Important lesson that you learned from studying Hurricane Katrina
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Hurricane Katrina is still discussed regularly although it occurred in 2005. What is the most important lesson that you learned from studying Hurricane Katrina?
The city of New Orleans and other coastal communities in Katrina’s path remain significantly altered more than a decade after the storm, both physically and culturally. The damage was so extensive that some pundits had argued, controversially, that New Orleans should be permanently abandoned, even as the city vowed to rebuild.
The population of New Orleans fell by more than half in the year after Katrina, according to Data Center Research. As of this writing, the population had grown back to nearly 80 percent of where it was before the hurricane.
Katrina first formed as a tropical depression in Caribbean waters near the Bahamas on August 23, 2005. It officially reached hurricane status two days later, when it passed over southeastern Miami as a Category 1 storm. The tempest blew through Miami at 80 miles per hour, where it uprooted trees and killed two people. Katrina then weakened to a tropical storm, since hurricanes require warm ocean water to sustain speed and strength and begin to weaken over land. However, the storm then crossed back into the Gulf of Mexico, where it quickly regained strength and hurricane status. (Read a detailed timeline of how the storm developed.)
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Disaster Response Plan
While no plan can guarantee that death and damage will not occur, excellent plans implemented by experienced and well-trained individuals may and will reduce losses. The purpose of the Chemtool chemical plant Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) is to identify and respond to incidents by outlining the responsibilities and duties of Chemtool chemical plant, its employees and the locals as well.
The goal of this plan is to offer adequate life safety measures, limit property loss, and safeguard the environment, as well as to reassure and care for the public and ensure the quick restoration of impacted companies and community services. Accidents resulting in the discharge of chemicals or hazardous waste will occur despite staff’s best efforts to operate cautiously in the laboratory.
Disaster Response Plan
Spills in Hazardous Waste Accumulation Areas administered by the Facilities Department are also a possibility.
There are two main types of chemical spills namely the minor and major chemical spills (Manitoba, 2013). The minor spill is one whereby the chemical is known and does not pose a major threat to safety and health. As a result, it has little chance of becoming an emergency. Workers in the local vicinity or Facilities personnel can absorb, neutralize, or otherwise control and clean up the substance (Manitoba, 2013).
Major spills, on the other hand, the chemical is unknown and hence poses a threat as highly toxic or reactive. It poses an immediate and serious threat to one’s health. Outside a fume hood, there is a probability of a fire hazard or an explosion risk, resulting in harm to persons nearby (Manitoba, 2013). The tools and materials needed to effectively contain and clean up the spill are not available, and the response and cleanup are beyond the knowledge and capabilities of workers in the local area or Facilities personnel (Manitoba, 2013).
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Disaster Response Plan
The Chemtool Inc. chemical plant in Rockton manufactures finish greases for the manufacture of automobiles and industrial machines (Chemtool Incorporated, 2020). The firm also creates ecologically friendly and cost-effective functional fluid products. Agriculture, automotive, construction, energy, food, and heavy mobile sectors all benefit from manufactured items (Chemtool Incorporated, 2020).
The plant, however, experienced a major spill that, if not managed soon, would lead to the infection of the Rock river close to it as well as serious health and security problems to both the employees and residents within its vicinity. Considering the fact that it was a major spill, all sorts of threats have to be considered. Toxic or toxic gases can cause serious disease, and in rare circumstances, death.
When corrosive chemicals are handled, they can inflict serious burns, impair vision, and affect the respiratory tract. Some chemical spills cause cancer years after the first exposure, such as asbestos inhalation, which causes lung cancer years later. Chemical spills can have serious consequences for the environment as well. With run-off pollution in the ocean, spilled oil and other pollutants can cause physical harm to marine life. In this case, a major impact is anticipated for the Rock river.
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Disaster Response Plan
Spilled chemicals can also flow down into the soil, causing significant ecological harm and rendering certain regions uninhabitable for flora and wildlife.
To guarantee a quick and safe chemical spill response that minimizes the effect of any chemical spills, adopt the following procedures. An important factor in swift chemical clean-up is the ability of employees to understand the severity of a spill and assess the safety of the spill site. If an immediate threat is posed, the area in which the spill occurred should be evacuated immediately. Large spills that are too difficult to clear with normal chemical cleanup kits should also be reported as soon as possible to fire and medical officials.
In the event of an accidental leak, begin conventional chemical cleanup measures right once. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or otherwise harmed at work (OSHA, 2017). The law requires employers to provide their employees with working conditions that are free of known dangers. The OSH Act created the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards (OSHA, 2017).
OSHA also provides information, training and assistance to employers and workers (OSHA, 2017). Hence, based on the OSHA, anyone working with chemicals should put on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that is appropriate for the chemical and the hazard it poses right away.
Disaster Response Plan
In order to minimize the after-effect of the spill, funding is needed from the federal government as well as other organizations. The cost includes spill response actions, on-site sampling and analysis, full environmental site investigation and remediation of contaminated sites (Green Ocean, 2017). Where spills of oils or liquids are contained within a barrier or drainage system rather than being absorbed in the surface. Natural resource damage assessment and restoration is also to be considered (Green Ocean, 2017).
The Chemtool chemical plant will restore natural resources injured as a result of hazardous substance releases into the environment and pay for it too. The action of reducing the severity and seriousness of possible consequences for the environment and communities may involve specialists from diverse areas and industries (Green Ocean, 2017). The federal government is requested to provide funds for the mitigation as well as litigation.
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Lastly, in order to prevent the occurrence of another chemical spill, certain steps will be taken. First, a realistic assessment of the risk at the outset will be made (Scientific American, 2010). Second, government oversight needs an overhaul. This will play a big role in prevention of the occurrence of another spill (Scientific American, 2010). Also, the employees of the company will taken through some classes to educate them on spill prevention and also how to handle such a situation if it is to occur again in the future (Scientific American, 2010).
