Blizzard disaster Mitigation Plan - Group activity

INRODUCTION:
                                     As far as the world knows, tsunamis, earthquakes, hurricanes, flood, fire, etc, are the most dangerous and popular disasters which causes huge damage to mankind. But, blizzards are also disasters which causes loss of life and property similar to any other disaster. Blizzards are most common disaster in the North Eastern countries. They are nothing heavy and ferocious winter storms along with strong wind of about 40 miles per hour. Blizzard can last for two hours. Blizzards cannot be as accurately predicted as earthquakes or tsunamis. 

IMPACTS OF BLIZZARDS:

A car trapped in a blizzard

Blizzards usually cover the roads with snow and the snow is so powerful that it can even engulf the cars. The winds which occur along with blizzards usually uproot trees. Houses with very thin and soft roofs are easily damaged because of blizzards. Houses, in the area where blizzards occur, will be covered with thick snow. Electric and communications lines are disrupted and damaged and this can also result in fire. Roads become fully covered with the water that melts from snow during blizzard and so the roads become very slippery. This is one of the most important reasons for accidents occurring because of blizzards. The snow and ice gets melted and gets deposited in the water bodies. This might also cause floods. Blizzard also erodes the soil. The pressure and the temperature of the area where blizzards occur decreases.  Due to excessive accumulation of snow, people in those areas suffer from breathing problems. Blizzard also results in  food, water and power shortage. Since the temperature is decreased to a great extent during blizzard, pets and farm animals are placed in great threat and this also affects the growth of plants.

IMPACTS IN WATER CYCLE:

                                        The rate at which the water vapourises is decreased due to a grater extent due to blizzards. Most of the water found is present only in the frozen state and is in the form of snow. This greatly affects water cycle.

INSTANCES FROM THE PAST: 
 

Blizzards are very common in the North Eastern countries.

·The great white was a most severe blizzard which happened in 1888 and it lasted for 3 days. Because of this blizzard, snow fall was found to fall from a height of 50 inches in certain regions of New Jersey. The winds were at a speed of 45 mph. This blizzard was also cause for a fire accident which resulted in a loss of property which was about $25 million worth.

Great white blizzard of 1888

· There was a blizzard in Boston in 1978 on March 93, February 96, February ’06 and the winds were at a rate of 65mph.

DIFFERENT MITIGATION MEASURES:

Blizzards are very common in north east countries. People of these countries should constantly keep listening to the weather forecasts and suppose if the condition is likely that blizzard might happen, people in these countries should avoid going outside until the danger of blizzard subsides. But tourists who go to visit these north east countries are unaware of blizzards and thus they may be affected by blizzards. People should check the automobiles and its parts to check whether it will survive the heavy winter weather condition and it should also have a winter emergency kit to help the people during danger.  People should avoid travelling during blizzards because it is very dangerous to travel during blizzard especially during night time .It is better for the tourists to stay in the heart of the city so that they can get help and rescue immediately. Tourists should always travel only after asking the local government authorities whether the road condition is suitable for the tourists to travel and they should carry with them necessary warm clothes, boots and sleeping bag. Similarly, these blizzards can also result in carbon-monoxide poisoning. While travelling, the tourists should check periodically whether exhaust pipe is not covered by snow and it is also better to drive the car by having a portion of their window open so that tourists do not die because of suffocation. Moreover, these blizzards also cause other problems to the people living in those areas like disruption of power and electricity supply, disruption of wiring and telephone system, etc. It is better if the people have an inverter or alternating power generating machine so they can survive safely till the menace caused by blizzards go down. They should also have snow removal equipment ready so that they can clear away the snow in and around the house to stay safe. People should always be prepared to manage those extreme conditions. They should keep torchlight and other emergency lamps, medicines, fuel required to cook food, etc ready in order to survive till the chaos of blizzards reduces. It is also better for the people to warm up the house as much as possible so that they can survive during blizzard even if they stay indoors. People should also check whether the house roofs are strong enough because during blizzards snow falls at a very high velocity and it can actually damage the roofs and as a result, can collapse the entire house. People should also have their cell phones with them so that they can call for rescuers when they are in trouble. People in those areas where blizzards occur frequently, should wear appropriate clothes to protect themselves from blizzards. They should wear light, warm and water resistant clothes to survive in the extreme cold conditions. Human lungs will not be able to inhale very cold air. People in those areas therefore should wear a scarf or a mask which will protect their mouth, nose and lungs from cold air. Blizzards can easily cause cold stroke. So people should always wear clothes so that the expose parts are well covered with warm clothes and suppose if they are outside when blizzards occur, they should try to hide themselves in a warm and dry place. It is better for the people to exercise for sometime suppose if they find a place for them to hide during blizzard because exercising will increase the body temperature and also keep the body warm. It will also help in easy circulation of blood in the body. Snow will reduce the body temperature and consumption of snow will lead to even death of humans. During blizzards, people should take care not to eat or consume snow by mistake because it may cause hypothermia. During blizzards, snowfall and wind will be very ferocious that it can actually mislead a person who is walking. People should try to avoid walking as much as possible during blizzards. It is better for the people stay inside their homes during blizzards. People should store sufficient drinking water and first aid equipment along with them. People should take utmost care to turn off gas before evacuating. People living in the blizzard prone areas should build and design their houses with materials which keeps the houses warm like plywood, plastic sheeting .Electric heaters produce toxic fumes which might easily affect small children. So, kerosene heaters can be used to avoid the fumes. Any kind of electrical equipment should not be placed in wet areas.

CONCLUSION:

                                             Even though the loss caused by blizzard is not very popularly known as those caused by earthquake, tsunami, etc, blizzard too is as dangerous as any other disaster.  Blizzards can be controlled and prevented only by the people who are living in the blizzard prone areas. Since people visiting the north eastern countries are not really aware of this kind of disaster, they face serious problems during blizzard when they reach the north eastern countries. So, the knowledge about this blizzard should be spread to the people all over the world so that the dangers faced by people during blizzard can be reduced.