The United States has seen a fair share of natural and human-made disasters over the past decades. Still, Hurricane Wilma left a dark side to the lives of many survivors and all Florida residents in general. Before the disaster, Florida enjoyed a flourishing economy, education, and diverse culture that complemented its geographical location. With a population of over 21 million people, much of the State's culture and way of life has been influenced by the immigrants flocking the area each year (Census.gov, n.d.). A large percentage of the general population speaks English as the first language, with a chuck speaking Spanish, French, and foreign languages. Moreover, being a coastal state, much of Florida's economy comes from tourism and agriculture (McCamy, 2019). In all American States, Florida boasts a high GDP from a diverse socioeconomic viewpoint. However, global warming and unpredictable climate changes are threatening the States’ coastal regions.
Late 2005 saw Florida experience one of the devastating natural disasters, Hurricane Wilma, that destroyed property amounting to millions of dollars. In essence, hurricanes are more common in tropical areas where the seawater is warm. When warm air rises in these warm seas, it is replaced by cold air. The cold air will then warm up and begin to rise. As a result of this cycle, large storm clouds form. Due to the earth's rotation, the storm clouds will also rotate to form an organized system. If the water remains warm enough, the organized system will also continue to spin and grow, forming a hurricane. A key characteristic of a hurricane is the sustained wind with relative speeds. When the speeds increase, its destructive force is immense.
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Hurricane Wilma began off the coast of Jamaica as a tropical depression (Kasper, 2007). The tropical depression would later become among the top catastrophic storms recorded in the Atlantic Basin. Indeed, Hurricane Wilma became very unpredictable as it began to take shape, but its power was unmatched. Over the next days, its intensity rose as it moved towards Jamaica and Central America. While its movement was slow, the storm depression grew in strength and was now classified as a tropical storm. From the southern coast of Jamaica, the storm gathered momentum and started moving northwestward (Kasper, 2007). The wind speeds had increased tremendously within a short span, and the storm was classified as a category 5 hurricane. At this stage, the hurricane was the heist recorded in the region, clocking speeds of up to 170mph.
As the hurricane approached the Mexican coastline, it slightly weakened and made landfall in the surrounding regions with speeds of 150mph (“Hurricanes: Science and society,” n.d.). The Yucatan Peninsula also experienced strong winds and torrential rains. Flooding was a significant issue recorded in the peninsula as residents and tourists became stranded in the affected Mexican towns. Hurricane Wilma significantly impacted Mexico's tourism, an agricultural sector,s with property damages estimated at over $1 billion (Rasmussen, 2006). Strong currents pushed the storm over the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida. The hurricane was now a Category 2 storm with relatively strong winds. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued several cyclone warnings asking residents in southern Florida to evacuate to safer areas. The Florida Keys was also a danger zone for the hurricane, and residents and tourists were requested to evacuate.
A Category 3 hurricane made landfall in several parts of Florida, causing havoc in its path. Several areas experienced flooding and strong winds. However, since the storm was passing quickly across the Florida Peninsula, much of the damage was restricted to infrastructure. Electricity interruptions affected over 6 million people in the region, with services fully regained after two weeks (Holmstrom, n.d.). The flooding shuttered buildings, roads, and farms. Sugarcane and citrus crops were heavily destroyed. Counties of Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, and Broward, for instance, were hit hard by the storm. These areas have also faced similar fate from previous storms. Nevertheless, not much has been done to shield the coastal areas from future disasters. Damage from the hurricane spread further inland, impacting the Florida Keys and Florida's Space Coast (“Hurricanes: Science and society,” n.d.). Deaths from the natural disaster were recorded at 25, despite experts warning that Hurricane Wilma would weaken before hitting the State.
After the wake of Hurricane Wilma, repairs took longer, especially restoring electricity to millions of homes. Businesses had crumbled to a halt due to the damaged infrastructure, and much work was needed to reopen airports and repair windows from buildings impacted by the strong winds. Return to normalcy took more time than anticipated, especially in highly populated regions. People struggled to get hold of basic commodities. For instance, water and gas suddenly became priceless (NBCNews, 2005). Most people had to wait for hours to receive free water and relief items. There was no electricity to operate the fuel pumps, and those shops that had gas experienced a surge in demand. Hurricane Wilma left debris all over the place, making accessibility a challenge.
Years later, Hurricane Wilma's devastating power on Florida cost the State billions of dollars in losses. The agricultural sector and the infrastructure accrued total damage exceeding $20 billion, making it one of the costliest hurricane disasters in U.S history (NBCNews, 2005). Florida's economy took a plunge after the hurricane disaster. Businesses were destroyed, property lost, and there was no money to recover the losses. Emergency repairs had to be done quickly to salvage all that survived. As major economic activities, tourism and agriculture had the most significant share of losses. Culture and education, on the other hand, were not significantly impacted. Regardless, many of the homeowners and business people had challenges reestablishing their premises. Five to ten years later, many people still battle to receive insurance money for their losses. The economy rose at a snail's pace as businesses and schools returned to normalcy.
Indeed, Hurricane Wilma exposed vulnerabilities in Florida's emergency disaster preparedness. Despite being a mid-sized hurricane, Wilma became a lesson that even a small natural disaster can have a devastating impact on people and the economy. Previously, having experienced other hurricanes in the U.S, Florida's emergency departments quickly put measures to safeguard all citizens. Early warning signs were vital to evacuating people out of the danger zones. However, these activities had a significant impact on the economy. After the catastrophe, the infrastructure needed repairs and damages assessed. More policies were enacted to help future disaster preparedness. During the recovery period, Florida's power and lightening company spent a significant amount of money to redesign their power infrastructure.
Hurricane Wilma destroyed much of the natural environment, including thousands of trees that provided shade and replenished the air. After the disaster, part of the recovery process involved planting more trees to replace those swept away by the storm. A new disaster emergency plan was also put in place to ensure that future disasters do not cause much havoc (NBCNews, 2005). For instance, implementing a coordination plan between different distributors and the local government ensures sufficient food and water distribution to all affected people in the event of a catastrophe. The emergency department is keen to provide faster rescue services and supplies to those communities unable to access these items. At the same time, improved communication is in place to foster a faster relay of information between survivors and rescue teams in such situations. The teams are well trained to handle catastrophes and rescue operations of any magnitude.
Despite early preparedness, there is much to be done to prevent further havoc from natural disasters. Hurricane Wilma and other previous natural disasters depict the impact they have had on the socioeconomic status of a country or State. While natural disasters, such as Hurricane Wilma, occur without warning, their impact, the recovery, and reconstruction processes become long-term. Fortunately, the emergency rescue has improved over the years, incorporating newer weather and response technologies and initiatives. However, city planners and policymakers need to rethink the entire disaster preparedness paradigm. One recommendation for preventing the loss of lives and property in future disasters is to reinforce policies related to building buildings. In essence, enforcing the use of strong resistive materials will strengthen buildings' structures and other infrastructures.
Another recommendation is to integrate complex weather systems that predict weather patterns and notify the emergency department on any impending danger. Disaster preparedness involves determining disasters early on then issuing warning signs in advance. Emergency response teams should also have adequate skills for such adverse operations. Communication is vital to emergency rescue and disaster preparedness. As such, city planners should divide the are into manageable zones, ensuring each zone is well stocked with adequate communication infrastructures for a swift response. Lastly, city planners should erect barriers along the coastline to prevent a surge in seawater inland during a cyclone attack. These barriers will reduce the impact of the rushing water, preventing further damage to structures and people.
References
Census.gov. (n.d.). U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Florida . Census Bureau QuickFacts. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/FL
Holmstrom, M. (n.d.). Hurricane Wilma: A case study [PowerPoint slides]. https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2F%2Fhome.sandiego.edu%2F~sgray%2FENVI48507%2Fsp4.ppt
Hurricanes: Science and society: 2005- Hurricane Wilma . (n.d.). Hurricanes: Science and Society. https://www.hurricanescience.org/history/storms/2000s/wilma/
Kasper, K. (2007). Wilma . National Weather Service. https://www.weather.gov/key/wilma
McCamy, F. L. (2019). 13 mind-blowing facts about Florida's economy . markets.businessinsider.com. https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/florida-economy-facts-2019-5-1028214563
NBCNews. (2005). Millions begin recovery in Wilma’s aftermath . msnbc.com. https://www.nbcnews.com/id/9710472/ns/us_news-katrina_the_long_road_back/t/millions-begin-recovery-wilmas-aftermath/#.XyW9p5qSnyE
Rasmussen, T. (2006). 2005 - Hurricane Wilma . sun-sentinel.com. https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/weather/hurricane/sfl-2005-wilma-story.html
