The government agencies provide better mitigation plans than local communities. With their budget and plans, they will be able to shield Florida from future devastation. While promoting research and publicizing the detrimental effects of hurricanes, the government can minimize the loss of lives as well as the costs of the damages following the tropical storm strikes.
For the first half of the 20th century, Florida was hit with the hardest blows by hurricanes. Locals started taking more precautions toward this natural phenomenon, but as decades went by, nothing happened and the damages left behind by the last tropical storm dissipated from their minds.
Nature has not disturbed Florida until 1992 when Hurricane Andrew struck.
Before Hurricane Andrew, protection against storms was minimal. The roofers on top of the buildings offered close to no shielding. Buildings could be blown away by strong winds, let alone hurricanes. Evacuations were nearly impossible when a storm stirred up. Florida proved to be one of the most hazard-prone areas, which is why it is extremely crucial for the state implement safety plans to deal with the consequences following natural disasters.
Theres a list of mitigation plans that communities can use to limit the costs dealing with disasters. Hospitals can be built in hazard prone to provide health care for those whose lives are in danger. Businesses should be discouraged from being built in hazardous zones. Certain homes and buildings are limited to minimize damage as much as possible. The public should be
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notified of the dangers of living in their homes if they live in a zone where hurricanes hit frequently.
Hurricane Andrew devastated Floridas economy tremendously in the August of 1992.
The tropical storm cost the United States $25 – $30 billion and gained the title as the most expensive natural disaster in U.S. history. It destroyed nearly 63,000 homes, damaged another 100,000 homes, and left 250,000 people homeless. Much action couldve been done to prevent this.
After the hurricane, the Laboratory for Structural Mitigation ordered that roof sheathing panels must be constructed in every home because it protects homes from the pressure of the winds.
The International Hurricane Research Center also conjured up many disciplines to mitigate the damages. Among the disciplines involve architecture, finance, insurance, and urban planning. Brought to attention, The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) decided to hike up the insurance rate for hazard prone areas because their argument was that people should pay the price of living in high-risk areas. After Hurricane Andrew, much research was done on hurricanes. The research provided information on how to design homes that will best shield the interior. More information was given about development that lead to hurricane loss reduction devices and other techniques to counter the disaster.
One such example is the creation of hurricane traps that will allow homes to maximize losses of property. The Residential Construction Mitigation Program focused their program on educating the public on hurricanes through public education programs,
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continuously researching to develop new mitigation techniques, and to encourage homeowners to better shield their homes. Though all this was done by all different programs, it is not enough to save lives and help lessen the amount of damage done.
The governor has stepped into this issue by creating training seminars for volunteers to prepare for potential future disasters. Governor Jeb Bush has also reinforced the importance of being for a storm by giving the public the access to hurricane information. The public is aware of the damages that hurricanes are capable of causing and acknowledges the routes one can take for ones safety.
They can evacuate or follow building codes.
Its not a matter of intruding privately owned lands; its a matter of safety and protection. Governmental agencies should have the right to regulate the use of privately owned lands in hazard prone areas. It is the governments best interest to limit costs of damages as well as protect the lives of the people. The government has the power to dramatically reduce future hurricane damages. They have the money to fund different kinds of programs.
They have the right to build new buildings that are able to withstand the strength of .
