Crisis Management: Tsunami - Term Paper Example

Name : xxxxxxxxxxx Institution : xxxxxxxxxxx Course : xxxxxxxxxxx Title : Crisis Management Tutor : xxxxxxxxxxxx @2010 Table of Contents Title : Crisis Management 1 Crisis Management 4 Tsunami 4 Introduction 4 Causes of tsunamis 4 Classification of tsunamis 5 Humanitarian impacts 5 Economic impacts 6 Environmental impacts 7 Tsunami crisis management 7 Disaster Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness 8 Analysis of vulnerability and intensity 8 Making response modules for the crisis 9 Designing a plan matching scenarios to the response module 9 Setting up of a command post 10 Chain of command 10 Communication channels 10 Continuous simulation exercise 11 Review of the post-crisis 11 Assessment of the tsunami hazards 12 Providing a warning guidance through a detection, threat evaluation, and alert system 12 Safety precautions 13 Attending to Victims 14 Management of coastal zone in the areas affected 14 The role of the government 14 Conclusion 15 Bibliography 16 Crisis Management Tsunami Introduction Tsunami, also referred to as the seismic sea wave, is a series of large and destructive water waves(which are also referred to as tsunami wave train) whose causes are massive water displacement and tremendous displacements in the floors of large water bodies like the sea ,the ocean and also the lake leading to tremendous disturbance in the water body, with a resultant prolonged and greater movement of inland water hence creating the perception of tide that is tremendously high. The term tsunami originated from the Japanese word “tsu” meaning harbor and “nami”meaning wave. The term was actually used in Japan to mean “harbor wave “since this was and has been a frequent occurrence in Japan (with a record of 195 cases) (Dudle, W., 1998). Causes of tsunamis Generation of tsunami can occur during abrupt movement of the destructive or convergent plate boundaries hence causing the overlying water to be vertically displaced. It is quite unlikely that their formation are at the divergent or the conservative plate boundaries because these boundaries don’t cause disturbance to the water column’s vertical displacement, hence earthquakes related to subduction zone are the most frequent causes. Since tsunamis’ amplitude (height of the wave) offshore is smaller and the wavelength very long (100s of kilometers), they always pass at sea without getting noticed. They form swell about 12 inches higher than the surface of the sea which increases height when the depth of the water reached is shallow, through the process of wave shoaling. Some of the causes of tsunami therefore include the submarine earthquakes, submarine volcanoes that erupt, eruption of a bubble of gas from the deep ocean parts, landslides and impact events. Classification of tsunamis The classification of tsunamis is always based on the area of its effect, hence can be ocean-wide, regional, or local. The tsunamis that are pacific- wide are not common as they constitute 3.5 % of tsunamis. Due to their waves being massive, they have a massive potential of causing a great destruction. The regional classification is based on regional events and they constitute about 75%of tsunamis. The places commonly affected by the regional tsunamis include Hawaii, Alaska, and Japan. The local tsunamis have their causes from the submarine volcanoes, coastal landslides, or sediment slumping from submarine. They are very dangerous since the time between its warning and occurrence is very short (Tappin, 2001). Impacts of tsunami Humanitarian impacts The number of people who have lost their lives due to tsunami are countless even though there have been attempts to come up with the actual figures. Most of these figures are often overestimated or underestimated by agencies. For instance the geological survey from U.S showed the death toll due to the 2004 tsunami as being very great (227,898 people).this tsunami affected Indonesia the most, especially in Aceh. The death cases resulting from tsunamis are always experienced far and wide due to their expansive nature. Children deaths mostly constitute 1/3 of the total deaths because they can’t resist the waves effectively. Due to the 2004 tsunami, Indonesa lost approximately 167,736 lives with 37,063 missing and more than 500000 people displaced, Sri Lanka lost close to 36000 lives, 21,411 were injured and also 516,150 people got displaced. The particular tsunami had caused approximately 230,210 deaths, 125 000 injuries, 45,745 lost people and 1.69 million people displaced (Macey, 2005). Economic impacts Tsunamis cause devastations in the fishing industry due to great losses it causes to the income earners as well as the destruction of boats and also the fishing gears, this greatly affects countries that rely on fishing as a major source of income, like Japan. It also leads to poor performance in the tourism industry apart from the negative effects it has on the infrastructure, navigational charts and also the Gross domestic product, it calls for use of new strong and resistant materials for use in the construction of boatyards, for instance the plastic catarans that have been reinforced by fiberglass. Environmental impacts The e tsunamis always cause severe environmental impacts that last for longer periods. These include the destruction of the ecosystems like the coral vegetation, reefs, mangroves, rock formations, coastal wetlands, forests, sand dunes ground water, flora and fauna biodiversity and also poisoning of the soil through infiltration of the salt water as well as salt layer deposits over the arable lands. This also extends to fresh water source poisoning through the spread of the sewage matter and the chemicals from industries. Tsunami crisis management Crisis management can be termed as the actions taken in responding to events that are unexpected or even the situations having potential demerits or side effects which may threaten the not only people but also resources as well as their continued successful operation. The tsunami crisis management involves proper planning in order to limit the reoccurrence of the crisis, handling the crisis that has arisen and also the plan implementation so as to deal with the issues. Due to the severe impacts of the tsunami crisis, different countries have embarked on serious practical ways of preventing as well as handling the aftermaths of the tsunamis. There are three phases that the government applies in response to massive natural disasters and they are the emergency and also rescue operations, rehabilitating the social and economic structures, law, as well as order, and rebuilding of the governmental systems and the economy. The Disaster Management Authority coordinators within the district or state should also work together with the nursing homes, shopping malls, local hospitals, daycare centres, and schools so as to make sure they have better plans in case of emergencies. The families who are in zones susceptible to tsunami should be aware of what numbers to dial for help, be able to get away from the house and also look for safe places within the house and outside the house in addition to the knowledge of how and where to reunite incase returning home becomes difficult. The contacts of the relevant authorities should also be available and people should be able to use these contacts without complications. This includes the contacts of police, ambulance, friends, relatives, and fire. They should also be aware of how to give information (Holmes, 2005). Disaster Mitigation and Emergency Preparedness In order for people to be out of the disaster with minimal damage there is need to prepare for the emergency. When people take the necessary step during the disaster because they have the required knowledge then their lives are not at risk. Analysis of vulnerability and intensity The analysis of the tsunami crisis should be done so as to be able to detect the probability of occurrence of the situation in advance, which is helpful in alerting ad hence getting as many people as possible well prepared as well as decreasing damage to properties. This is done to mitigate and prevent the disaster. They are carried out by the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, Interactive Weather Information Network, Wild-wide Earthquake Locator, Federal Emergency Management Authority, National Hurricane Center, and also Earthquake Reporting Service (Bryant, E., 2009). Making response modules for the crisis There should be easy access to response module combinations. They should be pre-set so as to be applied promptly. This helps in dealing with the unexpected scenarios or their combinations flexibly. Flexibility of the response modules are important since the planning scenarios don’t frequently match the real crisis. In case the response options are not modularized as well as flexible then there could be ineffective response to novel events or several events. The response modules can entail police response, grief management, evacuation, medical containment, media communication (external) and also medical containment. Designing a plan matching scenarios to the response module This is very important since it is the link to the response modules that get immediately activated to every planning scenario. For instance the detectors that automatically detect changes and activate various gadgets used to warn people and increase protection. Setting up of a command post This is done in order to relay alerts in an easy and clear way. It is always easily accessed by the crisis response team and connection of the communication lines is always easier. Apart from these such locations should be able to receive external media as well as be accessible to the plans of crisis management; the command post should also be located off-site in case there arises the need for evacuation. The place should be able to contain the necessary resources for immediate set-up and maintain the communication bandwidth necessary. Chain of command There is need for the centralized response to be faster which is greatly determined by the set up of the command chain since this requires the command chain to be very clear in order to react to the response promptly and avoid incoherent responses. Communication channels They should also be clear and easily activated for the access of people who are on site and those who are outside the site. This could involve making announcements with TV monitors and internal speakers. These channels shouldn’t be connected to telephone systems and the web and the message to be relayed should be prepared earlier. Developing mechanisms for easy location of important details is also recommended. The communication language and terms should be well understood by the people the information is meant for. The media is also a vital channel of communication and which reaches various response teams from distant places within a fraction of a second hence getting as many people as possible alerted and also getting more help from outside. However the media has faced criticism for being so much reluctant and not responding to the requests for crisis broadcasts promptly, while most of the journalists have been considered more reactive. It is important to have a press-kit with all the details of the crisis before participation in press interview. The companies offering cell phone services are also very crucial in alerting people of the disaster. Continuous simulation exercise The team responsible for response to crisis should always conduct regular exercises, at least twice a year, as well as regular checking of channels, resource inventory etc.the exercises should not necessarily emphasize on speed but rather should be regular. Review of the post-crisis Every crisis always presents learning opportunities for learning and encourages revision of the plans. This may only happen due to correct mechanism arrangement. For every significant event, the team responsible for responding to crisis should conduct the review of the post-crisis, for instance what went wrong and wright, the learnt lessons, and the changes needed. Assessment of the tsunami hazards This is important since it gives clues to the places that are likely to be hit by tsunami as well as determining the potential threat of the possible tsunami. There have been technological developments used to figure out the potential places of tsunami attack. This involves the use of maps that identify the places that are susceptible to tsunami flooding for the communities that are at risk, hence these maps act as guide to effective hazard planning for the local tsunami. There is also the creation of the inundation maps using several numerical models that assume the tsunami scenarios that are likely to occur. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) carry out research as well as develop models for forecasting tsunamis, apart from developing the maps for evacuation and inundation. These models are taken to the forecasters of NOAA’S Weather Service while the maps are given to emergency managers and the national as well as state planners. The models use the data to give warnings risking communities. Providing a warning guidance through a detection, threat evaluation, and alert system The early warning of tsunami needs monitoring of tsunamis and earthquakes by the warning centres and alerting Authorities concerned both locally and nationally whenever there is a threat from the tsunamis. The safety message provided by these authorities should be understood by the public for ensuring movement to safer places. Education, outreach, training, and public awareness must be done continuously. The process of warning entails using sea level, seismic and also other networks of geophysical data in promptly identifying an earthquake’s tsunamigenic potential (ability to cause tsunami), evaluation dissemination to the relevant authorities as well as continuous public alert by a variety of technologies. In case of an emergency local tsunami that could arrive ashore within ten minutes then the alerts should be very quick and effective. The distant tsunamis might use hours or a day in trasversing across the basin of the ocean like the pacific therefore the centers for tsunami warning as well as the organizations for managing the disaster nationally have enough time to prepare and organize evacuations in order to prevent loss of lives due to the distant tsunami. Therefore the most important measures are commitment as well as local preparedness, since ultimately, the judgment of the warning systems will be based on the effectiveness in reaching and safely leading people who are at the beach to inland, higher ground or hill before tsunami waves begin hitting. Safety precautions People should quit the beach as well as areas with exposure to surf and seek for higher grounds. The individuals in boats within the waters that are shallow should get back to land and go to higher grounds after securing the boats while the ones at sea should not come to land but wait for the advice. It is important to get latest information and advice from the media as well as obey emergency services’ instructions. In case of a perceived low tide movement at the sea the individuals should move to higher grounds. Attending to Victims The victims should be given first aid. They should also be moved to safer grounds, be given the necessary treatment, counseling should be done so as to avoid occurrence of trauma among the victims as well as psychological rehabilitation which is important in addressing the shock cases. The victims should also be offered other crucial support services (Chandra, 2006). Management of coastal zone in the areas affected There is need for redevelopment of the socio-cultural life for both individuals and the society as well as reconstruction of physical and institutional infrastructure .The economy and the affected sectors in the government should also be redeveloped for provision of effective public service. The role of the government The government should maintain proper health records, provide proper requirements and direction information to the organizations willing to provide relief support in terms of food, manpower, and medical services, so as to avoid misdirection and wasting of resources, Should maintain good records of the damages caused and analyze them for future reference. The government should rehabilitate the fishing communities that have been adversely affected in a long-term manner. Crisis lessons Crisis plan should be ready, well detailed and updated before a disaster happens. There should be a variety of communication methods to reach the relevant sources of help during disaster since some might not be working. Humanitarian efforts should be wisely directed. Good and respectful communication tone and skills are important while handling a crisis. Commitment to rebuilding of the areas that have been devastated is crucial. Disaster management should always be a national policy. Conclusion The current tsunami management focus is on the ways of maximizing the potential of the emergency services to deal with tsunami, not only for warning but also for evacuation of individuals at risk. Risk assessment, community education, warning systems that are advanced and up-to-date emergency planning are very crucial in handling the disaster crisis in a much easier and efficient way. Bibliography Macey, R., 2005, The Big Bang that Triggered A Tragedy, The Sydney Morning Herald. 45 (5) 67-78. Chandra. S., 2006, Tsunami: Psychosocial aspects of Andaman and Nicobar islands. Assessments and intervention in the early phase, International Review of Psychiatry. Watanabe, H., 1998, Nihon higai tsunami so_ran, dai ni-han (Comprehensive list of destructive tsunamis to hit the Japanese islands, 2ndedition), Tokyo, University of Tokyo Press. Dudle, W., 1998, Tsunami!, University of Hawaii Press, Hawaii, Tappin, D., 2001, Local tsunamis, Geoscientist. Bryant, E., 2009, Tsunami: The Underrated Hazard, Springer, Berlin. Gupta, M., 2006, Compounded loss: the post tsunami recovery experience of Indian island communities, Disaster Prevention and Management.5 (1) 45-49. Holmes, B., 2005, Tsunami: The impact will last for decades, New Scientist.   Read More