Economic Collision of the Indian Ocean Tsunami - Assignment Example

Running Header: Crisis Management Student’s Name: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The use of this paper is to document and examine the instant economic collision of the Indian Ocean tsunami produced by the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake which happened in the 26th December 2004 and the disaster management procedure in the immediate result of the disaster. This Tsunami disaster is only one of its kinds among those major disasters that have been experienced in history. This not only due to high number of deaths and displacements of people, but due to high response from international donors and the logistic challenge that the international associations experience as well as other agencies that organize relief efforts. Our initial results were on the need to educate the society concerning the high safety concerns and putting into place appropriate measures to reduce risks and effects of hazards that may occur. It is also crucial to enforce appropriate regulations on coastal environment as a part of policies for preventing disaster. The results also creates a strong case programs and plans design as an important section of strategy for national development, for reducing the force of natural disasters on those affected and pressing the importance of joining international aid obligations with inventive approaches towards tackling troubles as a result of inadequate aids supply in disaster prone states such as Haiti. Table of Contents Table of Contents 3 INTRODUCTION 3 Purpose of crisis management 4 Objectives of crisis management 5 Media coverage and public perception and response to a crisis 5 Crisis preparedness 6 Crisis management programs 7 Post recovery strategies 8 RECOMMENDATIONS 10 CONCLUSION 11 REFERENCES 12 INTRODUCTION According to Hepworth, Rooney, Dewberry & Rooney (2008, p.380), a crisis may be a challenge, loss, a danger or traumatic occurrence. James (2008) defined crisis as an awareness of an event or condition as an intolerable complexity that exceeds the resources or coping method of the person. In the early hours Sunday 26th December 2004 just before 8 am local time, an earthquake growled in the deep in the sea off the coast of northwest, Sumatra. Enormous geological forces activated the earthquake. The Indian Ocean tectonic plate moved suddenly against the Eurasian plate causing a 100-foot protuberance on the ocean floor along a plate more than 600 miles long. The seabed rose by up to 5 meters in places, displacing an extraordinary quantity of water. A series of small aftershocks followed. The earthquakes produced very massive waves traveling at a speed of 1000 km per hour over the big area of the Indian Ocean. Even five years afterwards the exact death tool and full catalogue of physical tragedy is uncertain. The exact death toll has never been known. However, it is understandable that almost 230,000 people died and well over one million people were relocated and over US$10 billion in damage was caused to infrastructure, residence and other property. Athukorala & Resosudarmo (2005, p.3) noted that this tsunami disaster was the world’s first beyond doubt worldwide disaster, with lives devastated in a dozen of states in two different continents. They also noted that the reaction to the tragedy has also been worldwide in a way hardly ever seen before, with tens of millions of ordinary people reaching into their pockets to send help in addition to donor governments and agencies. In some donor countries such as the UK, USA, Italy and Germany private aids exceeded the extensive government help commitments and for the first time corporate donors figured highly among private donors. Purpose of crisis management Crisis intervention aims to help victims take in what has occurred, comprehend how they are reacting and make a decision what they require to do next. The point for crisis interventions is to: Return the persons to their previous level of functioning Assist the person in planning what to do cope with the situation To put together resources that are available and essential to the crisis. Assess the person’s skill to function and pass on the person to further help if necessary. Objectives of crisis management According to Heath (1998, p. 154), crisis management aims at organizing exchange of information within an area or organization with the plan of stopping any crisis from taking place. It also aims at setting up a structure that is well organized towards crisis management as well as reacting to any intimidating or actual crisis. Crisis management also aims at ensuring there is cooperation between relevant participants in the crisis management fields. Media coverage and public perception and response to a crisis People depend on numerous sources of information for risk information, including TV radio, newspapers, friends, and their internet. Recent research points out that some people first learn of disasters from others. Frequently the media work from sensationalism belief, where their concern is in casting the context of risk through political and human interest lenses, often leaving out risk factors. However, it is after Katrina the media supplied much needed information, emotional support, and company to victims who felt remote and alone. The Media reporting of the disasters or crisis is a significant factor in determining the timing, financial support and level of any international reply. Even thought media coverage is the key in initiating humanitarian response; the level of humanitarian need is merely one of the issue inspiring editorial decisions about whether and how to cover a disaster. Facebook is one of the areas that spreads quickly the information from on area to another especially now that it is more widely being used in mobile phones. It assists in creating awareness among the people when signs of a major disaster looms. While media should admit these responsibilities, humanitarian NGOs need to accept the priority and supplies of the media. NGOs see the media as a source of drawing the public and political concentration, and as a result financial support. The media also plays a significant role in the bottom of notice to, and as a result financially supporting disaster which happened in the past or which is ongoing. Crisis preparedness According to Coppola (2011, p.251) the objectives of disaster and crisis preparedness are to recognize what to do in a disaster’s consequences. Preparedness reduces hazard’s unpleasant effects through effective preventive actions that make sure a timely, appropriate and efficient organization and delivery of response and relief action. Jha (2011, p.77) points out that, natural dangers such as tsunami cannot be controlled. However, the weakness to these hazards can be strong by designed mitigation and preparedness actions. There need to be intense and continued steps towards reducing the weakness of communities of disaster. An excellent disaster awareness strategy is the root of any operational crisis management system and needs extremely interdisciplinary job. Places that are sensed as risky areas have to be attended to first and foremost since we must be anticipating the biggest hit of an earthquake or tsunami there. Organizations such as first aid groups that are going to help at the disaster should be prearranged without put in danger their lives also. Bernard & Robinson (2009 p.439) argues that all tsunami warning message and crisis management systems must be regularly tested and worked out. This is particularly true for tsunami warning systems due to the irregularity of major tsunamis. Regular in-house educating for tsunami warning centre analysts is serious to both analyst’s ability and check in-house system by run through various scenarios. Tsunami warning center procedures must be checkered multiple times per day and primary contact message receipt must be confirmed monthly. Only with energetic and custom testing will the tsunami warning system work properly incase a tsunami event happens. Some of the countries are well known for their prone to disaster such as China, Japan, and China among others. Such countries should incorporate disaster management measures as a way of ensuring that in case of such an event occurs, then every person is aware of the immediate actions to undertake in minimizing the effects. Crisis management and preparedness can be accomplished through media outreach and kits such as; radio, television, newspaper and magazines which can be used to teach the public on tsunami preparedness and improvement efforts (NRC, 2010, P.230). Crisis management programs Shaw (2006, pg.83) noted in his journal that according to Brown (2005), earlier before Maldives tsunami, the country had inadequate international agencies and development organizations. The UNDP, UNICEF, UNFPA and WHO which financed specific developmental programs preserved small offices and were mostly accountable for sharing of funds and assessment of projects result. Some of the developed countries such as Germany, USA, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, and Netherlands are countries that have supplied a lot of aids to countries that have been affected by tsunami disaster. They are prepared for any disaster or crises through setting out a certain percent of budget allocation in terms of finance in their expenditures. This will make sure that in an event of a disaster, there will be quick response towards recovery. These countries have assisted in the recovery process in tsunami disasters areas. Strategy polices have been set up by various organizations like FAO, UNDP, UNEP, European Commission, and Disaster Emergency Committee (UK) among others to assist in disaster events. Support in terms of resources and other required aids have been distributed by relief organizations like UNICEF, WHO, WFO, and FAO among others to the affected population when disasters strike. With the aim of improving the quality of humanitarian action that includes longer term developments and recoveries, Tsunami Evaluation Committee was started after the 2004 tsunami. It is an independent, learning and accountability plan that has been ongoing in the humanitarian area. It also aims at providing accountability to both affected populations or regions and donors to the overall response. It also aims at the approach towards a possible model for the future joint collaborative evaluation of disasters. Post recovery strategies Stiles (2006, p.149) indicates that one economic revival and rebuilding is important. More and more plans have been brought up that give confidence to entrepreneurial actions as part of the in general recovery strategy. A good example is the USAID. Immediately after the Indian Ocean tsunami tragedy, it developed the five mechanisms which are; direct relief, transition from “camps to communities”, infrastructure, early warning signs and technical assistance. The direct approach of this program was specifically intended to make easy the change from temporary campground to more permanent, economically steady communities within the post disaster environment. BAPPENAS in connection with government ministries and agencies as well as the patron group of people worked on an in general rehabilitation and reconstruction arrangement, which was completed in March 2005. It was predictable the relief phase, focusing on humanitarian relief including the construction of short-term shelter and urgent situation repair to infrastructure to last six months. Reconstruction which focused on rebuilding the areas through investment in the economy, infrastructure, social and cultural system, housing and institutional capacity was to take at least five years United Nations ESCAP (2005, p.173). Public education and awareness are of greatest significance. Education of the events to be taken when countenanced with an emergency helps to very much reduce victims. After the 2004 off Sumatra earthquake approximately all residents who experienced any kind of injury know the word ‘Tsunami’ and have been educated that there might be a risk of being attacked by harsh tidal waves after a large earthquake. Bearing in mind the fact that Tsunami is started by huge scale underwater earthquakes, a number of Armenian NSSP (National Survey for Seismic Protection) seismological locations have been set up. They include IRIS and CTBTO global surveillance networks and record any earthquake on the Earth with elevated correctness in actual time. Hazard map needs to be urbanized, to be circulated to the community and to be used in disaster management planning. However, it will require the national and international efforts to expand Tsunami hazard maps. Highly danger areas in hazards maps should be acknowledged and tough notice should be paid to the building controls in these areas. Up-to-date Geographical Information Systems (GIS) expertise is vital to expand accurate hazard maps. In Japan, national government makes Tsunami hazard maps. These maps are not so clear but sufficient to show areas of tsunami attacks. Each coastline has its map and in the maps the tsunami heights have been indicated as well-versed in the Tsunami warning issued by JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency). They are useful for inhabitants to be alert of the risk of Tsunami attack and make a departure plan. Consequently, it is highly suggested to make Tsunami hazard maps for all nations where have possibility of being hit by big Tsunamis. RECOMMENDATIONS An effective information management will help make sure that vital information is being passed on to the stakeholders in a well-timed manner. Development of in order management structure is suggested. It’s important to plan the on how to gather data, put in order data and deal out information. It will be an effective improvement countermeasure for Tsunami, if governments can effectively move houses 500m away from coastlines Tsunami and Earthquake resistant design of the buildings should be introduced. It will be significant that structures are built following the particulars of the design diagram. Not much damage was observed further than 500 meters away from the ocean. It was also stated that buildings made of bricks and concrete with solid foundation confirmed to be resistant to the harm therefore the governments should impose the building codes policies and coastal zone regulations. Building of sea walls in all the coastlines will be considered luxurious. However, there was evidence of the efficiency of sea walls to alleviate damages. It will be recommended to build sea walls where residences are heavily constructed. Planting the mangrove trees should also be considered collectively with sea walls. Coastal area should be secluded by the sea wall or bio fencing, which proves to reduce the impact of Tsunami. CONCLUSION The scale of loss of people and damage of properties caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami is almost unfathomable. The sheer geographical scope of the tsunami damage and the huge number of lost lives will leave a long lasting scar on the region. The tsunami has forced governments, NGOs and international organization to take store and reflect on their own disaster preparedness. It has also formed important modifications in local, national and international disaster response programs and institutions. Governments in tsunami regions have introduced and strengthened national disaster management institutions and laws. In the wake of great disaster, it is natural to look for hope. We hope that the pain that vast number of people have suffered will not be in vain. Certainly, there are views which need careful consideration such as; local preparedness that governments in developing countries and international donor agencies alike should give more attention. REFERENCES Athukorala, P.C. & Resosudarma, B. P 2005, The Indian Ocean Tsunami: Economic impact, disaster management and lessons, Edward Elgar, USA. Coppola, D.P 2011, Introduction to Internal Disaster Management, 2nd edition, Butterworth Heinemann, USA. Galbraith, C. & Stiles, C.H 2006, ‘Developmental Entrepreneurship Adversity, Risk and Isolation’, International Research in the Business Disciplines, Volume 5, CA; Elsevier Ltd. Hepworth, D.et el 2008, Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills, Brooks/Cole, USA. Jha, M.K 2010, Natural and Anthropogenic disaster: Vulnerability, Preparedness and Mitigation, Springer, New York. National Research Council 2010, Tsunami Warning and Preparedness: An assessment of the US. Training program and the national preparedness efforts, National Academic Press, Washington. Shaw, R 2006, ‘Disaster Prevention and Management, An International Journal’, Recovery from Indian Ocean Tsunami Disaster, Volume 15, Issue 1, pp. 83. United Nations ESCAP, 2005, Economic and Social Survey of Asia and the Pacific 2005: Dealing with shock, United Nations; New York. Read More