Natural and civic disasters are a cause of profound suffering and devastation across the world. According to CRED (Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters), between 2000 and 2009, an average of over 227 million people were affected by natural disasters every year. The definition that CRED provide for what they term a disaster is “a situation or event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to a national or international level for external assistance; an unforeseen and often sudden event that causes great damage, destruction and human suffering.”
As is suggested by this definition, the reason that disasters pose such a threat is twofold. Firstly, we have only a limited ability to accurately predict when and where they will strike and those affected are often completely unprepared and unable to adequately cope with the situation. Secondly, the effects of disasters can be both wide-ranging and long-lasting, completely debilitating whole communities and claiming not only many lives, but the livelihoods of those who do survive. Beyond their immediate human impact, disasters have the capacity to wreak havoc with a country’s vital infrastructure network, destroying roads, bridges and airports, as well as numerous buildings, including hospitals and schools. In terms of property damage, 2011 has already been the costliest year on record, with an estimated $265 million of economic losses due to natural disasters in the first six months of the year alone.
These impacts are well documented and all too familiar in the era of 24 hour news that beams images of death and destruction into our homes. Such coverage can of course help those affected, as their plight is revealed to the world. It is no surprise that financial donation to help those affected by disasters increases relative to the media coverage that a particular disaster receives. However, what happens when the reporters and TV crews take their cameras and move on to the next story? The longer term effects of natural disasters are less tangible for those of us far removed from those affected by the event. Although, given the necessary support, some may be able to rebuild their livelihoods over time, there are also those who may never be able to fully recover.
The disaster problem is one that requires international governments, organizations and charities to cooperate and continue to help those affected for years after a disaster strikes. Whilst the media may eventually move on, for those affected by such disasters, the process of ‘moving on’ is not so smooth.
