Natural Disasters in Movies - Essay Example

Disaster is an event that though it may seem inevitable should be prevented. In a number of the worse disasters in current history, the human factor of negligence and unwillingness often put already vulnerable people to the highest degree of risk. The Disaster Management Cycle of preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery are absent or at the very least lacking in such disasters as the Bhopal industrial accident, the levees breaking during Hurricane Katrina, and the mega tsunami at the Indian Ocean. Then, in efforts to educate people how to survive a disaster, Navy SEAL Cade Courtley demonstrates how to escape a burning building. The preceding events claimed thousands of lives in disasters that are both natural and technological hazards. The disaster does not stop at the actual occurrence of the gas leak, the hurricane, or the tsunami. The true catastrophe sets in with the letdown of those at fault and the government agencies who failed to address the situation of the people left by the grueling devastation. The Bhopal gas leak in India occurred when a 15-year old plant released one of the most toxic chemical known to man, the MIC or Methyl isocyanate. Failing with the three safety measures that could have prevented it because of cost-cutting, 3,000 people died within hours and 300,000 more exposed on December 3, 1984. This video led me to realize that technological hazard as discussed could have catastrophic results when not taken seriously. There was poor regulation of the plant and as one of the people interviewed said, there was a problem because they weren’t able to flush water out for about 20 days, meaning there was a leak, but there was no report about it. In a country like India where a multi-national corporation such as Union Carbide sets up shop, it was also evident that there was no government accountability. CEO Warren Anderson got off virtually scot-free by paying $470M or approximately $600 per victim. He was arrested and detained luxuriously and once he posted bail he immediately flew out of India. To this day many people are still suffering the effects of the exposure and there is nothing anyone is doing about it. This is the real tragedy that lingers on for decades (“Seconds From Disaster: Bhopal Nightmare,” 2014). In When the Levees Broke, Spike Lee chronicles the events and the lives of the 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims in New Orleans and the gulf states of Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida. The most devastated, New Orleans, suffered due to its geographical location as a city six feet below sea level. But the real problems proliferated after the hurricane when looting became a major issue because of the absence of federal relief that should have been brought by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This is a good example of how social dynamics play an important role in disasters. When looting became rampant, the divide between whites and African-Americans became even more apparent. Many white people showed direct bias to African-Americans and some had been shot by mere suspicion. The local government was unable to address this problem as they continued to plea for relief from the federal government. The city remained under water as the faulty levees is exposed to be a technological hazard because of bad engineering. Disaster management is even more difficult in this situation as national guards are given shoot to kill orders to prevent looting (Pollard & Lee, 2006). The mega tsunami of 2004 was an unexpected event that ravaged parts of Sumatra, Thailand, Maldives and Sri Lanka in 2004. The death toll is so massive that its actual figure was never identified. This falls within the Black Swan Theory where the scientists and the authorities never contemplated the extent of an event such as this or that it may even happen. In this tragedy, it was only after the event that scientists were able to determine how the tsunami was able to be such enormous at such a quick speed. Though there is already data of a huge fault line in the Indian Ocean, the tsunami produced was unprecedented. There were virtually no safety regulations that could have led to the saving of more lives. As what have been said in the video, even with a tsunami warning, majority of the people would not have stood a chance. “The only escape is to go to a solid structure, and go up as high as possible” (“Seconds From Disaster: Asian Tsunami,” 2013). In the episode of Surviving Disaster: Towering Inferno, Courtley shows how to escape from a burning building through knowledge of the landscape and by using ordinary office materials. This show emphasizes that one should not depend on help that may or may not come. It is more important to be equipped with the right knowledge and the alertness to survive a building consumed by fire because of faulty wirings. In this simulated scenario, Courtley shows the viewers that presence of mind is imperative in order to survive. The information given in this video was logical and often disregarded such as something as simple as never getting into an elevator. This is common sense since an elevator is operated by electricity and such will not necessarily be working during a fire. More so, being enclosed in a box would prevent you from knowing what waits once the door opens. Dealing with burns and not moving a burn victim are also things to remember as victims often suffer not only from fire itself but because of its byproducts (“Surviving Disaster- Towering Inferno,” 2009). These videos are important in understanding how disasters work and more importantly, how disaster management should be implemented effectively. In all of these cases, preparedness is wanting. In the Bhopal incident, there was obstruction of information since Union Carbide did not immediately inform the hospitals that it was MIC and the doctors were not equipped to handle the situation and did not have any antidote. In New Orleans, the situation was dense with social issues as race became a major factor affecting the safety of the people. As Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco said, “Usually disasters like this bring out the best in everybody and that’s what we expected to see” (Pollard & Lee, 2006). But this wasn’t the case and people were enraged by the flawed construction of the levees and the lack of assistance from FEMA. The Asian Tsunami is the first time the world has ever seen such massive tsunamis that engulfed coastal areas in a matter of seconds. It was a learning consequence but it does not take away from the fact that there are data available supporting the possibility of such killer waves. The earthquake was off the Richter Scale and lasted for minutes. The research conducted by scientists now provide for better data in understanding this kind of events. However, if governments and people continue to build structures close to the coastal line without regard for the possibility of another disaster, then there is nothing that any tsunami warning can do to prevent the loss of lives. Survival techniques such as those provided by Cade Courtley may be one’s best chance to stay alive. Disaster management should come with understanding not only the physiology of a natural or technological hazard but also the awareness of the social and political dynamics at play. These factors will determine the weakest and strongest points of a community in times of peril and establish what needs to be addressed in order to reach the people and bring them closer toward the ultimate goal of recovery. Bibliography David, A. (2014, April 11). Seconds from disaster S04E06 Bhopal nightmare PDTV ZiLLa. [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQ1hXmVyyOU Pollard, S. (Producer), & Lee, S. (Director). (2006). When the levees broke: a requiem in four acts [Motion picture]. United States: HBO Documentary Films. Seconds from disaster S03E07 - Asian tsunami. (2013, June 29). Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHvHKoakXuU Towering Inferno - Episode 102. (2009, October 9). 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