by Anna Schlauch
One of the top stories of
2012 was the destructive and devastating Hurricane Sandy. Not a single person
in New Jersey escaped the storm without a personal story to tell, inconvenience
to their life or devastating damage to their home, property or town. Today,
over two months after the storm, the devastating mark Hurricane Sandy left can
still be seen all over the tri-state area. Over the past few years, storms have
not only become more frequent, they have become far more powerful and
destructive. Because of this recent weather trend, the U.S federal government
needs to direct its attention toward disaster response in order to ensure
proper preparation and protection of American lives. There are several things
the government can demand to make sure Americans are properly prepared for
natural disasters and do not suffer tremendous losses. The U.S government needs
to call for mandatory evacuations and demand that people leave their homes as
soon as a devastating storm or natural disaster becomes a possibility. This
way, people cannot refuse to leave their homes, which will ensure their own
safety as well as the safety of rescue workers. In addition, government needs
to demand that those who own a home near the shore have flood insurance. After
Hurricane Sandy, FEMA spent a lot of government money on homes that were not
protected by flood insurance. Mandatory flood insurance for those who own a
home that is at high risk of flooding will save FEMA, as well as tax payers, a
great deal of money. In addition to flooding, one of the biggest problems
Hurricane Sandy brought was power loss. The U.S Government needs to consider
how many families were without power for painfully long periods of time and
improve utility services. If the U.S government privatizes utility services,
instead of leaving them government managed, competition between power companies
will increase as private companies seek to become the most powerful company.
Increased competition between power companies will lead to improved services to
customers, as the companies will become more responsible and quick to act. In
2013, the U.S government needs to analyze recent storm damages and consider
what needs to be done to ensure the safety of Americans in such situations.
