The eye of the storm rests on the United States as the last effects of the latest hurricane, Hurricane Michael, move east into the Atlantic Ocean. However, this storm and its earlier companion, Hurricane Florence, have spread a lot of damage throughout Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Virginia, and the clean-up process must begin.

The frequency and power of hurricanes since Hurricane Katrina in 2005 seem to be increasing. Last year, six major hurricanes tore through the Atlantic Ocean and were confirmed to have killed over 450 people in the coastal U.S. and cut off power to Puerto Rico in some areas for over a year. Such climate changes and widespread damages are prompting some residents of hurricane-prone areas to worry about how much preparation, time and money will be needed to rebuild after the storms.

Last year, Hurricane Harvey damaged over 200,000 houses and enacted a weeklong state of emergency in Houston, Texas. According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website, the U.S. government responded by deploying 31,000 members of the National Guard to the affected areas, giving $1.5 billion in funds to those affected by storms and providing temporary living spaces to 24,000 families in Texas. Even with those measures, some Houston neighborhoods remain in ruins—especially low-income neighborhoods, according to The New York Times.

Puerto Rico saw a very different response. Due to a lack of finances and distance from the mainland, Puerto Ricans received a third of the supplies received by Texans after Hurricane Maria. In the year following the storms, an estimated 3,000 people have died either in the storms themselves or after the storms due to medicine shortage, food shortage or loss of electricity.

Stunningly, efforts are still being made to rebuild coastal New Jersey after Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Even with the state government’s Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation program put into effect, some New Jersey locals are still without permanent housing and are rebuilding in 2018, according to nj.com.

Now with Florence and Michael, there are more disparities emerging in relief efforts. President Donald Trump asserted in early September that the government was fully prepared for Florence, and an evacuation of 1.4 million people ensued. However, according to The Guardian, former FEMA administrators worried that precautions at the time of this statement were not enough.

Relief efforts are currently underway and reports from the areas most affected will yield information regarding whether or not the protections currently in place are enough to rebuild after some truly devastating natural disasters.

Expert Corner written by: Donald Beatty, Executive Committee Member of Lend a Hand, Director of Etown Service Trips

Donald Beatty has seen a few unforgettable sights. As a combat veteran of the United States Army, he’s familiar with danger and understands the need for quick, calm action in the face of devastation.

“A disaster area is similar to a combat area, especially directly after the disaster has passed. There are some things you can’t unsee,” Beatty said.

The Fall Service Trip program at Elizabthtown College has travelled to devastated areas for over five years, and the past three have focused on rebuilding and renovating individual homes that were decimated by Hurricane Sandy. With the unprecedented number of Category 3 and stronger hurricanes that have touched down since Sandy, it’s a wonder why volunteer groups still focus on the aftereffects of Sandy. The answer comes down to financial ability.

“The rebuilding is slow going, especially for people who didn’t have a lot of money to begin with when the hurricane hit. Now, they have absolutely no money to rebuild with,” Beatty said.
Beatty has worked with students in a lot of towns in the U.S. on hurricane disaster relief. In Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, and New Jersey, a lot of the people on the front line after disaster strikes are volunteers with nonprofit groups. For example,

Beatty has worked with a group called the St. Bernard Project, which started planning home builds and providing supplies to volunteers shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

“Katrina really brought about the importance of individual volunteers. Those people came from all over the U.S. and brought their manpower when there was a lot of work to do,” Beatty said.

As for government involvement in disaster relief, Beatty has found through his experience that a lot of government funding and responsibility goes toward preparation for damages. In the end, the amount of reconstruction needed in a community is up to how prepared the community is to face the weather.

“That was the problem with Katrina—no one was prepared for how large that storm was. And just like with Matthew and Michael and Florence, FEMA was not prepared for just how large and powerful these storms were going to be,” Beatty said

“So now, it’s up to everyone to pitch in and clean up and it’s important that we teach that to the next generation for the disasters yet to come,” Beatty said.