By Dominick Vozzo
Mainstream media has been forced to cover an increasing number of devastating hurricanes. In the 2024 hurricane season, there were two devastating storms in the United States: Hurricane Milton (October 5-10th 2024) and Hurricane Helene (September 24-27th 2024). Both hurricanes caused serious damage in their respective areas. Helene first hit the United States as a category 4 hurricane. According to NBC news, it caused 230 deaths across 6 states: Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Hurricane Milton hit and started as a category 5, but was downgraded to a category 3 when it hit Florida’s gulf coast. It caused 28 fatalities in Florida alone, and is considered the 5th most intense Atlantic hurricane in recent history. According to ABC News, both hurricanes combined have caused more than seventy-five billion dollars worth of damage, making this the third costliest hurricane season of all time.
While property damage and destruction is terrible, the loss of human life is far more significant. This makes the role of the government and first responders critical, as they are charged with keeping people safe and preventing loss of life, which, at times, calls for evacuation. According to the Coast Guard’s website, it falls on the United States Coast Guard to provide personnel and resources to rescue people who stayed behind during intense hurricanes, but this is only meant to be a last resort. Under a mandatory evacuation order, not evacuating presents a great risk for everyone deciding to stay and those responsible for rescuing them. Every citizen who died during this year’s hurricanes was killed because they didn’t evacuate. This raises the question of whether it is worth staying behind and risking your life just to babysit your soon-to-be destroyed house. According to a CNN article, Jane Castor, the mayor of Tampa Bay, said, “if you choose to stay in one of these evacuation areas, you are going to die.”
Some people consider mandatory evacuation impossible, even a joke, and will not go. Typically, these people claim they are unable to leave their homes for various reasons. Some people have medical conditions, leaving them immoble or dependent on machines, such as respirators. Some do not have the money or methods to leave the affected areas. Others are reluctant to leave their pets behind, and some mistakenly believe that hurricanes are not really dangerous, and they are a government conspiracy to kick them out of their house. Others are simply stubborn and refuse to evacuate.
As it turns out, many of these reasons are actually addressed by services provided through relief organizations. Government organizations, such as FEMA, post information on multiple resources for families and homes to be prepared for rapid evacuation. FEMA advises people with medical conditions to plan ahead in the event of weather disasters and to pre-register for shelters and personnel to help them at FEMA’s expense. Similarly, locating and registering with shelters that accommodate pets is also possible. In many instances, costs of evacuation can be reimbursed along with the damages post disaster. Though these resources, including shelters, may not be luxurious, they are adequate and safe, making them rather life saving alternatives to rescue.
The government plays a large role in hurricane preparedness and response. Government agencies track hurricanes and issue broad emergency alerts to inform the public about the impending danger. Municipalities and governments use online resources to post bulletins, information and handbooks to guide people through evacuation protocols. The clear solution for people, rather than making the unwise choice to ignore an evacuation order and ride out a hurricane, is to treat the impending disaster intelligently and appropriately, recognizing the danger to themselves and others.