Disaster Risk Reduction Policy - Essay Example

?Disaster Risk Reduction Policy and Practice I. Introduction Definitions of disaster evolved from one that created abnormalities, damages, and death to people forcing people and organizations to react in order to cope up, recover, and live, to an event that made some people vulnerable to great sufferings or death otherwise known as “social vulnerability” (Quarantelli, E.I. 2012). A 3rd characteristic was added to disaster when the notion of uncertainty of event was to be another distinguishing factor of disaster. But for Sundar, I. and Sezhiyan, S.T. (2012, Front Cover), the definition of disaster is a crisis not within the control of a human being due to its “widespresd damage” and one that people cannot immediately recover due to substantial damages. In 2002, the World Health Organization encouraged the international communities to conduct studies on disasters and their impact on the genders, male and female. A pattern about the vulnerability was observed but needed evidence, further studies, and analysis in terms of “exposure to risk, risk perception, preparedness, response, physical impact, psychological impact, recovery and reconstruction”(WHO [a] 2002, p.1). As early as that time, WHO had reported that 2 billion people had been affected by a combination of natural and man-made calamities from 1990 to 1999,wherein nearly 30% died. And there seemed to be a trend of increasing disasters. . [Source: Zakour, M.J. and Gillespie,D.F. (2013). Community Disaster Vulnerability. p.12 ] II.Random Sample of Disasters Worldwide This research compiled a random set of disasters arranged in chronological order to verify such a report of increasing trend reported by the World Health Organization. Year Location of Disaster Description of Disaster # of dead 20th Century up to February 2013 Worldwide Malaria Epidemic 250,000,000 20th Century to February 2013 Worldwide Tuberculosis Epidemic 100,000,000 6/21/1990 Iran Manjil-Rudbar Earthquake 50,000 1995 USA Chicago Heat Wave 739 1999 Venezuela Rains and Mudlides 15,100 2003 Europe Heat Wave 70,000 2003 India Southern India Heat Wave 1,500 12/2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami 240,000 died. 12/26/2004 Indonesia Indian Ocean Earthquake 310,000 10/8/2005 Pakistan Kashmir Earthquake 86,000 5/2/2008 Myanmar Cyclone Nargis 146,000 5/12/2008 China Sichuan Earthquake 87,587 2008 Brazil Sta. Catalina Floods & Mudslides 128 1/2/2010 Haiti Earthquate 316,000 died. 2010 Russia Heat Wave 56,000 2010 Japan Heat Wave 1,718 2011 Brazil Rio de Janeiro Floods & Mudslides 1,000 It should be noted that according to the World Health Organization statistics for 2010 (Kaiser, H. 2012, p.1), the vulnerable sector of society affected by malaria epidemic is the pregnant women and children. Of the 216,000,000 cases in 2010 alone, 665,000 died of which most were children. Because the children were attended to by the female gender, they too were very vulnerable to the epidemic. As a result of such findings, one of the policies of WHO effective 2012 is the “intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy. . .” (WHO [b] 2012, p.2). Hurricanes and storms worldwide also killed thousands from 1990 to 2011. In just this classification of a natural disaster, it can be seen how the female gender would actually be at a disadvantage by virtue of the fact that she is a weaker sex. Their trauma is aggravated by their being emotional to people and things they value and have lost. It would be but natural for women to feel the great damage when their homes are blown away or destroyed by the powerful twisters which could have carried every person who does not hide. Statistics are shown as follows: [Source: Weather Underground Inc. Hurricane Archive. Viewed February 16, 2013 @ http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/hurrarchive.asp] It was discovered that natural disasters had lowered the life expectancy among women more than it does to men. In terms of total impact on the total population, women are more damaged in terms of living shorter lives compared to men whenever a disaster takes place. However, women with higher economic status are less affected than women with lower economic status in disasters. To simplify, this means more women with lower socio-economic standing die at an earlier stage because of disasters, compared to men. In a study of disasters from 1981 to 2002 (Neumayer,E. and Plumper,T. 2007, p. 551), it was further discovered that as the magnitude of disaster grows, the life expectancy of the female gender is shortened much more than that of men. Women are more vulnerable to the risk and actual impact of disaster because they are less able to cope with and recover from disasters. There is a physiological as well as biological disadvantage experienced by women compared to men. Weaker sex is the terminology most people would understand about the female gender. Men have more muscles to react faster. Neumayer, E. and Plumper, T. (2007, p.553) even says that women can easily be blown away by a powerful wind or carried away by a strong water current while men are able to hold steadfast to something to prevent wind and water from lifting them. III.Vulnerability of the Female Gender Another reason for higher vulnerability of the female gender is the role they have to play as primary giver of concern for children, home, and the elderly. Even the common dress of the female gender in many countries can prevent them from being able to cope up in disaster situations compared to men. In the Marmara earthquakes of Turkey in August 17 followed by another in November 12, 1999, a study was conducted to analyze the impact on people. Approximately 17,000 died. The women who survived were observed to have been burdened by more responsibilities, having lost homes. They searched for injured relatives. Women were the ones who “lined up for assistance” while the men were not at home (Dagupta, S., et. al. 2010, p.29). And this was their daily routine while living in tents taking care of children. Moreover, because their husbands lost jobs needed to sustain the family, the women themselves had to help out by looking for work. If it was not possible because they had children to attend to at home, they engaged in a productive endeavour at home to add to the income to meet all their needs. Dr. Landrine, H. and Russo, N.F. (2010, p.268) also mentioned that mothers and wives were at higher risk of experiencing poor mental health after disasters. Women were more depressed by the difficulties resulting out of a depression. It could be primarily due to the tendency of women to be emotional rather than logical that such depression is developed. Being emotional makes a person fail to utilize a reasoning best performed by the mind and not by the heart. As a result of these realities about the female gender, there is a need to monitor them more closely with the help of a much more logical mind like a professional psychologist. If not, the negative impact of violence experienced during disaster can be aggravated by the difficulties of coping up, and may end up with women having “Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)” (p.274). PTSD can make the recovery of women from trauma last four times longer than men. IV. Community Based Disaster Risk Relief In response to the need for an effective risk management during times of disasters, recent trends have become community-based. Shaw, R.(2012, p.xix). This is because it is closer to the culture of a nation. The first people who respond to disasters are the people in communities. To enhance sustainability of the CBDRR, the support projects aim to (a) “Promote and strengthen a culture of coping with crisis; (b) “Enhance people’s perception onvulnerability.”; (c)”recognize motivation of community initiative.” (c) “Increase community participation and empowerment through institutionalization”; (d) “Focus on need-based training approaches”; (e)”Promote tangible and intangible” resources by accumulating physical assets, technology, and economic goods and services; (f) Integrate “community initiatives into regular development planning and budgeting to ensure sustainability.” (Shaw,R. 2010,p.11) However, within that CBDRR, the implementation considers “gender sensitivity” (p.208) – e.g. by involving female school teachers who can lead the female gender in the recover stage, and by incorporating differentiation in the approaches for the female gender (p.51). In the organization of people, gender-related issues are taken into consideration in order to allow girls, ladies, and women to cope up. Coppola, D. (2011, p) further narrowed down the principle of managing disaster saying that its motivating concept is to reduce the harm done to people and property and to reduce damage to the environment. However, he also considers the many factors surrounding this principle- hazards, risks and vulnerability, how to mitigate various risks, the art of preparedness in order to respond effectively, recovery, and so on. The activities include but are not limited to rehabilitation, community services, dialogue, consideration of the gender and provision for their needs, coordination with national authorities, development of advocacy, and moe. There will be Discussion Panel to update the public about the issue of disaster and gender in University College of London this coming March 8, 2013 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm at the “Cruciform Building Lecture Theatre 1” UCL Gower St. The panel will disclose the statistics of gender difference, the reason why there is a bias, and actions taken pertaining to the bias such as government policies, international organization policies, and NGO policies. Authorities about the gender bias will also discuss strategies in response to imbalanced actions and initiatives. (UCL 2012) Reference Coppola,Damon P. Introduction to International Disaster Management. USA: BH Elsevier, December 31, 2010. Dasgupta,Samir; Siriner,Ishmael; Sarathi,De Partha (Editors). Women’s encounter With disaster. India: Sadhana Press Private Ltd., 2010. Landrine, Dr. Hope and Russo,Nancy Felipe (Editors). Handbook of Diversity in Feminist Psychology. NY,USA: Springer Publication Co., 2010. Kaiser,Henry. The Global Malaria Epidemic. US Global Health Policy Fact Sheet, November 2012. Viewed February 16, 2013 @ http://www.kff.org/globalhealth/upload/7882-04.pdf Neumeyer,Eric and Plumper,Thomas. The Gendered nature of Natural Disasters: The Impact of Catastrophic Events on the Gender Gap in Life Expectancy, 1981 – 2002. Annals of the Association of American Geographers. Vol. 93 Issue 3. 2007. pp. 551-566. Quarantelli, E.L. (Ed).What is Disaster? A Dozen Perspectives on the Question. UK: Routledge, September 10, 2012. Shaw,Rajib (Ed). Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction, Vol. 10. UK: Emerald Group Publishing Co. , March 27, 2012. Sundar, I. and Sezhiyan, T. Disaster Management Sarup and Sons, November 1, 2007 UCL. Gender and Disasters, 8th March 2013. University College of London (UCL) Institute for Risk and Disaster Reduction, November 30, 2012. Viewed February 15, 2013 @ http://www.ucl.ac.uk/rdr/events-news-publication/gender-and-disasters WHO [a]. Gender and Health in Disasters. World Health Organization, July 2002. Viewed February 16, 2013 @ http://www.who.int/gender/other_health/en/genderdisasters.pdf WHO [b]. World Malaria Report 2012. World Health Organization, Viewed February 16, 2013 @ http://www.who.int/malaria/publications/world_malaria_report_2012/wmr2012_no_profiles.pdf Zakour,Michael John and Gillespie,David F. Community Disaster Vulnerability: Theory, Research, and Practice. UK, USA, and Germany: Springer, 2013 Read More