Tuscaloosa Alabama Tornado Event in Research Paper

It is also noted within this same report that the Alabama Power reacted very promptly to the power outage by installing 6,000 distribution poles and placing well over 4 million feet of wire within the first seven days after the disaster.

Challenges and Public Health Issues

There were a few challenges that were experienced before, during and after the disaster that should be worked on in order to further lessen the human suffering during disasters. One of the most outstanding challenge that Alabama in general experienced was the issue of communication. It was noted that the lack of a common frequency that could be used by the response teams to coordinate the efforts was a hindrance to the rescue efforts. Logistics of moving donated items from one place to anther was yet another issue. This was made worse by the fact that most of the social venues that could be used for such distribution were destroyed. It was also noted by the recovery action council that there was lack of adequate knowledge on disaster preparedness and the available resources in the event of such a disaster. After the disaster, the cleaning up process and garbage collection took too long and as long as three months down the lie there were still debris littered along some streets. The debris was a cause of concern on the health of people of Tuscaloosa since they harbored dirt and was a chance for outbreak of diseases.

Recommendations

There is dire need for a statewide interoperable communication system among the rescue agencies that can be activated in the event of an emergency. There is also need for an integrated severe weather alert system that covers the entire state. These systems should give room to individuals to enroll for the alerts via their phones and incorporate the smartphone technology to help in quick and efficient dissemination of information.There is also need to have conspicuous digital billboards across all major highways that would warn people incase there is an approaching tornado so that drivers are warned of the same. There is need to install more sirens particularly in the rural areas where people are sparsely settled and the few that are there are not enough to be hear across the vast fields. There is also need for people living in tornado prone areas like in Tuscaloosa to build safe houses that would help them during tornadoes. There are many families whose lives and those of their neighbors were saved by these safe houses that they had built as a precaution.

Conclusion

The quick response to the tornado in Alabama was a brilliant idea as it saved many lives from suffering the aftermaths of the tornado. There is need to carry on with the positives that were seen during the tornado and to institute further measures that would ensure further safety of the people affected by the natural disasters.

References

CDC (2012). Tornado-Related Fatalities -- Five States, Southeastern United States, April 25 -- 28, 2011. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6128a3.htm

Larry Copeland, (2011). Rebuilding will take years, millions -- and patience. USA Today. Retrieved October 16, 2012 from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-05-25-joplin-tuscaloosa-rebuild_n.htm

National Geographic News, (2011). Monster Alabama Tornado Spawned by Rare "Perfect Storm." http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2011/04/110428-tuscaloosa-birmingham-alabama-news-tornadoes-science-nation/

The New York Times, (2011). Government's Disaster Response Wins Praise. Retrieved October 16, 2012 from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/01/us/01fema.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Tornado Recovery Action Council of Alabama, (2012). Cultivating a state of readiness: Our Response to April 27, 2011. Retrieved October 16, 2012 from http://ema.alabama.gov/filelibrary/TRAC_Report.pdf.....