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Effects of a natural disaster
Impact of disasters on society
Effects of a natural disaster
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Even though it is currently possible to predict most natural disasters and minimize their consequences, major social impacts still have been seen over recent decades. In this essay, a natural disaster is defined as a naturally occurring event that exerts adverse effects onto human society, including those caused by geological factors and infectious organisms. It may result in a wide range of aftermaths, however, only the most prominent ones of these will be examined including casualties caused by a disaster, public health crises and economic depression.
Firstly, the most direct and immediate impact of a natural disaster on a society is the loss of human life. In certain types of natural disasters large number of casualties may not occur, nevertheless in the scenario of a far-reaching flood and earthquake, the death toll could be immense. It is estimated that the 1976 Tangshan earthquake caused more than 750 thousand deaths, making it rank the first among all earthquakes in the 20th century (BBC, Year unknown, internet). This figure indicates a correlation between population density and higher casualties. Furthermore, On April 20 2011, Edmond Mulet, the head of the UN mission in Haiti said, "marked the 100th day since the devastating earthquake that struck Haiti, leaving between 250,000 and 300,000 people dead," (2010, quoted in The Telegraph, internet). Since Haiti is an underdeveloped country, the mitigation system is incomplete, as well as the assistance measurement, hence the numeber of dead was significant. In addition, it is reported that nearly a month after a disastrous earthquake generated the tsunami along Japan's northeastern coast, approximately 15,000 individuals were still missing, and the majority of them are poss...
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http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v437/n7060/suppinfo/nature04230_S1.html (Accessed: 16th April, 2011)
The Sydney Morning Herald (2011) ‘Japan races to find tsunami dead’ 7 April
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/japan-races-to-find-tsunami-dead-20110407-1d5zm.html
The Telegraph (2010) ‘Haiti's earthquake death toll revised to at least 250,000’
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/centralamericaandthecaribbean/haiti/7621756/Haitis-earthquake-death-toll-revised-to-at-least-250000.html (Accessed: 16th April, 2011)
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The tsunami in Thailand that occurred on December 26, 2004, was by far the largest tsunami catastrophe in human history. It was triggered by a magnitude 9.1-9.3 earthquake along the Indian-Australian subduction zone off the northern coast of Sumatra. The tsunami waves traveled primarily in the east to west direction and caused major damage along the coasts of southern Thailand. Unpredictably, it was a violent earthquake beneath the sea that initiated the massive waves and struck more than a dozen countries in Southern Asia. It also destroyed thousands of miles of coastline and even submerged entire islands permanently. Throughout the region, the tsunami killed more than 150,000 people, and a million more were hurt, homeless, and without food or drinkable water, making it perhaps the most destructive tsunami in the modern history. In spite of peninsular Thailand's location facing the northern part of this subduction zone, the lack of any written historical records, together with the lack of any major local seismic activity, the tsunami caused thousands of fatalities and huge economic losses in the popular tourist regions in Thailand. Immediately after the disaster, numerous organizations and individual citizens have helped out and contributed to this devastating tsunami. Indeed, the tsunami in Thailand was a worldwide event, with significant wave action felt around the world. In this context, I am focusing more on the key features of the tsunami’s natural causes, the psychological effects on citizens, the perspective of socio-economic impacts and the consequences of the tsunami calamity.
The Haitian government’s lack of preparedness for earthquakes despite the fact that earthquakes are common to the region is indicative of the governments inability and lack of resources to properly plan and protect it’s population against natural disasters. This lack of preparedness is not an isolated incident. Prior to the disaster, the World Bank and others were working with the Haitian government to incorporate disaster risk management into Haiti’s development strategy and to develop its capacity for disaster response. This capacity building was in its early stages of development when the earthquake hit, on January 12, 2010, and was mainly focused on hurricanes, which are the most common cause of natural disaster on the island (Margesson, 2010, p. 4).
Currently, almost two years ago Haiti was struck by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake. It sparked an international urge to help aid and relieve Haiti of its catastrophe. Not only governments in various countries reached out, but independent organizations as well. This disastrous event showed how the world could come together when their neighbor is in need. But prior to this 2010 earthquake, Haiti was already facing devastation other than a natural one - societal.
Hazards pose risk to everyone. Our acceptance of the risks associated with hazards dictates where and how we live. As humans, we accept a certain amount of risk when choosing to live our daily lives. From time to time, a hazard becomes an emergent situation. Tornadoes in the Midwest, hurricanes along the Gulf Coast or earthquakes in California are all hazards that residents in those regions accept and live with. This paper will examine one hazard that caused a disaster requiring a response from emergency management personnel. Specifically, the hazard more closely examined here is an earthquake. With the recent twenty year anniversary covered by many media outlets, the January 17, 1994, Northridge, California earthquake to date is the most expensive earthquake in American history.
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The Haiti earthquake that occurred on January 12, 2010 just fifteen miles south of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince was a severely large-scale earthquake, at a magnitude of 7.0. The initial shock was then followed by a series of aftershocks with magnitudes ranging up to 5.9. Over three hundred thousand people died due to this extreme chaos. Many buildings collapsed and disintegrated under the force of the quake; both the cathedral and National Palace in Port-au-Prince were heavily damaged. In the aftermath of this tragedy, efforts to aid the people of Haiti with medical assistance, water, and food were hampered by the loss of communication lines as well as by roads blocked by debris. Over one million people were left homeless due to this quake. Two days after the earthquake, journalist Leonard Pitts wrote “Sometimes the Earth is Cruel,” an article describing how the people of Haiti responded to the disaster. In “Sometimes the Earth is Cruel,” a major theme is that some things are inevitable.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 hit the island of Haiti on January 12, 2010, killing anywhere from 100,000 to 300,000 people, injuring another 300,000 others, and leaving over 1.5 million without homes (Fleddermann, 2012, p.116). The majority of the destruction and human toll occurred in Port au Prince, the capital city of Haiti, although the effects of the earthquake were spread throughout the island. Aside from the many people who died, were injured, or left homeless, those involved in this disaster are the Haitian government, the United Nations, civil engineers, the press, relief organizations, and the United States. Although initially perceived as simply a natural disaster, it becomes apparent through further research that the degree of loss experienced might have been lessened if certain procedures and codes were in place and followed to increase the safety and integrity of the buildings in Haiti.
The effects caused by earthquakes are devastating. They cause loss of human life and have effects on infrastructure and economy. Earthquakes can happen at any time anywhere. In January 12, 2010 an earthquake of a magnitude of 7.0 hit the nation of Haiti. An estimation of 316,000 people were killed, and more than 1.3 million Haitians were left homeless (Earthquake Information for 2010). Haiti was in a terrified chaos. After the earthquake, families were separated because many of the members were killed. Homes, schools, and hospitals were demolished. People lost their most valuable belongings. It will take time for the country to recover from this terrible disaster. The long damages are economic issues, health-state, and environmental issues that effect in the beautiful island of Haiti.
Natural disasters have been the major killer of our race, since they are unstoppable. Although the rapidly improving technology nowadays can predict the size and estimated arrival time of the natural disasters, it cannot protect people from getting hit by them. Humans have been protecting themselves by living in a safe shelter, which ranges from ancient caves to earthquake-proof buildings, but the data released every year tells people that the natural disasters cannot be stopped. The accuracy and precision of disaster forecasts reached its limit. The country knows where the disaster starts, when it hits them, and how big it is.
A systemic crisis is a crisis in which the breadth of impact reaches many individuals within the system; for example, schools, businesses, entire communities, regions, or it may be worldwide. The individuals involved in a systemic crisis can become overwhelmed with the enormity of the situation and need physical and/or psychological assistance to regain control. Systemic crisis interventions require a combination of strategies working cooperatively together across multiple agencies to effectively address all potential needs of the victims. However, not all systemic crises are the same and require interventions that are specific to the systemic crisis category. The following paragraphs will give a brief description of a natural disaster
A single that is made for charity for the peoples in Haiti. The peoples in Haiti are suffering and they need our help. In 2010, Haiti suffers from a magnitude 7.0M earthquake which also destroyed the area and killed thousands of people. The earthquake with an epicentrum near a town Leogane (Ouest Department), which is approximately 25 kilometers west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti capital.
Assignment 01: Critical Reading Reflection The article “Haiti’s Disasters: Natural and Man-Made” explores the impacts of Natural and Man-Made disasters on Haiti. Some key themes discussed includes the effects on the general population, past occurrences of such disasters and the assistance from other countries. These brings focus to the issue of how the support for Haiti is carried out by other countries and how it can be improved.
According to official estimates from (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ , 2012), ‘316,000 people killed, 300,000 injured, 1.3 million displaced and 97,294 houses destroyed’. It is also estimated that damage costs where in excess of 11billion according to (http://news.bbc.co.uk , 2014). This brings into question the risk management strategies in places like Haiti. Haiti was not an area unknown to earthquakes before 2010 in fact they had previously had earthquakes which were more powerful than the 2010 disaster. For example in 1946 they had an earthquake which measured 8 on the Richter scale but caused only 100 deaths according to (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/ , 2012).
Public health disasters happen more than we might hear about since they are usually kept pretty well contained by any means possible. Occasionally, they cannot be and they spread like wildfire. The Love Canal Tragedy that took place in Niagara Falls, NY, is just one example of a public health disaster that affected hundreds of people and even forced them to abandon their homes. What started out as a dream of Mr. William T. Love, a dream of a model city fueled by power generated from digging a canal between the upper and lower Niagara Rivers, eventually turned into a nightmare for so many people (Beck, 2016).
The Japan disaster was devastating, and it had an abundance of causes and effects. The nuclear disaster, the tsunami, and the earthquake were the causes of the disaster in Japan. In addition, the disaster had countless effects on the land and people in Japan. The disaster in Japan was as devastating and tragic as 9/11. Both events took a great number of lives and left their country shocked, but prepared them for anything similar that might happen in the future. Knowing the causes and effects of Japan’s disaster can prepare other people and countries around the world for a comparable disaster.