In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Irene, it seemed that the storm had been hyped up. After all, many of the direst predictions failed to come true — particularly massive flooding in the New York metro area.
But it quickly became clear that the storm had indeed wreaked havoc on many northeastern communities. The devastation in places like Vermont and upstate New York was especially severe. Indeed, the New York Times reported that Irene "will most likely prove to be one of the 10 costliest catastrophes in the nation's history."
It is a relief that Irene did not do more damage to Rhode Island, which escaped with less harm than some of its New England neighbors. Even though Irene was downgraded to a tropical storm Aug. 28, the recovery effort will still prove costly for the Ocean State. On Saturday, after viewing financial predictions that he believed exceeded local and state response capacity, Gov. Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14 announced his decision to request a Major Disaster Declaration for Rhode Island following the storm.
Flooding is responsible for the most damage and expense. This is not the first time that Rhode Island has seen flooding — floods in the spring of 2010 were reported to leave over 3,000 people temporarily unemployed and to have caused $100-$200 million in damages.
While Brown students have consistently demonstrated a commitment to global disaster response, the impact of flood damage surrounding Rhode Island might be harder to see at first glance. But as volunteers who assisted debris removal after the 2010 floods will recall, the impact of flooding can be both emotionally taxing and financially devastating for families already living on the edge.
Students can help with everything from removing debris to disseminating information. We encourage students to contact Serve Rhode Island, a service organization helping with the response, to find out how to work with others in the community to help offset the toll of the floods. In particular, students can help Serve Rhode Island's ServeCorps Disaster Team that specializes in disaster preparation, response and recovery in Rhode Island. Call (401) 331-2298 ext. 112 or email disaster@serverhodeisland.org for more information.
Historically, in addition to contributions from student efforts, the University has made significant official contributions to response efforts in Rhode Island. Following the spring 2010 floods, it responded by providing grants to relief agencies, assembling volunteers, assisting employees impacted by the floods and supporting students in research related to recovery.
But there are ways to make Brown's commitment to response even more effective. As the rains throughout New England this week remind us, perhaps the biggest takeaway from the recent storm is disasters are not at all rare. Preparation is the key to successful response. Brown should take a more proactive approach to disasters, institutionalizing disaster-related research, providing resources or a liaison through an administrative or student group effort for general disaster relief, doing reconstruction and offering humanitarian aid. What is more "Brown" than bringing together innovation, planning, collaboration and community engagement to help proactively manage some of the most trying — yet natural — situations faced by people everywhere?
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
