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Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management Crisis and Emergency Management Newsletter Website |
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April
2005
Volume 8 - Number 3 |
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Personal Statement on the Dec. 2004 Southeast Asian Tsunami Matt Hewett The Southeast Asian Tsunami disaster of 2004 was a tragedy beyond comprehension in modern times. It brings to light the short term memory people have in terms of disasters and their effects. Time and again, natural and human induced disasters occur and, such is our natural instinct for survival, we try to forget the trauma. As a result, we repeat the mistakes of the past. Governments can help alleviate this problem and reduce future loss. Governments attempt to mitigate disaster in a variety of ways. Following the tsunami, local governments will attempt to enact zoning and building regulations to lessen the effects of future tremors and tsunamis. Will this, ultimately, reduce the loss of life and property for future disasters? The answer isn't clear. People will continue to find ways around the laws as soon as the memory of the tsunami fades. When the choice is between making ends meet for subsistence populations and following the guidelines set down by governments, I believe the former will prevail. In addition to local zoning regulations, nation states and international bodies will put early warning systems in place to warn of future tsunami threats. This is a wonderful development. The problem is, how will this information make its way down to the local populace. One of the greatest challenges of emergency managers and politicians is communication. After putting in these sophisticated warning systems, will an effective system of communication be put in place to inform people of imminent danger? Ill communicated messages and overzealous reporting erodes public confidence and eventually leads to distrust. This has been seen in the United States with the implementation of a misguided alert system for terrorist threats, a poor public relations campaign on home preparedness including the use of plastic sheeting and duct tape, and frequency knee-jerk changes to airline security procedures. The public feels misled yet the threat remains. The same could be the case for the tsunami survivors without better education. Education of youth and the older generations on the nature of local threats and emergency plans should be integrated into local school curricula and community education efforts. Only this will prevent future generations from repeating the mistakes of the past. Evidence from the recent tsunami shows that the elders and youth were the first to recognize the threat and warn of the impending danger. It is the teenagers through the middle aged populace who have a lesser sense of their mortality that are subject to the greatest ignorance. Teach children about the importance of using seatbelts in cars and they will impose this on their parents. Teach kids about the warning signs of a tsunami or tornado and they, in turn, will educate their less educated or ignorant parents. Encourage the elders in society to participate in disaster planning and educating the youth as they have the greatest sense of mortality and the history of their forefathers to pass on. Disasters, both natural and human, are bound to repeat themselves and humanity's short term memory is one of our greatest obstacles in preventing extensive loss of life and property. Local and national government programs, along with a strong dose of early education, could lessen our susceptibility to these events in the future. |