Introduction
Nowadays, apart from the continuous development of technology, various disasters may still take place and harm society and the environment. In this instance, to understand the negative consequences associated with different manmade and natural incidents, Winter Snow Disaster will be used for analysis in the context of Philadelphian community. This disaster is characterized by extensive snowfall while exceeding 30 inches of snow (Hyndman & Hyndman, 2016). It is accompanied by the wind and close to zero visibility.
To evaluate the scope of this disaster, it is essential to review the demographics of the community of Philadelphia. Apart from the population presented directly in the city, the citizens of suburban areas and the rest of the state and international travelers and businesses will also be influenced due to the severe nature of the storm. Overall, the main features of the affected population can be described as 6% of infants, 21% of youngsters under 18 years old, 52% of females, and 17% of individuals greater than 65 years old, and the percentages of immigrants and veterans are also high (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). At the same time, many employed or studying individuals have to commute to work (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). Consequently, it remains apparent that this natural disaster will create difficulties for these demographic groups.
Analysis
Based on the analysis of the scope of the disaster mentioned above, it is possible to indicate how the incident will affect the demographic groups in particular. In the first place, the weather conditions that accompany this disaster will harm supply chains and transportation networks (Crandall, Parnell, & Spillan, 2014). This matter will damage traveling channels while limiting connections between different, cities, and areas. As a consequence, it will create obstacles for the flow of information and the delivery of goods and services. It will cause a downward shift in revenues of national and international companies and individuals and overall GDP acquired from the state (Crandall et al., 2014). Alternatively, it may have a devastating effect on people, who have to face the disaster on their way to work resulting in car accidents and deaths.
Apart from a substantial impact on the economic prosperity of the region, the disaster may limit the access to people with severe medical conditions and traumas due to a high percentage of risk groups including infants, women, youngsters under 18 years old, and individual greater than 65 years old in this region. The inability to provide medical assistance in time will increase the percentage of deaths and medical errors. Nonetheless, these matters will also affect the federal budget since it will be necessary to redistribute the financial resources to restore the community and ensure the sufficient recovery of hospitals, private homes, social services, and educational institutions after the disaster. Despite the negative consequences associated with this natural disaster, it may be a primary reason for the development of policies and effective prevention strategies to decrease the scope of the incident.
Conclusion
In the end, it was revealed that natural disasters such as the Winter Snow Disaster had more extended scope than it was expected. Apart from having an epicenter in Philadelphia, other areas of the state would also be affected. The major difficulties would refer to the limitations of the transportation networks resulting in increased injuries and deaths due to the lack of medical assistance. Simultaneously, these matters would affect the demographic groups from an economic perspective while harming companies’ revenues, financial performance, and distribution of the products. Lastly, the government would be required to address these issues rapidly to speed up the recovery process and introduce effective prevention strategies and action plans.
References
Crandall, W., Parnell, J., & Spillan, J. (2014). Crisis management: Leading in a new strategy landscape. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Hyndman, D., & Hyndman, D. (2016). Natural hazards and disasters. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2015). Pennsylvania: Quick facts.