forecasters are not certain if the storm will strengthen or weaken within the next period of days. Therefore, the governor has ordered the evacuation of citizens and tourists from the range of 10 miles of the coast without taking any risks therefore implying that the over a million people are evacuating the metro and coastal regions. The escalation of the hurricane to Category 5 is likely to endanger the lives of many people because several homes and buildings are likely to be damaged or destroyed. Mobile homes may be completely destroyed hence vulnerable and buildings that are unreliable are likely to collapse. Storm surges and rains resulting from the hurricane may cause major damage to lower floors of buildings that are situated up to 15 feet above the sea level within 500 yards of the shoreline.

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Processes of Information Gathering

The information about the occurrence of hurricane Hanna will be collected through various data collection techniques which include monitoring of the conditions of weather and the atmosphere. After the monitoring of the weather conditions, it would be necessary to make appropriate notification to members of the community following an appropriate communication plan. The communication and notification of the residence is then to be followed by the assessment of the potential operational components that are likely to be affected by the occurrence of the hurricane. Finally, it is upon the relevant decision makers do make appropriate decisions on the next course of action following the information that is collected.

Hurricane Scenario Update #1

Hurricane Hanna has made landfalls in the morning as a Category 5 storm hence making a direct impact on the metropolitan area. The city has been struck by 160 mph winds and over 20 inches of rainfall within the last 24 hours. The storm has moved north and there are reports of people who are trapped in collapsed buildings and others stranded by floodwaters despite the ongoing search and rescue operations. Utility companies have reported loss of power for over a million customers and the utility crews are doing the best to restore the power to critical facilities. The state is also working together with federal officials and private organizations to restore communications, transportation, water and other critical infrastructure. The governor made an emergency report that the state is working on how to clear the roads and bypasses so that the residents can get t shelters and safe areas. The mass transit of the region has also summoned the private transportation companies to offer backup as the police departments within the region work to maintain order and protect property. The state is working with organizations such as FEMA, Red Cross and various federal agencies to establish temporary shelters.

Preparation for the Hurricane Scenario

The preparation of the calamitous event would involve the contingency planning based on weather updates and the notification and communications of the residents to evacuate to safety out of the area that is affected by the hurricane. The team will also receive employee notifications and communication from key personnel regarding the protocol for early closure. The next process would involve the accountability for the employees and visitors as well as decision making by the relevant decision makers on the next course of action. Most importantly, is to ensure that there is adequate support to the hospitals to ensure that those who are victims of injury from the disaster receive good care in hospitals.

Hurricane Scenario Update #2

Communities are struggling to recover from the landfalls made by the hurricane Hanna ranging from the coastal region to several mile into the inland. The storm brought about tornadoes which has caused catastrophic flooding throughout the region. The states together with FEMA have established where the residents can get emergency supplies and water and the various points of distribution in the community where supermarkets and food stores are either still closed or damaged. The state has also warned the public that the water supply has been breached by toxic chemicals and sewage from treatment plants therefore the residents should not use the water for drinking, washing or even bathing. The local emergency managers have implemented steps to inform and protect the residents because the hurricane has devastated the communities across the region with more than 1,000 fatalities and 5,000 critical injuries.

Recovery Strategy From the Disaster

The recovery from the disaster would include taking of immediate action and priorities, critical community services, communication with the team members and the community, retrieval of critical businesses as well as the community support.

Hotwash

Inquire from both the observers and the participants to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses as well as priorities of the organization and some of the ideas to make improvements. Some of the suggested prompts include; some of the strengths in the emergency plan of the workplace that the exercise identified, the weaknesses in the workplace emergency plan that the exercise exposed, the unanticipated issues that came up during the exercise, the gaps that were identified, some of the high-priority issues that should be addressed as well as some of new ideas for improvement.

References

UnitV News Report 1 Transcript

UnitV News Report 2 Transcript

UnitV News Report 3 Transcript