Larsen Nichols, First Responders Ignore Calls

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/11/health/first-responders-frustrated-during-irma/index.html

While Irma is heavily damaging and impacting Florida, some first responders have been prohibited from responding to distress calls. Because the winds are so high, sending rescue teams out could potentially just create more disaster and require even more people to come and rescue them. First responders are frustrated and saddened that they can't perform the jobs they signed up for.

This article was written by Elizabeth Cohen, Senior Medical Correspondent at CNN. Her position and experience at CNN gives this article credibility. She updated this at 2 PM today, so we know it is the most current and updated information available and is most likely still occurring. Before I read this, I knew Irma was a horrible hurricane negatively affecting thousands of people, but I hadn't heard any specific details and I did not realize that Irma is so intense that even rescuers can't help people. This article really brought to life for me the severity of the situation.
This article was written for the people outside of Irma who don't know all the details of what's going on, and it definitely has a negative influence on that audience. It informs people of the severe situation and creates sympathy in the people that aren't affected.
The point that the article is trying to convey is that first responders in Irma are struggling with the fact that they're unable to help, and the people affected by the hurricane are not getting the assistance they need. It's important because it's creating awareness, which is something that lots of civilians and political leaders can benefit from. If nobody understands or realizes what's actually going on in a devastating tragedy like this one, there's no one who can help. It's relevant because we have people in our lives who may be affected by this hurricane, or have been affected like events like this in the past.
In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. George W. Bush did not respond to the storm a considerable amount of time after it began. He took quite a while to decide to send federal rescue missions into the area, meaning countless scores of people were suffering when they could have been helped. This is similar to the Hurricane Irma situation because there were people who wanted to help other people in need, but couldn't because the orders hadn't been given yet.