Blog 10: Sandy and Urbanization

Kristin Nicholson

November 4, 2012

 

The recent storm, Sandy, wreaked havoc upon the Eastern United States this past week.  With the proper resources, big United States cities that were involved in the storm, such as New York, were able to respond effectively and in a timely manner. The response time alleviated the possible massive disruption the city could have faced. Cities around the world ponder whether they would be prepared for storms such as Sandy. Asia will see more of these types of storms. Asia’s rapid urbanization and climate change will leave them especially vulnerable catastrophe. The hundreds of millions of urban poor residents are especially at risk. In the future, 60 percent of the world’s population increase will be in Asian cities. According to the article, of the cities that contain the largest numbers of people exposed to the risks of flooding caused by climate change, 5 of the top 10 are Asian. Even though these Asian cities may lack resources to help prepare for storms, there are less expensive ways to handle it. Rapid and accurate information sharing and timely decision making are keys to keeping down the damage that a storm causes. Areas that are densely populated, such as highly urbanized areas, are at risk for more damage from natural disasters. More people and less space make cities more vulnerable to disasters. Ways to keep damages at a minimum would be careful planning. Utilizing escape routes and implementing plans would help in times of storms.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/03/opinion/learning-from-superstorm sandy.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss