Comparison between Hurricane Katrina and Irish Potato Famine - Essay Example

Various disasters have been experienced in the world’s history. These disasters have been either natural or man-induced. With the increasing technology and advancements, humans have attempted to contain some of the disasters, for example, lightning is no longer a major threat because of the development of lightning arrestors. In addition, it has been possible to predict the occurrence of a disastrous event even though the level of precision has been an issue of concern. Disasters in both recent and ancient times have claimed several lives, destroyed property, and altered the environment. Around the mid 19th Century, the ‘Irish Potato Famine’ hit Ireland while ‘Hurricane Katrina’ hit the United States in 2005; both disasters had many similarities and a few differences.

Both the Irish Potato Famine and Hurricane Katrina were natural disasters that hit different countries at different times. Hurricane Katrina is one of the most destructive disasters that have hit the American coastline over the centuries. It was unprecedented and spread so fast to vast areas, from the Bahamas to Florida to the Gulf of Mexico. Other areas affected included Louisiana, New Orleans, Texas, and the coast of Mississippi among other areas. Massive flooding was experienced within a very short period. Between 1845 and 1952, Ireland experienced a disastrous famine that affected livelihoods due to the failure of the crop that the people almost exclusively relied on. The cause of the crop failure was an unprecedented potato blight that had originated in Mexico and found its way to Ireland.

The magnitude of the two disasters is comparable given the different times that they occurred. To a person in the 19th, century, potato blight that was caused by fungi appeared to be a mystery and could not be understood and no immediate solution was found. The same case happened in 2005 when the hurricane got the people off guard, the best thing that could have been done was to evacuate those who were in the prone areas. Floods extended over large areas and completely curtailed operations in the entire region. Lives were lost in both incidences, it was estimated that up to one thousand, eight hundred and thirty-three people lost their lives during the hurricane and the subsequent floods. These figures could have risen if it were not for immediate intervention by government agencies as well as other rescue operators. Property estimated at more than $81 billion was lost in the process. In the case of the Irish Potato Famine, it was reported that more than eight hundred thousand people died and more than one million others found their way to other countries in the world.

Despite the two disasters being similar in that they were all natural, there is a difference in how the population reacted to the incidents. While the Americans were so swift to find a solution to the prevailing problem that threatened the country, the Irish situation is as if it emanated from their own making. The level of preparedness was very poor and the aspect of overreliance on potatoes as the staple food posed a threat that could result in a food crisis as it came to be. It is also ironic that despite the people dying of hunger, the country still exported grains to other countries. The issue was not looked into with seriousness even after the experts addressed the cause, they made a wrong conclusion. For Katrina, every minute mattered and the rescuers were in high gear not only to rescue the survivors but also there was a concerted effort to contain the situation. Federal agencies such as National Hurricane Centre, the United States Coast Guard, and National Weather Service had an insurmountable input in the path to contain the situation. Those who slept on their job faced the axe such as the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Both disasters had lasting effects as characterized by the aftermath of the two incidences. The economy of Ireland downsized tremendously accompanied by massive migration of its citizens to Great Britain, the United States of America, and Canada. There was a lot of finger-pointing by the Irish towards the British claiming that they were the source of the disaster. They developed resentment against the Britons arguing that their colonial policies had contributed to the disaster. The Irish population is said to have reduced by a quarter because of the situation for a period of only five years. The Katrina situation was accompanied by a heavy economic impact that strained the economy of the United States, the Bush administration spent around $ 105 billion for repairing the affected regions including the Gulf coast which had hampered oil supply greatly. People were redistributed from the Gulf Coast to other regions in the country making it one of the largest relocation schemes in United States’ history. The beach was eroded greatly while a huge land mass remained covered by water. Major incidences of oil spills were reported resulting in environmental impact.

In conclusion, the Katrina Hurricane is one of the major disasters that have hit the United States and the world largely in the recent past. It had insurmountable effects and was handled and contained effectively within a short period. Compared to the Irish Potato Famine, the hurricane left a lesser impact despite its heavy magnitude.