Natural disasters have always been some of the most challenging issues that might affect the community due to the inability to predict the scope of the issue in a timely manner in order to secure minimum losses. Moreover, unlike purely anthropogenic disasters like wars or industrial hazards that might be prevented or handled at the stage of early genesis, natural disasters are out of reach for a fellow human being. One of the most evident examples of how nature can ruin thousands of lives in a few days is the damage created by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. According to the statistical data, the hurricane resulted in more than two hundred deaths and billions of dollars of damage (Meixler, 2017). When considering the scope of the issue in the context of the US, twenty-four states located along the East Coast were affected by the most detrimental and powerful Atlantic hurricane.
The major damage from the hurricane was evident in New York and New Jersey, as the hurricane hit the states before any emergency preparations could have initiated. Thus, the overall preparations to handle the hazardous condition began October 26-28 across the states, whereas the superstorm itself was formed on October 22 (Meixler, 2017). As a result, the emergency action plans were mostly implemented in order to allocate the residents left with no means of survival, as the major damage to the material property had already been irreversible at the moment of rescue group introduction. According to the US residents who were forced to witness the disaster, Hurricane Sandy was one of the most dreadful and brutal natural hazards that the human race could possibly experience during their lifetime, with more incidents to come in the future due to the tendencies of the environment treatment.
Reference
Meixler, M. S. (2017). Assessment of Hurricane Sandy damage and resulting loss in ecosystem services in a coastal-urban setting. Ecosystem Services, 24, 28-46.