This article in the NY Times talks about the growing risks for barrier islands on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts of the US.
It seems that two trends are coming together to pose unusually high risks:
- Global warming and the resulting increase in sea levels are increasing the dangers to folks living on those islands;
- Population growth on these islands is very strong: twice the US average.
Those trends got us thinking about the importance of good emergency planning, which has always been important in coastal communities facing hurricanes, tornadoes and other natural disasters.
Barrier islands are a special case because they are difficult to evacuate. The road system on these islands is often a great example of a “single point of failure”, where the loss of one road cuts off all transportation options. And storm surges and other forces can often easily take out roads.
This makes emergency alert services especially important, since getting the word out to evacuate is a critical part of any emergency plan. So if you have doubts about the reliability of your alert system, you should give Hyper-Reach a call.
