Recent Storm: Sandy, Essay Example

Super storm Sandy has come and gone, but tell tale signs of her visit are everywhere.

Many houses and other structures have been damaged or destroyed, as have vehicles and power lines.  Water seems to be standing everywhere in New York and New Jersey, which is certainly an impediment in the efforts to restore power; to clean up debris; and to repair or rebuild affected houses and other structures.  However, the most bothersome aspect of the flood waters is the diseases that they can carry.  “In metropolitan areas especially water can also harbor raw sewage, infectious organisms, gasoline, and harmful chemicals” (Welsh, 2012).  Furthermore, “water borne diseases such as cholera and typhoid fever and vector-borne diseases such as

West Nile can increase after a flood´ (ibid.).  Therefore, having a clean water supply for drinking and cooking—and even bathing—is crucial.  With the shortage of bottled water, this is not always possible, so the next best thing is boiling one’s water. Grush (2012) recommends adding one ml of bleach to a gallon of water. Also important is to stay away from flood areas wherever and whenever possible.  If one is in contact with stagnant flood water, as many people are when they clean up their premises, a hand disinfectant should be used before touching food.

Overwhelmed treatment plants can spill untreated sewage into waterways, which can “introduce bacteria, viruses, and parasites causing a variety of ailments” (Stone and Shyr, 2012).  Since vibrio infectious can enter the body through open cuts, these should be covered up if possible.  E  coli, which is in people’s lower intestine to aid digestion if ingested into the stomach can cause gastroenteritis, a most unpleasant and even dangerous illness.  The occurrence of diseases can be greatly minimized with a timely cleanup.  (ibid.).  Boyle (2012) says that the faeces and urine of rats escaping the NY floods to higher ground can spread hantavirus.

References

Boyle, L.  (30 October 2012).  Manhattan in darkness, 14 ft flooding and infrastructure grinds to a halt…and now come the rats.  Mail Online.  Retrieved on November 04, 2012, from http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2225132/SL.

Grush, L. (November 01, 2012).  Flood waters from Sandy pose risk of water supply contaminates.  Fox News.  Retrieved on November 04, 2012, from http://www.com/health/2012/11/01/flood.

Stone, D. And Shyr (October 30, 2012).  How super storm Sandy’s floods can make you sick.  National Geographic News.  Retrieved on November 04, 2012, from http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/10/.

Welsh, J.  (October 31, 2012).  The real problem with standing flood waters disease. Retrieved on November 04, 2012, from http://www.businessinsider.com/the-real-problems.