Hurricanes can not only be severe but they may result in loss of property as well as life. They start out as normal storms and escalate quite fast due to the velocity of the wind to form Hurricanes. In such cases, the loss suffered is sometimes immeasurable.
The good thing about being human is that we are intelligent beings who are very capable of making quick decisions to mitigate the challenges we go through in life. People have devised ways to counter the effects of hurricanes. They have also developed mechanisms to survive through the storms. Even though some people die in the storms, the numbers continue to decrease as people continue to learn about the hurricanes and how to best protect themselves through them.
Despite the very many ways that people have tried to mitigate loss, there are some forces beyond our control. There are simply things that people find they have lost after the storm even though they cannot comprehend how they lost them. There is a direct comparison between the needs that we need to meet in order to survive and the things that Mother Nature takes from us during the hurricanes.
When disaster strikes, the only things people fixate on are the bare essentials of survival and in most cases, these are the things that are so scarce that they sometimes cause people to die; not during the storm but after it. Some of the things that simply disappear after a hurricane are:
- Fire
People need to keep warm after a storm because exposure to cold makes them develop diseases. Human beings can die due to extreme conditions be it cold or heat. Cold, however, is a more common source of death.
Hurricanes lead to loss of roads which stops fuel from reaching the victims of the hurricane. Without fuel, they are not able to make fires and keep warm.
- Shelter
Hurricanes in most cases surprise the people who suffer them despite the fact that hurricane seasons are quite precise in terms of the dates they occur. The people are completely unprepared for what comes after the hurricane. Most houses are destroyed during the storm and people are left homeless. After the storm, the materials used to make new shelters or to repair the existing ones disappear. The limited access to the areas affected as well as the demand for the materials means that many people are left homeless.
- Water
After a hurricane clean water and sanitation are the most affected resources. The return flow of the dirty water and the poisonous mixture of clean water and dirty water which flows into homes is a real catastrophe. In the absence of proper water storage areas those who survive the hurricane do not have access to clean water for use. They may rely on the charities that come to their aid for drinking water and even this may not be enough for all the survivors. In these cases, people take the dirty water and hope that it won’t harm them. Sometimes the taps in your house still produce water but it is not safe to assume that the water is clean.
- Food
Regardless of if the people in the area were evacuated from their homes or not, the storms have a habit of cleaning out the shelves of everything that was on them before. It is quite important to keep a supply of food that can last you for several days in your emergency go-bag. The availability of food is not a guarantee irrespective of whether well-wishers are already on the scene or not. It is very important for everyone to store up some food for the future because after a hurricane the future is very uncertain. The food stores are also closed because everyone is trying to survive. The food in the store could also be damaged in the storm which means that there is a drastic shortage of food.
- Disinfectant
People need to disinfect the water they drink and use. Sometimes, even after the state disinfects the water, it is not completely clean and people disinfect their own water again. After a flood, there are no two ways about it; the water needs to be disinfected before it can be used for anything. Bleach is what people use to disinfect their water so that it becomes free of waterborne diseases. In the event of a hurricane, the stores where bleach is normally readily available are shut down. This means that there is no access to bleach. Bleach not only disinfects your water, it also sanitizes your surrounding and helps you get rid of the parasites in the stagnant water that forms after the hurricane.
- Social segregation
In the areas where the hurricanes occur, there are very many cultures and people of different skin color. There are those that are super rich and those that are very poor. The baffling thing about crisis is that it unites the victims regardless of where they are from and what they have. Hurricanes have a way of making people forget where they are from and the color of their skin. People forget to be racists and join together just to survive the storm. Enmity disappears in the event of a hurricane and people together, smile together and work together to get through the difficult times.
