Stephanie Rivera Kay Slaughter Sharing the Atlantic November 19, 2012 The Necessary Plan for Inevitable

Events Storm surges are a common threat to coastal communities all over the world. Hurricanes, however, are a phenomenon found only in the Atlantic Ocean. With climate change and sea level rise, coastal communities are a threat. With the possibility that climate change could contribute to storms, these communities are in danger more than ever before. However, the main concern is not climate change and fierce storms, but lack of governmental plan to prepare for these inevitable events. Hurricane Katrina was a devastating, Category Five storm. It was born in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of the Bahamas on August 23, 2005 and struck the south coast of Louisiana and Mississippi six days later. When it made landfall, it was only a Category Three storm, but nearly two thousand people died and damage to property was in the billions of dollars, making it the costliest natural disaster in American history. The 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was especially ferocious with two more storms after Katrina that were much stronger and record breaking. The 2004 season had been alarming, too, as four massive storms had hit Florida that summer causing $45 billion in damage (Winchester). Hurricanes are a phenomenon that only occur in the Atlantic Ocean. Hurricanes gain their force from the warmth of the water over which they pass. One of the reasons Katrina became so vicious was because it went over a current from the Gulf Stream that had unusually warmer water than normal. This provided the additional force needed to transform the relatively mild Katrina to a Category Five hurricane. The questions that have been looming since these titanic hurricanes of 2004 and 2005 are whether ocean warming is making hurricanes more numerous,

whether it is making them individually stronger and more lethal, and whether perhaps it is making them both (Winchester 421-422). If global warming and the warming of seawater is mankinds fault, and warm water makes hurricanes more ferocious, is it possible that human activity can cause these detrimental hurricanes? (Winchester) It would be easy to assume a correlation between the rising sea temperatures, warmer water, and fiercer, more frequent hurricanes. However, it is not that scientifically simple, and the correlation is far from proven. Scientific research has not determined conclusively the validity of a definite trend. The one certainty is that the damage from these Atlantic storms is not a result of a natural disaster but the natural desire to settle near the coast. The outrageous casualties and costs are because more people, more expensive buildings, and overall more inhabitation are occurring where the storms are likely to strike (Winchester). Hurricane Katrina was undoubtedly one of the most tragic events in United States history. Thousands of citizens were not able to evacuate the flooded city, and even those who evacuated went days without food, water, power, and shelter. However, it was not the hurricane that did the damage. The natural disaster only turned catastrophic because there was an extreme lack of preparation, communication, and leadership that was necessary to help the thousands of citizens of the coastal communities. Hurricane Katrina was a massive failure of public policy because local and state officials failed to plan, the United States military proved to be ineffective and waited too long, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacked effective leadership (The Storm). During the event of the hurricane, the National Guard in New Orleans was to no avail because the headquarters was located below sea level, therefore flooding. Communication was also weak making the soldiers victims themselves. When the mayor of New Orleans had not fulfilled

his duty of successfully preparing for a storm of that intensity, the governor was looked to for help; he in turn looked to FEMA. Unfortunately FEMA, which had recently been downgraded to a section of the Department of Homeland Security and was newly directed by a political appointee, was unsure of what was being asked of them (The Storm). If the mayor and the governor had made a detailed plan of what was needed in a natural disaster, and FEMA had had adequate leadership and preparation, then a proper course of action could have been executed. However, without any preparation or policies regarding responsibilities during a crisis, there was utter disorganization and confusion. Hurricane Katrina should be remembered as a man-made catastrophe caused by lack of US preparatory measures rather than a natural disaster. Despite a definite correlation, climate change, sea level rise, and storm surges will continue to prove their force on coastal communities. Therefore it is important that all coastal countries fully prepare for events like Hurricane Katrina. When it comes to sea level rise, the North Atlantic will be hit the hardest, leaving countries like the Netherlands in disarray. With a quarter of the country below sea level, the Netherlands is dependent on protection against floods. Since the 1920s, there has been reclamation and the construction of dykes, dams, and flood control measures. The protection of the reclaimed lands, known as polders, is so crucial to the nations existence that a model of politics has been created to recognize it. The Polder Model is the notion that no matter how profoundly you might differ on other issues, if anything threatens the polders all Dutchmen know that arguments cease, as the integrity of the polders comes first (Winchester 413). Catastrophic storms not only threaten the Netherlands future, but are a huge part of history; people remember the dates of storms as much as they remember other significant events such as wars (Winchester).

London will be greatly affected by rising sea levels but has not planned defenses like the Netherlands. In the event of a storm surge, its estuary towns would all be washed away, the underground railway system would be flooded, and there would be great concern for nearby atomic power stations situated by the sea that rely on water for cooling. The only defense London has is the Thames Barrier, built in the 1970s and designed to hold back storm surges, which may not stand up to the rising of sea levels. The barrier was built at a time when the rate of sea level rise was not considered to be a threat. However, now water at the rivers mouth has the potential to rapidly rise. It is possible that a new barrier may be built, but it is unlikely that the city can afford this costly construction (Winchester). New York has defense lines similar to London. Prior to Hurricane Sandy in October 2012, it was already known that a storm surge coming into New York City could have immense affects on the nearly six hundred miles of shoreline and millions of inhabitants. The subway lines could easily become flooded; fourteen million gallons of seepage from the tracks and tunnels were already being removed everyday. The telecommunications cables and fiber optic lines are also run beneath the surface and are essential to the financial industries. Throughout the city and the surrounding areas there are plans to strengthen the docks and anchorages, re-evaluate emergency evacuation plans, and build two huge flood barriers - one a few hundred yards from the Verazano Bridge and the other across the entrance to the Arthur Kill (between Staten Island and New Jersey). However, all of this was predicted before the most recent disaster, Hurricane Sandy, made its powerful, destructive sweep through the city and the tri-state area (Winchester). Hurricane Sandy left more than 100 people dead and an immeasurable amount of damage throughout New York and New Jersey. Preparations were made days before the storm, as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo put materials and staff

in place while anticipating the storm. Experts in leadership and disaster response gave the governors high marks for their performance in a huge test of crisis-management. Their leadership and quick action helped keep the death toll down, compared to Hurricane Katrina where lack of leadership and action led to 2,000 deaths (Delli Santi). In 2005, there were around forty construction sites underway in coastal cities around the world, mostly in the Atlantic, in preparation for climate change related effects. All of these preparations, despite their level of advancement, design, and effectiveness, are for when - not if climate change affects happen. Cities more conservative in their outlook are putting up cheaper, simpler defense works. It is crucial to learn from past events like Hurricane Katrina, that, without proper preparation, public policy, and leadership, turned into one of the most catastrophic disasters in the history of the United States. Although the relationship between climate change and hurricane frequency and intensity is undetermined, one thing is for certain; recent Atlantic storms have been catastrophic, deadly, and costly because people have settled where storms are likely to strike in cities where precautionary measures are not sufficient (Winchester).

Works Cited Delli Santi, Angela. Sandy a super test for Bloomberg, Christie, Cuomo. News My Way. 18 Nov 2012. http://apnews.myway.com/article/20121118/DA2KKDJ03.html "The Storm." Frontline . PBS: 22 Nov 2005. Radio. 18 Nov 2012. www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/storm/view/ >. Winchester, Simon. The Atlantic. New York 2005. HarperCollins Publishers. <http:/