Extra Blog

I am going to discuss the flooding that is taking place in the North Eastern parts of the United States and the public health issues that are related to this event. The majority of public health efforts happen after the disaster has occurred because natural disasters are very hard to prevent, but some measures are taken to prevent them. There were sandbags that were put in place when it was apparent that there would be flooding although the massive amounts of rain that they received was not predicted so there was little preparation and the flooding caused massive amounts of damage. There are entire cars underwater and a large number of houses and businesses that are underwater. This is going to have an enormous impact on the economy of the places the flooding occurred. The majority of the flooding occurred in Rhode Island where there is already a poor economy and the flood will ruin many people’s businesses and boost an already higher-than-average unemployment rate. The amount of rain has broken records and rain in those amounts has never been seen all at one time. The rivers are overflowing and covering cities and making life unsafe for all in its path.

The results of the floods are people not having places to live, unclean water, and sewers overflowing which results in unsanitary conditions. The people who have been exposed to the water are urged to wear long sleeves and wash their hands as often as possible to avoid bacteria and illness from the water. People are also urged not to go in the water because of its contamination. Many of the wells in Rhode Island have been contaminated and drinking water in short supply. This is one of the largest issues because clean drinking water is essential for human survival. Many people have been evacuated dude to loss of living conditions and water has to be conserved because there is a very limited supply until clean water can be guaranteed.

Much of the problem with this disaster is economic, but there are also health problems related to the disaster. The health problems will most likely be minor as they are still emerging, but clean drinking water is currently the most pressing issue. In the aftermath of the floods the economic costs of the flood will be enormous for a place that is already under economic stress. The citizens have been given extra time to pay their bills and extra money is being given to the victims. In my opinion they are doing the right thing by evacuating the people who need to be evacuated because it is dangerous. The best plan is to wait for the water levels to subside and assess the damage and then take actions from that assessment.