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The MPA in Emergency and Disaster Management
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ResourcesMCNY BlogsMCNY's Emergency and Disaster Management Blog Cyclone NargisMay 7th, 2008 Once again we’ve been unhappily reminded of humankind’s relative fragility in the face of nature’s more dramatic workings. Earlier this week, Cyclone Nargis brought Category 4 winds, storm surge conditions, and precipitation counts to the northeastern shores of the Bay of Bengal. Hardest hit was the nation of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, where as of the date of this post, some 41,000 people have been listed as killed, and another 41,000 posted as missing. The latest media reports have warned that any delays in providing humanitarian assistance could see the death toll rise as high as 100,000. As with all events of this magnitude, it’s possible the death toll could rise even further, or even drop, as recovery operations proceed and a more accurate assessment is available. A number of nations and private organizations have pledged relief aid to Myanmar, and Disaster Central urges you to contribute what you can. The New York City Office of Emergency Management’s website contains important information on the most effective ways to contribute. Please see the link to OEM’s website on this blog.
Naturally, events like Cyclone Nargis also reaffirm for coastal regions around the globe the need to devise and implement effective early warning systems, improved and enhanced evacuation protocols, more robust and comprehensive public health and mass care practices, stronger shelters, and plans that have a strong operational component. Much has been said about the current political situation in Myanmar, and its possible influence on the preparedness, response, and recovery phases of this event. This is a story we’ve heard before from this region, particularly in the case of the Great Cyclone of November, 1970, (also known as the Bhola Cyclone) which killed upwards of 500,000 people in Bangladesh and fueled further political unrest between East Pakistan (as Bangladesh was then known) and West Pakistan (now simply Pakistan) where the nation’s political and response networks were centered. In time, East Pakistan was granted its independence, and for this reason, the 1970 cyclone is sometimes identified as “the cyclone that gave birth to a nation.” We’ve also heard it applied to our own nation’s political profile and emergency management practices following Hurricane Katrina’s landfall in Louisiana in late-August of 2005. Only time and history can reveal the “truth” of such assessments, but it is well known that governments that are unresponsive to the needs of their citizens in times of peril and fear are governments that don’t last.
But as equally the case with many large-magnitude events, there is more to this horror than government inaction and poor emergency management operations. We’re a crowded planet, and it’s in the nature of humankind to build, farm, fish, and to persevere in those parts of the world where natural disasters are likely to occur. For many voluntary and involuntary reasons, humankind farms the flanks of active volcanoes, crowds earthquake fault lines, and builds its “palaces” on sheets of sand. It’s ironic, yes, and even contrary to the wisdom of human experience - but only when an eruption or earthquake occurs. Until that time, humankind is willing to weather the occasional risk in order to achieve a more constant return. This return is almost always economic, and for that reason, its influences and consequences often compliment one another. The less-enfranchised citizenry of a less-enfranchised country have little choice but to live in danger zones because, quite simply, the land is less expensive, available, and due to nature’s frenetic activity, often fertile.
After the Second World War, policymakers urged the adoption of an economic globalization model as a preventative measure against another devastating war of magnitude. With its exceptions, this concept appears to have worked – at least for the time being. Perhaps now is the time to consider adopting this model for a global approach to emergency management and security. After all, it does seem inevitable that an ongoing need exists. As the global economy continues to grow (and yes, it will continue to expand), as markets develop and flourish, all the nations of the world will want to protect their respective interests in those areas beset by natural and technological hazards by ensuring enhanced business continuity protocols and practices – both at home and abroad. Although it’s secondary to the communal suffering of the human community, the disaster in Myanmar is also an economic crisis (albeit, smaller in scale), and the world must always act to save lives through saving systems because if these systems fail, more lives will be lost. Hopefully, the world’s nations will continue to actively work together in a non-partisan manner to ensure that when a future earthquake hits, or a cyclone makes landfall, or a terrorist strikes, it won’t be said by future generations that we did nothing as human beings to protect and prepare our own.
Professor Longshore Email this · Subscribe to this Feed · Bookmark This! · Post a Comment » Posted by David Longshore in Natural Disasters. David Longshore is the Director of MCNY’s Emergency and Disaster Management MPA Program. 2 Responses to “Cyclone Nargis”Leave a Reply
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May 8th, 2008 at 8:08 am
I can’t help appreciating the irony aptly demonstrated by this catastrophe. Oppressive governments often sneer at Democracies as weak an unable to concentrate and command their resources to meet an emergency. And yet, due to fear of being seen as weak, losing control, and having their failures brought to light, the very same oppressive regimes often wind up killing far more of their people than the initial disaster.
How many in Myanmar are going to get killed off by their military Junta before that country truly opens up their borders for aid?
I can barely believe that the world has to pressure Myanmar to let in aid! This just goes to prove that we must always have a realistic appreciation for the political geography in our disaster plans.
Mike Chaly
May 14th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
You’re right, Michael - sometimes it isn’t enough to deal with those challenges handed out by nature, but also by poor political systems that refuse to respect and assist their respective populations.
This afternoon, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) cancelled the cyclone-generation bulletin issued late last night. JTWC has been tracking an area of low pressure in the Bay of Bengal that was initially forecast to develop into a powerful cyclone and affect Myanmar and those areas ravaged by Cyclone Nargis. Let’s hope this respite allows humanitarian efforts to proceed in Myanmar.
China, too, is currently dealing with the after-effects of a devastating natural disaster. Media reports indicate that rescue and relief workers from the nation’s military are now reaching the affected areas, and the destruction is apparently on an enormous scale - some 400 dams have been damaged. Not only has the death toll soared to 15,200, but Chinese authorities are fearful that additional casualties will be discovered as the rescue operations continue. This seems to me to be another operational area where Emergency Management has applicability; securing and coordinating transportation systems in remote areas. I’m reminded of the challenges that EM operations in Cove Neck, Long Island, experienced following the crash of Avianca Flight 52 in January of 1990. The crash site was located in a heavily-wooded, remote area, and it took several hours to secure full access to the site. In addition to providing education and interagency coordination, EM operations can assist with obtaining the transportation and tools necessary to access remote disaster areas.