Unlike some of the other topics we have researched and looked into throughout the Sustainable Development course, the disasters topic was something I was aware of beforehand and also something that I found particularly interesting. A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the earth, for example, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and many other geologic processes. Whilst I have been aware of many natural disasters that have devastatingly struck our countries, I never considered the types of preparation and responses there can be from different governments and how this can affect each country. During out input with Louise, we discussed this further.
In terms of disaster clarification, an event is only classed as a disaster when human society is impacted. For example, social disruption, material damage and loss of life. The human impact on natural disasters include urbanisation, global arming, land use i.e. deforestation, road cutting, construction and mangrove destruction. We discussed the different types of preparation and responses at a local level, a national level and an international level.
Local level
- Local forecasting systems
- Building community supports
National Level
- Government policy and action
- Forecasting systems
International Level
- Assist governments
- Expertise
- Funding
- Resources
- Work with all stakeholders to find solutions
We looked at two different case studies, considered the actions taken by each government and reflected on what this told us about each of the governments priorities. The first disaster we looked at was the Haiti Earthquake that occurred on the 12th January 2010. Haiti has a population of 9.7 million people and 90% of all economic activity is in the capital. The Caribbean Island of Haiti has a history of destructive earthquakes but this was the worst in 200 years measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale. Haiti is prone to natural disasters such as hurricanes and floods due to its geographic location. Haiti lies close to two tectonic plates and Seismologists had placed a warning prior to the earthquake that seismic activity was likely and that the 2010 earthquake could only be the beginning, but no evacuation procedures were put in place. Some of the actions taken by the government following this disaster included makeshift camps that were set up. However, due to poor sanitisation and decomposing dead bodies in the vanity, this caused an outbreak of disease. Decisions made by the government were not always based on humanitarian principles and the Haitian government called off their own search for survivors on the 23rd of January 2010, with the last survivor being found two whole weeks later. The lack of aftercare from the government is pretty evident with over 500,000 sleeping on the streets and supplies being distributed by he US government four days after the disaster on the 16th of January. It is pretty clear that the Haitian governments priorities do not lie with the wellbeing of their citizens and their country. It is pretty shocking that despite warnings being made prior to the disaster that it was more than likely, that no evacuation procedures were put in place.
The second case study that we looked at was the Japan Earthquake on the 11th March 2011. This earthquake reached a massive 9.0 magnitude on the Richter scale and was centred 130km to the east of Sendai. A tsunami crashed into the country’s north eastern coast which was originally reported at a magnitude or 7.9, but later upgraded o 8.9 then to a further 9.0. Lasting 6 minutes is makes it the fifth largest recorded worldwide since 1990. Japan is located on the east edge of the Eurasian Plate, and the Oceanic Pacific Plate sinks under the Eurasian Plate, this plate margin is “destructive” as friction is present and the plates stick. When these plates stick, tension builds up. This allows pressure to build up and when it is released, it causes a rapid shift in the plates and a lot of energy to be released (in this case the equivalent to the annual energy output of the UK). Japan was largely prepared for the earthquake and many buildings remained standing afterwards. However, Japan was not prepared for the subsequent Tsunami with lasting damage being caused in Tokyo and many injuries in the north where the earthquake was centred. In terms of the response from the government, a Tsunami warning was issued just three minutes after the earthquake. A Meteorological Agency official appeared on the TV urging those affected by the quake not to return home because f possible tsunamis. The governor of Miyagi Prefecture asked the Japanese military forces to be sent in to help and the Defence Ministry was sending eight fighter jets to check the damage. In response to this, 91 countries offered aid ranging from blankets to food to search dogs and military transport. Alongside this, modern innovations such as Twitter and Facebook were bringing updates on the situation much earlier than the media. After comparing the two case studies it is very clear that the Japanese government are far more advanced in terms of their preparation and evacuation procedures that they have in place for these disasters, and their quality of aftercare in that the wellbeing of their citizens and their communities comes first. This is a stark contrast with the Haitian government who called off their own search for their own citizens to save themselves time and money and focus on other things they deemed to be more important.
We also looked at the role of key international organisations such as United Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), The World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), to name a few. These organizations are intergovernmental and their role is to work with governments within and between nations and support their actions. They prioritise humanitarian needs involved in disasters ad conflicts. We looked at some key non governmental organisations (NGO’s) such as Save the Children, Red Cross, Oxfam and Islamic Relief. The role of these organizations is to provide an unbiased approach. They are politically neutral and work alongside governments – not directly with them. They also prioritise humanitarian needs and work to prepare communities in terms of education and communication. These NGO’s provide relief efforts and aid, and are more flexible in the sense that they work effectively with communities and distribute their aid fairly.
I feel that this input has had a major effect on my views on natural disasters in relation to the aftermath and the governments responsibilities. I had always understood the impact some of these disasters can have but I never took the time to understand the aftermath and who is responsible for dealing with it and who makes the decisions that are so crucially important for the country and its citizens. For our directed study task this week we took part in a micro teaching task covering some of natural disasters and presented this back to our peers. In terms of my own knowledge I feel like this had a huge benefit on my learning in that most of the presentations linked in with the CFE outcomes and experiences. I liked the fact that we were learning about different disasters whilst being able to link them to different lesson plans and possible classroom activities. This micro teaching task also allowed me to build my own confidence when presenting, which is something I will be doing everyday as a teacher.
In terms of further research and my next steps, I am going to take note from all of the presentations that were given during the micro teaching task and try plan my own lesson surrounding each different topic. I feel like this will not only further my knowledge and understanding of disasters but also the extra practice of planning and linking different outcomes and experiences from the Curriculum for Excellence will benefit me for the future when I have to do this in my own classroom.
