Here are five local "opportunities" from the Orlando Sentinel.
Disney, other theme parks could lose millions in wake of Irma
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/166F3CDF6B29E958?p=WORLDNEWS
This news article is concerned with the economic impact on popular Orlando theme parks, mainly Disney, in the wake of Hurricane Irma. Financial analysts in the theme park industry estimate a "shortfall" of $100 million for Disney -- as the park stopped operating from Sunday, September 10th to Monday, September 11th. This closure caused a significant loss in revenue, and may have been worse had it not been for an increase in hotel occupancy from Irma evacuees. Nonetheless, in the days following Irma, all theme parks have noticed a drop in visitors and attendance due to canceled trips and Floridians working on cleaning up the state-wide aftermath. The problem in this story is the significant revenue loss in the theme park industry in Orlando -- which is a major difficulty since tourism is one of the city's most prominent revenue and economic growth sources. Therefore, this problem not only affects the overseeing theme park companies such as Disney and Universal Studios, but it could also affect Orlando residents -- especially those who work in the parks. It also affects prospective visitors who were forced to cancel their theme-park vacation due to the hurricane.
Thousands remain without electricity
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/166F91F8B1657260?p=WORLDNEWS
This article explains in detail the power outages that thousands of central Florida residents are still struggling with in Hurricane Irma's aftermath. According to a Duke Energy report from last Saturday, 31,600 people in Orange County and 8,000 people in Lake County still did not have power. 6,400 people in Seminole County also remain without power. Many residents are struggling with contacting power companies, as many of them are "overwhelmed" by the influx of outages -- resulting in many "technical challenges" and delays in restoring outages. The main problem reported in this article is that power companies are having a difficult time restoring the wide-spread power outages on time, thus leaving thousands of people without power for prolonged periods of time. The main people affected by this problem are the people who are still experiencing outages -- which are many residents of Orange, Lake, and Seminole counties.
After Irma, channel your generosity to what's needed
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/166F3CDFB3EEC8D8?p=WORLDNEWS
The main problem presented in this article has to do with the shortage of groceries in Florida post-Hurricane Irma. Many aisles at popular grocery stores have empty shelves and are closed off, as for the entire week of the hurricane, distribution lines were delayed. Most of these grocery stores also had extensive power outages lasting up to a week. Power outages forced these stores closed for days, resulting in many food becoming spoiled and thus leading to the scarce inventory. Retailers across the state are struggling with opening up their stores again and filling their stock after Hurricane Irma forced businesses closed. The hurricane thus made it difficult for power infrastructure to support businesses, which was exacerbated by "clogged transportation" which delayed inventory distribution. Therefore, this problem affects retail chains and distribution centers from the management perspective, and it also affects consumers that need to buy everyday goods such as food.
In the wake of natural disasters such as hurricanes, regions needing relief often receive thousands of donations. The problem with this increase in donations, however, is that most of the things received are superfluous and unneeded. They often create large inconveniences for the support organizations that have to sort through (and mainly dispose) the donations -- as they often receive vast amounts. The article gives examples of these useless donations -- such as "prom dresses to earthquake-stricken islands or snow parkas to sweltering Central Floridians." This problem affects the nonprofits and charity organizations that have to work extra hard by sorting/disposing tons of useless donations. This also affects the survivors of natural disasters that could face a shortage or delay in acquiring the goods that are useful to them. The article suggests that donors should research the acceptable items to donate, or perhaps contact the organization they donate to, and to consider sending money instead of tangible items as that is the most "flexible" way to provide aid.
Orlando home buyers face rising prices, fewer choices
This article talks about the strengthening of sales in the Orlando house market in August, prior to Hurricane Irma. The effects of the hurricane on the area's housing market are yet to be determined, however, reports from the previous month indicate strong sales despite rising prices. The median sales price was $225,000. However, despite the strong sales that are facing increases in selling price, people that are searching for houses are now having difficulty finding some that are within their budget. Houses in the lower price ranges are becoming harder to find, also a repercussion of the increasing sales. The problem presented in this article is that the real estate market in Orlando are steadily increasing in price and sales -- making it difficult to find any house at lower prices.
Furthermore, analysts are unsure about the possible effects of Hurricane Irma on this phenomenon and the repercussions it could have on prospective buyers. This affects anyone who is looking for a house in the Orlando area, especially those with lower incomes who are searching for prices in the lower range.
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/167037FD977A5870?p=WORLDNEWS
Grocery supply line pushed to the brink
http://infoweb.newsbank.com/resources/doc/nb/news/167037FD977A5870?p=WORLDNEWS
The main problem presented in this article has to do with the shortage of groceries in Florida post-Hurricane Irma. Many aisles at popular grocery stores have empty shelves and are closed off, as for the entire week of the hurricane, distribution lines were delayed. Most of these grocery stores also had extensive power outages lasting up to a week. Power outages forced these stores closed for days, resulting in many food becoming spoiled and thus leading to the scarce inventory. Retailers across the state are struggling with opening up their stores again and filling their stock after Hurricane Irma forced businesses closed. The hurricane thus made it difficult for power infrastructure to support businesses, which was exacerbated by "clogged transportation" which delayed inventory distribution. Therefore, this problem affects retail chains and distribution centers from the management perspective, and it also affects consumers that need to buy everyday goods such as food.
Hey Liana, great job on the article research! During Hurricane Irma I was in South Florida and the anxiety in the air was palpable. Luckily, I am on the same power grid as a hospital and a police station. So, in less than 24 hours I was able to get my power restored. Every time there was a free food and water event I breathed a sigh of relief. I can only imagine the emotions of someone who didn’t have their power restored for days after the storm. It was also informative to read about the need to donate the right things in order to not waste a charity’s time sorting through different items.
ReplyDeleteHi, Liana:
ReplyDeleteI read your blog “Identifying local opportunities” about “Disney, other theme parks could lose millions in wake of Irma.” It is true that the visitors will drop significantly every time within or after the hurricane, tornado, or storm. The tourism is the industry that depend on weather. This will affect people who work over there, or have businesses related with the tourism and workers.
Hi Liana
ReplyDeleteI'm luckily in GA and didn't experience much of Irma but there was still a shortage of supplies here. It's terrible to think about all the resources and business that were also effect by Irma. Those resources could've been put to good use after the store; consumers would benefit greatly if stores had a faster recovery time after a natural disaster. It may not be worth the investment to improve recovery time after a natural disaster due to the frequency but it's definitely worth looking into.