Environmental Science Letter Writing Assignment Paper (Coursework Sample)

Environmental Science Letter
Student’s Name
Institution
Date
Dear Mr. President
I take this opportunity to write to you regarding the unequal distribution of access to environmental quality in this country. My name is John, and I live in Texas. My concern in this issue comes from my conviction that adequate disaster preparation could have reduced the effects of Hurricane Katrina when it occurred and in the days that followed.
Hurricane Katrina is still the most destructive storm to have struck the United States due to the magnitude of damages. It resulted in one of the worst spills that not only damaged the environment, but also became a hazard to public health. Raw sewage and industrial waste spilled into the New Orleans homes while oil spills from coastal refineries, offshore rigs and gas stations made their way into business districts and residential areas (Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2015). The effects of the hurricane were perhaps much more severe because the area had already been weakened by Hurricane Ivan that had happened sometime earlier. This increased erosion on the beach and the entire island. Between hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, the government had had a year in which it could have sought to rehabilitate the land and prevent more destruction but nothing was done.
Hurricane Katrina profoundly altered the lives of the people living in New Orleans and even brought out class differences not just in the region but across the nation (MUST, 2015). The first sign of class inequality was the government’s unusually delayed response to the crisis. The majority of the people living here were poor and black, and for them, the much-awaited help was either denied, given too late or insufficient (Adeola & Picou 2016). A rich white neighborhood could not have been treated in the same way. The poor in the community have seemingly contributed less to the economy of the country, and therefore their case was considered less urgent.
Mr. President, if I were in charge of the disaster response program, I would decentralize disaster control programs because the bureaucracies involved in a centralized control often delay action. For example, the New Orleans administration is better placed to deal with issues of the region comprehensively compared to the central administration (Godwin, Foster, & Keefe, 2013). In addition, I would enhance information delivery to ensure that the state, federal and local authorities can quickly access and share critical information that is needed to make critical decisions. There were claims that delayed response was due to lack of precise information. Therefore, enhancing the communication lines would significantly improve response. Warning people in time could also increase their...