Naomi Klein in her early work Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Catastrophic Capitalism puts forward the startling claim: “Reconstruction is now a big business, and investors greet each new catastrophe with the excitement of a whole new offering: $ 30 billion for Iraq reconstruction, $ 13 billion for tsunami reconstruction, And $ 110 billion to the Gulf Coast. “. The commercialization of recovery efforts grew enormously in the minds of the people, especially in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy which caused massive flooding because of climate change caused sea level rise.
However, the government proved that, even before the Sandy landslide occurred, emergency measures had already been implemented. Through the use of conventional mass media such as television and print media, the government and its agencies provided important information to the public. Residents, for example, were advised to evacuate coastal areas and other areas that are expected to be severely affected. Clear guidelines on where to approach emergency assistance were also provided. This was largely because the Federal Facility (SOBAL) National Hurricane Center accurately predicted the locations of its impacts.
https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-in-photos/100395/
In the aftermath of the storm, the state and federal government were heavily involved in relief and reconstruction efforts in the affected areas. The Federal Environmental Management Authority (FEMA) has also released significant funds involved in relief efforts. The immediate problems of providing housing and food to the displaced people were effectively solved. Fears that big business will take over government operations are unfounded. In fact, FEMA has sought help from other federal agencies and local small businesses that have already been awarded tenders for the supply of various emergency goods (“The first audits on the Sandy Hurricane Fund are being issued”. The roads were immediately removed, which allowed the stranded to be easily evacuated.
Lessons from Hurricane Sandy
However, the answer was without major hiccups. The lack of a register of the disabled and the elderly in the New York area greatly hindered the expulsion of the most vulnerable members of the community. The idea is now being seriously considered, with some stakeholders arguing that it is useless for people (Chawkin) to keep moving. This is despite the fact that it has played a key role in rescue efforts in Westchester and Suffolk districts. Also, in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, the New York office responsible for disaster preparation has reduced its staff. Critical subjects, bad or bad, were completely ignored, which is a clear sign that they are bad.
Plans have been put forward to create hurricane barriers to protect the coast from severe damage in subsequent storms (BARI). Klein argues that the wealthy with the potential to cause change are indifferent because they think they can buy themselves out of the crisis posed by climate change, which may have some merit (159). New York and its leaders must seize this opportunity and confront this problem once and for all. Failure to deal with this problem nullifies the steps taken by New York to solve immediate problems. Otherwise, history will judge them very harshly
