Responding to disasters

THE EDITOR: The book After Great Disasters: An in-Depth Analysis of How Six Countries Managed Community Recovery by Laurie A Johnson and Robert B Olskahsky details the responses to six major natural disasters in six nations – China, New Zealand, Japan, India, Indonesia, and the US.

The authors researched each disaster in great detail to write this book as a blueprint for what 190-plus other nations should copy, rather than reinventing the wheel. This book also covers missteps to avoid.

Another source is the UN's Office for Disaster Risk Reduction website (undrr.org), where private sector companies are encouraged to join.

A TT-relevant takeaway from this book is the response to the 2008 Sichuan, China earthquake (epicentre 31.021°N, 103.367°E). The government of China made it mandatory for other provinces to assist. Assist not just with personnel immediately after the earthquake to save lives, but medium to long-term assistance for recovery, rebuilding, providing engineers, heavy equipment, anything. The other provinces had to assist and Sichuan rebuilt much faster. The authors used the phrase "speed and volume."

For flooding, earthquakes, hurricanes and other natural disasters, even oil spills that almost never affect all 14 municipal regions in TT simultaneously, the government can likewise make it mandatory – in advance preferably – that the disaster management units' personnel/equipment of the unaffected municipal corporations (that usually number more than the affected municipal regions) must send personnel, equipment, sandbags et al, preferably before the rains start, to assist.

Crunching the numbers, there ought to be over 26 additional personnel from disaster management units immediately available before one counts the first responders and volunteers. In mandating this, include what happens to any personnel who refuse to go the aid of other affected regions.

Before the many who have not read After Great Disasters, or even researched UNDRR, hasten to respond with the "well, we can't do that blah, blah, blah,” kindly do some research first.

Children's lives are at stake – and do think beyond one rainy season.

SHANAZ SUKHDEO

San Fernando