New Jersey is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the North-eastern portion of United States. Winter and early spring in New Jersey bring terrifying winter-storms, blizzards, Hurricanes and earthquakes. The chosen natural disaster for this report is Nor’easter. It is a large-scale cyclone which has more damaging potential than Hurricanes and other winter-storms. In the history of New Jersey, Nor’easter has left deadly impact on the people with the terrible snow rain, high-speed wind and after snow-rain flood (Major et al., 2013). The sudden drop in temperature facilitates the development of microbial and other diseases. The next sections will discuss elaborately the disaster, its impact on New Jersey. The paper will conclude with proper strategies to protect the people from this natural hazard.
New Jersey State experiences two different weather conditions. The south, central and north-eastern regions are dominated by humid and sub-tropical temperatures, whereas, the north-east portion has a micro-thermal climate with much less temperature (The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey, 2018). This deviation in temperature among different directions of the state has made it more prone to wind-storm attack. Among many reported natural disasters, Nor’easter is estimated to have the most damaging effect on New Jersey because of its powerful wind, snow-rain and after snowfall flood (Nicholls & Decker, 2015). Following sections will brief about Nor’easter, its effects and possible safety plans to be adopted by a community located in a flood plain at Dover, in New Jersey.
Nor’easter develops as a result of significant contrast between warm Gulf Stream and cold air coming from Canada. Nor’Easter is a result of clockwise movement of high-pressure air and counter-clockwise movement of low-pressure air that blows moisture to the land of New Jersey. The powerful storm can cause erosion to the beaches with high tide and long wave, affect inland regions with flood and can coat the lands with thick deposits of snow. The strength of this storm has been reported to be more than Hurricane and in the history of New Jersey Nor’easter has caused the biggest damage to the people in terms of cost and health (Nicholls & Decker, 2015). The reason behind the terrifying nature of Nor’Easter is that it moves with minimum speed while passing through New Jersey and surrounding regions. This reduction in speed makes the storm to stay for a longer period of time in that region thereby accumulating the deadly effects with more severity. The storm can hit New Jersey any time of the year, but the primary risk of occurrence ranges from March to September (Fischetti, 2013). Last incidence of Nor’Easter in New Jersey was in March 2018.
Nor’Easter causes the tidal waters to flow back and does not allow water to flow throw the in-lets and ultimately blocks the path of water to Ocean. Dover is a flood-prone area of New Jersey and as a result of accumulation of excess water, this storm causes massive flooding of the area. People inhabiting this place experience extreme turmoil during such disastrous natural phenomenon. One of the most common practicespractices by people during snow storm is burning fuels in the fireplace to get warmth. At the time of snowfall the atmospheric oxygen level drops and in this causes incomplete combustion of fuels. This ultimately results in the generation of Carbon monoxide. This gas when combines with blood haemoglobin forms a complex named carboxyhemoglobin. This complex does not allow the blood to acquire oxygen and the individual suffers from breathing trouble leading to death. This is known as Carbon monoxide poisoning, a very common disease noticed in patients experiencing snow-storm (Schnall et al., 2017). Another health concern after such natural calamity is, the coastal water harbours Vibrio bacteria which potentiates enteric diseases (Levy, 2015). After a massive shortage of availability of drinking water, people tend to drink raw, ice-melted water contaminated with Vibrio. Certain species of this genus such as Vibrio cholerae is the principal causal organism of Cholera. An outbreak of such diseases immediately after a snowstorm is a threat to the people of Dover.
Certain guidelines have been prepared by the Government of New Jersey to survive such severe storm (Winter Weather Hazards.NJOEM, 2018). Following are the salient features of this plan –
All the residents are advised to check their fuel and burning equipment at regular intervals so that they do not face any difficulty when the storm arrives. Water pipes and drainage pipes need to be insulated using non-conductor materials such as plain paper to circumvent the problem of damaged pipes due to freezing. The drainage pipes should be kept clear to avoid water logging after the remission of the snowfall. Pet animals should be kept inside the house. All the individuals have been advised to buy flood insurance that covers damage from flood. A fat-rich diet is advised to follow for compensating the energy requirement at such a freezing temperature.
Despite having a thorough guideline for taking the safety measures before the Nor’Easter attack, there are studies going on regarding the correct strategy for the same. A study mentions that, retrofitting the subways, railway tracks will help in combatting the flood followed by the snow-storm (Fischetti, 2013). Carbon monoxide poisoning is an unavoidable outcome after every snow-storm outbreak and there are no prevention measures mentioned in government guidelines. Researchers suggest that proper monitoring of the Carbon monoxide emission from the burners, fuels should be done in domestic areas and public health workers should use well-equipped kit to treat any patient immediately after being detected with the syndrome (Waite, Murray & Baker, 2014). Health insurance policies should be renewed on time. The public health department should take necessary steps to prevent post-storm cholera outbreak by vaccination and other ways.
Conclusion (Reflection):
I am a resident of Dover, New Jersey. I work as a nursing staff at St. Clare’s Dover Hospital. Dover is inhabited by Morris County. It is a flood prone area and experiences flooding after any Snow-storm. From the discussion I can conclude that our community members are following the guidelines provided by the Government. They are also taking measures on their own in order to stay safe during the next storm attack. People are accumulating salt in trucks and they will keep salt in pipelines and water tanks if any forecast of Nor’Easter is available in News. Salt reduces the freezing temperature of water and hence will circumvent the problem of pipe bursting. Power supply authorities of my area are also planning to combat next Nor’Easter attack. I feel that fewer facilities are available in hospitals in Dover to treat patients with Carbon monoxide poisoning. My recommendation is to set up a proper health care policy for such patients and the incorporation of more evident strategies focusing on the health related threats in a condition of such natural disasters.
References:
Chung, A. Q. (2013). Emergency Management Planning: A Value Based Approach to Preparing Coastal Communities for Sea Level Rise (Doctoral dissertation, University of Ottawa).
Fischetti, M. (2013). STORM OF THE CENTURY* EVERY TWO YEARS. Scientific American, 308(6), 58-67.
Levy, S. (2015). Warming trend: how climate shapes Vibrio ecology. Environmental health perspectives, 123(4), A82.
Major, D. C., Leichenko, R. M., Johnson, K., & Linkin, M. (2013). Projecting future coastal flooding damages with climate change.
Nicholls, S. D., & Decker, S. G. (2015). Impact of coupling an ocean model to WRF nor’easter simulations. Monthly Weather Review, 143(12), 4997-5016.
Schnall, A., Law, R., Heinzerling, A., Sircar, K., Damon, S., Yip, F., … & Wolkin, A. (2017). Characterization of Carbon Monoxide Exposure During Hurricane Sandy and Subsequent Nor’easter. Disaster medicine and public health preparedness, 11(5), 562-567.
The Official Web Site for The State of New Jersey. (2018). www.state.nj.us/nj/about/
Waite, T., Murray, V., & Baker, D. (2014). Carbon monoxide poisoning and flooding: changes in risk before, during and after flooding require appropriate public health interventions. PLoS currents, 6.
Winter Weather Hazards | NJOEM. (2018). ready.nj.gov/plan-prepare/winter.shtml
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