Disasters

In the world today we are constantly up dated about natural disasters happening all around the world and therefore we have first hand knowledge as soon as a disaster occurs.

 

There are two types of disasters in the world, natural and man-made. Something is only classed as a disaster if human society is impacted. There will be

• Social damage
• Material damage
• Loss of life

 

Natural disasters consist of;

• Hurricanes
• Earthquakes
• Volcanic eruptions
• Tsunamis
• Floods
• Disease epidemics

Therefore disasters can have a serious impact on the world by possible global warming, urbanisation and land use. These can all be interrelated for example an earthquake can cause a tsunami, floods can cause hygienic problems and then lead to epidemic of disease.

 

After the lectures on disasters I now realise the importance of politics and how they influence the preparation and response received before or after a disaster. The responses are at three levels, local, national and international. The government has a big responsibility to keep their country safe, for example building houses that are earthquake proof or building flood defense barriers and having a national disaster plan in place so that citizens know the protocol to follow. The problem on the political side is having a government that sees protecting its country from disasters as a priority it also depends on the amount of funding a government has and if there is corruption in the government. We looked at two case studies or japan and Haiti. The contrast was stark; Japan is well prepared for a disaster, unlike Haiti, which is a developing country, which has less money, fewer resources and therefore is less prepared for natural disasters. Furthermore these developing countries seem to rely on international help. Rich thriving countries still do have their fair share of natural disasters but they are more prepared with their evacuation plans and get help from other countries quicker. They have good rebuilding of their infrastructures and work will with their communities and international partners to get back to normality.

 

Furthermore the role of international organisations is key to helping the disaster relief but there are also many NGO’s for example save the children and the Red Cross. These organisations are unbiased, politically neutral and prioritise humanitarian needs. They do an amazing job to help humanity after a disaster.

 

Within the classroom, I feel as a teacher it is important that the children know about disasters but the questions is how far do we go? The school could be involved in fundraising if it was a more local disaster like a flooding in southern England. It is good to look at both global and local viewpoints but as a teacher I am very aware that I would have to sensor the images that I use so not to upset the children. Natural disasters bring in many curricular links.

‘I can describe the physical process of a natural disaster and discuss its impact on people and the landscape. SOC 2-07b

 

I feel using some of the drama conventions that I have learned I could put the children into the feet of a victim of these disasters and help them understand what they feel like. Also linking it to being an emergency working, a survivor or a charity working and looking at the disaster from their perspective and discussing them.

 

In the second workshop we did another carousel-based activity in our groups, where we worked round different activities linking with natural disasters. I found that one in particular about making your own volcanic eruption would be a great activity to do in a class in the upper school. Thus developing the children’s enquiry and investigative skills.

 

I’m starting to feel more confident if I had to teach disasters if I were to teach it in the middle to upper schools. I feel the lecturers have provided me with lots of ideas and resources that I could take with me.