print
this page Disaster Management Lessons from Dec. 26, 2004 Asian Earthquake/Tsunami
Canadians have joined together with individuals across our planet in paying tribute to the victims of the December 26, 2004 earthquake/tsunami disaster in Southern Asia. I believe geoscientists can play a major role in global disaster reduction and this article is an attempt to define our collective responsibilities to the communities at risk. Losses of the kinds and magnitude that occurred on December 26th are unacceptable in the 21st century. This event caused: 1) at least 5 million displaced persons, 2) at least 1 million injured, 3) over 220,000 dead, 4) thousands of damaged and destroyed homes, businesses, schools, hospitals, and infrastructure in 11 countries, 5) many distant nations were also impacted by loss of lives of the tourists and investments, and 6) total dollar losses in excess of $500 billion. We have had many similar experiences in the past but apparently have not learned well enough to provide effective warnings to the people at harms way or to reduce the impacts of the natural and industrial disasters. In the past decade alone we have lost more than 500,000 people and over one trillion dollars to various natural disasters. Environmental degradation due to technological hazards and overpopulation has also added to the severity of disaster impacts. In fact 75% of damaging disasters are related to severe weather conditions that are linked with green house gases produced by various human activities. The international community has accumulated much experience with disaster risk reduction through the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) during the1990s, and the succeeding International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). Today’s technology and current scientific knowledge are sufficiently advanced that it could potentially help reduce disaster impacts in developed countries. Nevertheless, the political will and policy and procedures to disseminate the necessary information, to warn the people at harms way, are unjustifiably missing. And this situation has lead to an ever-increasing loss of lives and properties in developing countries. Aid for the environment has averaged about $2 billion per year. This is far short of what the international community, first at the Rio Summit in 1992 and then at the Johannesburg Summit ten years later, said was needed. In terms of global priorities, this figure compares with the $900 billion that the world currently commits to military expenditures each year. In recent weeks, the world community has become mindful of their shared responsibility to developing nations through an effective news media and global communication network that educated the whole world about the misfortunes of the people in southern Asia. We need a concerted program to build a global safety culture promoting community disaster resilience to natural and technological disasters through education of the disaster reduction strategies. Our focus should be on utilization of the entire educational infrastructure; ranging from kindergarten, high school, and university, to practice transforming the universal barriers of ignorance, apathy, disciplinary boundaries, and lack of political will. This effort should lead into enlightenment and empowerment of citizens, professionals, and organizations; enrichment of networks; and enablement of political will for the greater good in the global perspective. We need serious individual and collective commitments in the following areas:
The Prime Minister’s plan for creation of Canada Corps , as announced in his first budget last year, appears to be the best way of helping the future disaster reduction in developing countries. We all need to support such programs because of our shared destiny with other inhabitants of this small planet called Earth. We also need a collective effort to change the safety culture of the world community by teaching them how to protect their lives and properties against natural forces and the normal processes in our dynamic planet. We hope that schools, universities, and news media could continue to foster this cause for the benefit of all living creatures and the future generations. The above outline is based on Mr. Mohajer’s various media presentations and interviews including his recent article that appeared in the Globe & Mail on Dec. 30th, CBC National News, CBC Global News, CBC Radio, City TV, 24Cable, and the Global News. For those who would like more detailed technical information about the tsunami, please click on the links given in the From Far Afield Section. |
For
more information on APGO, please contact info@apgo.net
|
Mohajer is an adjunct professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Toronto at Scarborough, Chairman of the APGO Complaints Committee, former AGO and APGO Councillor. He is also a Member of International Alliance for Disaster Reduction