From the outbox of Meyer’s inbox:
There is no escaping the fact that our infrastructure is seriously busted and in need of major repair. That was before the disasters struck. 2011 has proved to be a record year for natural disasters and we’re not just talking domestic. Remember Japan’s tsunami? The famine in East Africa? Not to mention the floods and tornadoes that hit us. All of this has caused an incredible strain on relief agencies. As we are in the season of giving, it might help to give a little in the direction of those folks who are still suffering from these disasters.
HELP STILL NEEDED AFTER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR FOR DISASTERS
By Natalie Angley, CNN
(CNN) — From the tsunami in Japan to famine in East Africa to the deadly tornado outbreaks in the United States, 2011 has been a historic year for natural disasters.
A dozen weather-related disasters in the United States alone have caused more than $1 billion in damages each, breaking the record of nine billion-dollar disasters set in 2008, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Altogether, the damage from these events exceeds $50 billion.
“In many ways, 2011 rewrote the record books. From crippling snowstorms to the second deadliest tornado year on record to epic floods, drought and heat, and the third busiest hurricane season on record, we’ve witnessed the extreme of nearly every weather category,” said NOAA spokesman Christopher Vaccaro.
Dynamic 2011 events to shape the world for years to come
Relief organizations have been working year-round to provide emergency aid when disaster strikes and long-term assistance in the months and years that follow. Oftentimes, help is needed long after the media attention subsides.
“Recovery is a very long process. People are so grateful for that temporary place to stay, that hot meal,” said Jeff Jellets, territorial disaster coordinator for The Salvation Army. “But we really look at how we can restore families back to their predisaster condition.
“Until those communities are rebuilt, the job just isn’t done.”
This year, there have been more than 1,000 weather-related fatalities in the United States, according to NOAA. Many of those occurred when deadly tornadoes ripped through the Southeast and Midwest this spring and summer.
In late April, an estimated 343 tornadoes ripped through central and Southern states, killing 321 people, 240 of which were in Alabama. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, was particularly devastated. Then, less than a month later, 160 people were killed when a tornado with 200 mph winds struck Joplin, Missouri, making it the deadliest single tornado to strike the United States since modern tornado record-keeping began.
Months later, many of these communities are still in need.
“People are starting the process of rebuilding, so we’re helping them with things like appliances and rebuilding materials so they can get back in their homes,” Jellets said. “But then there are a number of people in places like Hackleburg, Alabama, which was really significantly damaged by a tornado, where people are still in the emergency assistance phase.”
In August, Hurricane Irene made landfall over coastal North Carolina and headed north, killing 45 people and causing torrential rainfall and flooding across the Northeast.
“The real damage was inland flooding, particularly in places like upstate New York and Vermont. The Salvation Army still has distribution centers where we’re handing out cleaning supplies and food boxes,” Jellets said. “But some of those communities were away from the media spotlight. What we can do is going to be very difficult over the long haul unless more donations come in for those events.”
The American Red Cross has responded to 131 disaster relief operations in 44 separate states so far this year.
“We opened more than 1,000 shelters across the nation for disasters such as Hurricane Irene and the tornadoes,” said Laura Howe, American Red Cross spokesperson. “That’s in comparison to 37 shelters that we opened across the nation in 2010.”
Read the rest about these stories and see the pictures from CNN.
