Disaster Emergency Management System during the Sri Lanka Tsunami - Case Study Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Tsunami Attack Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Introduction Tsunami refers to a seismic sea wave(s) that is frequently generated by an underwater landslide. Landslide also refers to an earthquake. Tsunami is created by volcanic eruption into the ocean. Magnitude refers to a system used to measure the power of earthquake’s seismic energy that is released as utility of rock inflexibility by mistake, the area at contact where rubbing occurs, and the quantity of displacement. Earthquake may be defined as a sudden release of force in the terrain crust which generates seismic waves. Seismometer is a device that is used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake on the earth surface. When an enormous earthquake epicentre is positioned offshore, the marine at times suffers ample displacement known as tsunami (Conover 2007). Disaster emergency management system was developed during the Sri Lanka tsunami which took place in the year 2004. The scheme was developed in order to manage emergency disaster as a result of tsunami. For instance, Sri lankan government established mechanism that curbs dreadful incidence caused by tsunami. As a result of indian occean tsumani that took place in December 2004, the australian government set aside a maximum of $68.9M in order to upgrade ATAS( Australian Tsunami Alert System). The main reason as why the Australian government set aside that kind of money was mainly to: upgrade the sea-level and monitering closely the seismic networks across the Autralian sea boundaries, to implement the countries tsunami induction programs, to offer technical assistnce in order to manage the tsunami emergency situation in pacific and indian ocean. As a result of the2004 tsunami tragedy in the Indian Ocean, a lot of worldwide agencies projected that there would be political, financial and technical challenges in order to overcome the occurrence of this dreadful act. Emergency management system was established for the worldwide earthquake-prone region, for example, the Black sea. In one way or the other, developed countries which had resources and ability to institute their own area emergency management network purely for disaster warnings were able to reduce if not avoiding the predicted challenges. For example, specialists who are responsible in assessing the magnitude of tsunami incidence established few systems for checking tsunami in Indian Ocean, and with little, capacity that would warn population nearby. Countries which were affected by tsunami are Australia and Indonesia. These two countries had instituted a tsunami warning or alert system; however they had to watch closely on areas that are considered prone to this kind of attack (Henry 1998). Multi-agency plans for preparedness and updates were conducted to ensure efficient and effective strategy is instituted, in order to address different types of emergencies as well as disaster. Tsunami earthquake causes vertical movement on the earth surface. In yawning stream, tsunami waves is usually less than a meter tall, however it can move at a speed beyond 800km/h and can simply cross the entire sea basin. When they arrive at shallow inlets, the wave immediately slows down. 27 deaths were reported in Canada as a result of earthquake on 18th of November 1929 that hit the burin peninsula. This type of tsunami was caused by submarine slump triggered by a 7.2 earthquake magnitude that smacked about 250 km of the grand shores. After this incident, the Canadian government instituted an emergency management system network that was to detect projected tsunami in the near future. This was mainly to reduce the challenge caused by tsunami incident. Different resources are available at the government and community level to assist in management disaster as well as emergencies. Disasters are usually assigned at different levels, which require both the government and community anticipation level of answer. A list of the government resources with certain instructions should show how tsunami attack will occur and regular updates made through the local media station. The government has to offer a continuous planning process, exercising, organizing, training and enhancing efforts to ensure effectual control and coordination during the tsunami incidence. Australian government preparedness for tsunami attack includes public education and implementation of legislation, which tends to provide protections to individuals who are affected with the tsunami attack. The government may envision training to local authorities, deliverers of education and municipal authority’s on tsunami emergency planning within the state and community level. Most government if not all, have taken the initiative of creating awareness of earthquake risk disaster, effect and how to easily overcome them. Far in progress, the Australian government has gathered adequate emergency supplies and has reduced probable hazards in the country. It has also taught Australian individual on what to do when a hazardous incidence occurs in the near future. It has provided learning materials to the community that facilitates and enhances safety during the tsunami attack. In order for government to determine the probability of tsunami future attack, geologist together with scientists needs to examine a particular rock so as to determine a strained rock beneath the earth surface. It is very important that disaster risk management has to be instituted and developed on hierarchical basis in order to develop government capacity to reduce projected future disaster. The government preparedness includes: improving hazards-reliance on structure; such as airports, markets, hospitals and sanitation infrastructure. The government preparedness must be formulated in such a way that it will synergize closely with NEAP (National Plans for Environmental Management) and changes in climate. Terminologies The terminologies used to describe different aspects of tsunami crisis are clearly displayed and elaborated more differently by different authors. These terms are: Seiche A Seiche is kicked off by a standing wave that moves backward and forward in a fully enclosed water body. It is usually initiated by seismic waves, water waves and wind, or at tsunami. The chief requirement for the formation of Seiche is that the water body has to be moderately bounded, thus allow the configuration of the standing signal. This term was first established by Kvale to portray oscillation of ocean wave known Assam wave in the event of tsunami. Seismic sea wave Tsunami is also known as seismic sea wave since they are usually spawned by earthquake. A seismic wave refers to mechanical energy, and it occurs in earthquake that affects crust of the earth surface. The energy is transmitted during the crust as well core in waves. Catastrophic sea wave is often caused by submarine seismic activity. An underwater volcanic eruption causes tsunami. Tsunami is a Japanese word called harbor wave. Tidal wave is defined as misnomer, since the wave has little or no connection with tides. The most destructive tsunami to have occurred took place in the year 2004 at the shore of the Indian Ocean, after earthquake hits the seabed off to the Indonesian island called Sumatra. Above 200,000 persons were direfully killed in different countries such as Indonesia, India, Thailand and Sri Lanka and several African countries such as Somalia. Travel time The time needed for the first seismic wave to spread from its spring to a different point at the coastline depends on the magnitude of the wave. Tsunami travels through deep fragment of the sea which lies south of Adak and Atka. Travel time for seismic wave has been a major backbone of seismology, because the earliest device of seismographic exhibits that P and S waves was the leading surface of tsunami attack in the mid 19th century. Tsunami damage Loss is generated by a destructive seismic sea wave. More specifically, these damages are caused directly by seismic wave. Destruction can be grouped into different aspects: houses are destroyed, boats are swayed away, and an individual sustains injuries while some die and lumber is carried away. Beyond the incredible demolition of life caused by tsunami, it has the ability to cause a lot of physical damage to an individual. Touching pictures of individuals have been publicly shown to all countries if not all, on the physical effect of tsunami. It has entirely affected buildings and left thousands of cities looking similar to a nuclear battle zone. They have elevated boats high out of the sea level and brutally threw them against the sea shore, smashing each one of them into pieces. It usually has a bent parking all the way beneath the earth surface. For example, in Alaska a boat carrying two individuals was turned upside down killing them instantly. Seismic depression Redistribution of seismic wave is also known as tsunami energy, majorly as a role of its epoch, as it travels backward and forward across the water body. Depression is observed in the event or occurrence of tsunami, this is the water wave produced by the earthquake. Tsunami can be compared as a wind driven stream wave, in which it engrosses energy gratification usually amassed by vertical dislocation of water. However, the causal mechanism of physics propagation varies, but there are major similarities on how tsunami and earth surface wave spread. It is more similar to both Rayleigh wave and love wave, this are types of wave that takes longer time to travel but eventually reach earlier. Seismic wave depends largely on the sea depth (Marty 1977). Emergency management systems and response strategies Risk assessment principle and Indian tsunami is based on knowledge. Closely connected development that critically appraises emergency management and response strategy is working hard on reducing tsunami effect in the country. The group works hard on important areas that are prone to tsunami effect; emergency management tends to improve collaboration, good practices and formulating different concepts which will deal with critical ideas. The IRP (international Recovery Platform) draw back the effects of tsunami on individuals as well as properties. Different areas were surveyed to reduce the level of seismic effect in a country. Most countries if not all, have set aside money which would facilitate and compensate individuals who are affected by the earthquake. This strategy has been adopted majorly by the developed countries. This means that when such incidences occurs, the developed nations tends to reduce the level of challenges that would ultimately be faced by the under developed nations. FAO has established the importance of integrating tsunami disaster thus formulating strategy which would counter the existing risks at hand (Henry 1998). Media coverage There has been detectable difference between media coverage on tsunami which struck south – East of Asia in the year 2004. Tsunami acknowledged a wider media reporting in all countries if not all, both on television as well as print media. The earthquake that took place in counties such as India, Pakistan and Afghanistan was not as dreadful as that which took place in Indonesia. It however left more than 3 million individual homeless and others dead. Low media coverage reduced the accessibility to information especially on people living in remote areas. Reports made by the media exhibits that more than 4000 helicopters were produced to assist individuals who were affected by tsunami. For instance, United States managed to collect a total of $ 8 million as a result of earthquake effect. According to the media report, United States Contributed $ 350 to the tsunami relief, Australia contributed a total of $ 819.9; it was the largest contribution to be made on people affected by tsunami. Media TV of the US made reports that there were 804 seismic waves and 210 earthquakes. Government contribution was not different from private support, as government agencies had immediate information and links to certainty than listeners and private quarter. Media theme has been investigating tsunami links for the past years. The effect of both disasters can be evaluated on death toll and massive destruction of properties; this was the only difference between different tsunami attacks. The effects of tsunami affect countries tourist attraction which explained reasons why there was global solidarity and reports. The volume of media coverage was very low after hundreds and thousands of individual’s lives were lost. If this media coverage continues, it will ultimately lead to lower worldwide awareness thus increase the level of death toll in the country. Different countries differed a lot on information displayed to the public on the effects of tsunami. A country may report that the number of death toll was 1000 while another country may report that the effect of tsunami caused 1200 lives (World Tourism Organization, United Nations Environment Programme 2008). Recovery and continuity strategies Commerce continuity strategy is evidenced by a well printed business continuity strategy and plan, marking an inclusive set of procedures in order to ensure critical funds and infrastructure is replaced after the occurrence of tsunami attack. Recovery and continuity strategies were set to help individual who were affected by seismic sea wave. The recovery strategy for tsunami affected areas was based on different considerations. Tsunami affected families became the chief players in their revival activities. Recovery and continuity strategy targets society organization so as to provide professional advice, ensure good governance and speedy implementation for individuals affected by the tsunami. Recovery and continuity strategy program was aimed at providing and enhancing income support to launch economic actions in the affected regions to reduce post-tsunami transitional intricacy such as unemployment and poverty. Pre-tsunami strategy in the affected areas provides some perception to the extra burden which is cast upon individuals. More than 40,000 families vacated their homes to live in camps after their houses were vandalized by tsunami attack; therefore an immediate reconstruction program was to be instituted to build these houses (Tsuchiya1995). The objectives of recovery and business continuity strategies are: to ensure recovery process for individuals who are most affected by the tsunami effect. These objectives can be achieved through providing food, shelter and clothes as well as reconstructing houses which were initially destroyed. Another objective is to get to know the individual conducting the recovery processes are done, verify the effectiveness of recovery documentation and determine whether this process will be achieved. A triumphant business continuity plan provides extra ability to reinstate or recover data; they perk up the fiscal performance of the company by ensuring continuous workforce output and revenue generation. However, the ability to carry on operations--albeit at a cheap level--is enough for a precise period of time. Not being ready can result in devastatingly harmful consequences. Whereas any interlude to revenue production incontrovertibly plays a chief function in the call for business continuity strategy, certain factors should not be considered when examining the finest business continuity strategy. Most organizations cite tsunami blow on revenue production as the chief drivers, forming demand for a complete recovery and business continuity strategies. Among the tangible effects of recovery downtime, besides the undesirable outcome on revenues, is derailment disordered through thought or speech which is a characteristic of schizophrenia that is marked by steady moving from one matter to another sooner than the initial is fully realized. A business system helps society operate in an effective manner. Allegedly, carmaker Subaru premeditated that business loses up to $20,000/h after the tsunami attack. This understanding shows an elevated measure of direct blow of not instituting a recovery and business continuity strategies which will curb such effects (Satake 2005). Conclusion Tsunami effect is immeasurable; it can affect both properties, physical and fiscal situations in a given country. Most of the well developed countries have instituted network that detects tsunami thereby reducing the effect of the attack. An effective management planning established by the government and communities has helped reduce the tsunami effect. Tsunami occurs as a result of titling of the rocks beneath the earth surface. The magnitude of tsunami is usually measured by Seismometer. Tsunami effect depends on the magnitude of its occurrence. A lot of lives and properties have been destroyed as a result of seismic wave. Disaster recovery is increasingly becoming an important aspect to most countries. Disaster recovery has helped countries affected by tsunami attack, through providing food, shelter and clothing. References Conover. S, 2007, Tsunami of Blood, Lulu.com, New York. Ebert-Stiftung .F, 2005, Post-Tsunami media coverage: the Sri Lanka experience: a study of the media behaviour, Transparency International Sri Lanka: Sri Lanka. Garrison. T, 2008, Essentials of Oceanography, Cengage Learning: Australia. Henry. W, 1998, Response to disaster: fact versus fiction & its perpetuation: the sociology of disaster, University Press of America: New York. Murty.S, 1977, Seismic sea waves: Tsunamis, Department of Fisheries and the Environment, Fisheries and Marine Service: Canada. National Research Council, 1994, Practical lessons from the Loma Prieta earthquake: report from a symposium sponsored by the Geotechnical Board and the Board on Natural Disasters of the National Research Council : symposium held in conjunction with the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, National Academies. Pratim, S. 2009, the Fleeing People of South Asia: Selections from Refugee Watch, Anthem Press, Kansas. Satake. K, 2005, Tsunamis: case studies and recent developments, Springer. Tsuchiya. Y, 1995, Tsunami: progress in prediction, disaster prevention, and warning, Springer. World Tourism Organization, 2008, Climate change and tourism: responding to global challenges, UNEP/Earth print Read More