Decision Support Systems - Term Paper Example

Decision Support Systems Introduction: On October 8, 2005 a major earthquake, measuring 7.6 struck Asia. The affected areas were of India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. However the maximum damage occurred in the Pakistan occupied Kashmir area where at least 73,000 people were dead and millions were rendered homeless. It was the beginning of the winters and the relief measures were not over. It was feared that the winters would cause severe human causalities in absence of proper shelter and clothing for the displaced people (Oxfam New Zealand, n.d) Luckily, mild winters, combined efforts of the Pakistani authorities, aid agencies and the donors averted any major damages to the human lives. However, even after six months, many of the two million people made homeless still need and are waiting for the supports (Oxfam New Zealand, n.d). Pakistan frequently experiences natural disasters resulting in heavy casualties of life and the wealth. The seismic risk is heavy in many major Pakistani cities like Karachi, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Poor constructions and lack of building codes enforcement lead to further loss of the human life. Further, changes in demography and climate could lead to more damages (Pakistan 2005 Earthquake, n.d, 24) Decision Support Systems: Considering the extent of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Pakistan and the possibility of its reoccurrence in the future, it is necessary that certain strategy should be devised to reduce the deadly effects of these natural catastrophes. Here are some of the steps suggested for the concerned authorities to consider. Identifying the risk: It has been found earlier that there are greater chances of the places around the earthquake-affected area experiencing the tremors of earth shake. A seismological monitoring does exists in almost every country but it should be modernized. After the recent quake efforts should be made to make new seismic risk analysis in Pakistan. A combined assessment of the potential risk to the human lives, infrastructure and the economy should be made. The authorities in the areas prone to the earthquakes should be made aware of these hazards and instructed to strictly follow the construction rules. In the future development plan the areas of the earthquake should be shown clearly. Also there should not only be the seismic recording machines, there should also be early warning systems. The experienced scientist should closely monitor these systems. The time of warning before the actual occurrence of the disaster should be long enough for the government to take the preventive actions like removal of people from the area of potential disaster. These early warning systems should be maintained properly and from time to time should be checked for the consistency (Pakistan 2005 Earthquake, n.d, 25) Responding to the Earthquake: A national disaster strategy should be made and implemented. At the time of disaster there should be close coordination between the national authorities and the local authorities. After the disaster local community is generally the first responder. Hence the locals in the disaster prone areas should be given training to tackle the emergency situations. They should be trained to protect themselves and also protect others (Pakistan 2005 Earthquake, n.d, 24). The local authorities also should be made competent enough and trained to face such emergency situations. The NGOs should be encouraged to get involved in the emergency, at the earliest. The local community, the NGOs, the local authorities and the national authorities, all should be made to work in tandem without creating unnecessary hassles in the emergency situation. Even after the earthquake is struck there are possibilities of evacuating the people from the affected areas, which should be done with the help of the army and the air force. The bodies of the affected from the debris should also remove as soon as possible, as there may be chance of some live people lying under the debris. The Relief Operation: The earthquake causes massive destruction of the human life and wealth. Millions of people become homeless; there is acute shortage of food and water. In these critical conditions it the duty of the government to start the relief measures immediately on war footing basis. Provision of the food packets and the medicines should be made on top priority basis. This is to prevent the epidemic, which may occur due to unhygienic atmosphere. The government should appeal to all sections of the society, NGOs, people of country, corporate houses for the assistance in the time of calamity. Medical camps should be organized at as many places as possible. For those who have lost the homes, temporary shelters should be made immediately. At the same time construction of the damaged buildings should be started so that the homeless can return to their homes as soon as possible. This will also help in overall normalizing the situation at the earliest. Reducing the future risk: Reconstruction requires lots of investment, and government should take care that there are no potential hazards in the reconstructions. The buildings should be meeting the earthquake dangers standards. The public buildings should also be reconstructed with the best material so as to sustain any dangers from the future calamities. Risky areas of the land should be found out. For instance in the present case of Pakistan, the site situations affected the level of damage. In Muzzafarabad and Balakot the landslides occurred on the steep slopes while the settlements lay on the foot plains. This amplified the impact from the earthquake. Hence areas not suitable for the construction purposes should be identified (Pakistan 2005 Earthquake, n.d, 25). Conclusion: In many parts of the world the earthquakes tend to occur in cycles. There is greater chance of recurrence of the earthquakes there. A modern seismic monitoring and warning system should be employed so that the effects of the calamity can be reduced by evacuation of people from the affected areas. At the same time, the quality of the construction should be improved so as to make the buildings earthquake resistant (Pakistan 2005 Earthquake, n.d, 26) References Oxfam New Zealand. (n.d) Accessed April 28, 2006. http://www.oxfam.org.nz/whatwedo.asps1=What%20we%20do&s2=Emergencies&s3=South%20Asia%20Earthquake "Pakistan 2005 Earthquake."(n.d). Accessed April 28, 2006. Read More