BBC World Debate Disasters: Prepare or React?

Text by Loreen Neville
Photographs by Loreen Neville and Gunadi Naim
July 9th 2009

On July 4th 2009, the British Broadcasting Channel, popularly known as BBC, moderated by BBC’s presenter Nik Gowing, aired a program, ‘the World Debate, Disasters Prepare or React.’ The panelist consisted of Arjun Katoch-Chief UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination team, Philippine’s Senator Loren Legarda- UN champion of Disaster Risk Reduction in the Asia Pacific region and Guido Bertolaso-Head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency. Professor Edward Borodzicz risk management at Portsmouth Business School and Author of Risk, Crisis and Security Management.

The Questions:

1. To what extent can we really reduce the dangers from future disasters? Does investing in prevention divert funds from rescue efforts when disasters do occur?
2. Why is it difficult to persuade governments and individuals to protect themselves against disasters? What needs to be done to cut risk, and who should do it?
3. And with climate change do all these questions need an urgent answer?
   -That's the World Debate from Geneva.

Nik’s first question leaves me a little bit baffled, “Does investing in prevention divert funds from rescue efforts when disasters do occur?”  Does he mean to divert funds from rescue efforts when disasters occur, meaning to take away funds from rescue efforts? If so, that would be the end, a financial disaster for rescue efforts.

Basically, I found the debate interesting; the panelist projected an image to be focus too much on risk production studies. Although it is relevant to have such studies to help overcome natural and man made disasters, for such studies would mean white collar employments, funds for research and but eventually it can only aid in possible forecast and only for natural disasters. Common sense will tell us that without skilled manpower for rescue and field operations, volunteers and a people coming together to help, all endangered will be doomed. Therefore, Governments best invest more funds into the reality of a disaster than just research.

Philippine’s Senator Loren Legarda- UN champion of Disaster Risk Reduction in the Asia Pacific region, said that their work comprises on risk reduction studies and research. She said that her department for example knows that one of a province in the Philippines, will soon be hit by a natural disaster however; “she does not want to be the bearer of bad news.” For a senator to say that on live telecast, she unintentionally placed herself, as those who would suppress ample warnings on natural disasters. Warnings or information are very important for a people to be prepared, to get ready and move out to safer grounds should a forecast strike.  People on the other hand should accept these early warnings as a sign of pre-information, and not panic for this will worsen the situation.

If we take a look at the recent L’AQUILA earth quake in Italy, warnings were suppressed. Italy lies on the tectonic plate separating Europe and Africa and tremors are a common occurrence. The quake, registered 6.3 on the Richter scale, struck the mountainous region of Abruzzo some 110 kilometres northeast of Rome, on a black Monday on the 6th of April 2009, claiming about 150 lives, leaving thousand homeless and the destruction of property and government infrastructures. Warnings of the quake were reported but were dismissed by the very authorities. Gioacchino Giuliani must be smiling now after his prediction of the L’AQUILA earth quake, wich fell on deaf government ears, thus became a reality.

Gavin Jones wrote:  

“An Italian scientist predicted a major earthquake around L'Aquila weeks before disaster struck the city on Monday, killing dozens of people, but was reported to authorities for spreading panic among the population. The first tremors in the region were felt in mid-January and continued at regular intervals, creating mounting alarm in the medieval city, about 100 km (60 miles) east of Rome. Vans with loudspeakers had driven around the town a month ago telling locals to evacuate their houses after seismologist Gioacchino Giuliani predicted a large quake was on the way, prompting the mayor's anger. Giuliani, who based his forecast on concentrations of radon gas around seismically active areas, was reported to police for "spreading alarm" and was forced to remove his findings from the Internet.”

The person from the panelist at BBC world debate who knew the operations of necessary measures to take when disasters occur is Guido Bertolaso-Head of Italy's Civil Protection Agency.  During the rescue mission of the April 6th Earth Quake disaster in Italy, The operations to evacuate and rescue in which Guido Bertolaso’s agency was involved, was conducted in a very professional manner, minimizing time and executing speedy rescue excavation of those buried alive in the rubbles. The rescue missions also involved were the Red Cross and thousands of volunteers. The Italians were united as a people and were at work in the rescue and relief mission.

Nonetheless, it is important to note, that since Italy lies in seismic activity zones, “the building structures are the main killers when earthquake strikes. Many of Italy’s buildings are old structures and did not meet modern seismic standards” wrote a Geneva-based UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

The Situ Gintung Man Made disaster

When the man-made disaster of Situ Gintung occurred on March 26 2009 in Jakarta,  Indonesia, wiping out an entire area, leaving about 77 people dead, a hundred or more missing or feared dead and hundreds homeless, it can be  summed up to be a people who were not prepared nor ready to handle the destructed zone. Instead of taking the matter really seriously, scores of people, who visited the devastated area acted like tourists. Even sectors of the Government agencies, were photographed with clean boots. Police cadets were witnessed hanging around near cigarette stalls, while street vendors took the opportunity to sell food and drinks for those visiting the devastated site but were seen not helping. The only groups of people that really worked to rescue, search and clear the initial debris were a handful from the Military Marines. Lets us not count the contractors for they were hired and paid to clear up the mess.  Of course then they had small posts of donations of dried instant noodles and water being handed out to the victims and volunteers. They however did not fail to bring along advert banners of their companies in their makeshift posts. Donating dried noodles to victims of floods and earthquakes don’t really make sense for where will they find the facilities to cook.

When the earthquake in L’AQUILA Italy, occurred (after the Situ Gintung devastation), seeing the coverage on the BBC World news channel, one could see how united the Italian’s were, how organized and how quickly people were rescued and evacuated to temporarily safety shelters. The quality and continual supply of food and medicine, 24 hours doctors doing rounds and so on, I felt so sad for the Indonesian’s lack of responsibility, co-ordination and efficiency during the Situ Gintung disaster.

Indonesian tourists during the Situ Gintung Disaster, they came saw, and left.

That disaster could have easily been avoided if the city planners and the relevant government authorities who are in charge and whose job descriptions were to monitor fact findings of wears and tears, the maintenance of infrastructures especially near reservoirs or water basins, dykes and flood gate controls, did their job effectively, professionally and dedicatedly. The damages would have been much lower or man made disasters would not have occurred.

Therefore to answer to BBC’s Nik Gowing questions:

Being mentally and physically prepared for natural disaster and man made disasters are necessary rather than to react. Pro-action rather than post-action. When there is a fire blazing, the mere fact that fire men with their fire engines are always ready is an example of the possibility of risk reduction on lives, properties and infrastructures on man made disasters.  

Governments should release more funds in further training the military, training and disciplining the police forces who are often lazy and also to cultivate a civil skill force, in training volunteers, in the purchase of proper safety and rescue equipments. The proper inventory audits of all equipments to prevent thief. Responsive equipped activities and damage assessments must be carried out efficiently to rapidly overcome a disaster. Next is the immediate release of funds for the relocation of disaster victims.

Many governments focus too much on institution for risk reduction researches.  Yes, that is important but when a disaster strikes, these academics might not even how to operate equipments, or know the field procedures in search and rescue. Risk Reduction institutions are necessary for the improvement and gathering disaster forecast information. That helps but by being prepared for disasters, responding to them, and overcoming the consequences, being properly equipped and physically trained with new technologies, disasters are overcome efficiently. 
   
Response activities and damage assessment will be actively carried out and the consequences of disaster rapidly overcome when the systematic flow of information from central to local levels of both the government and the people is coordinated. Enhancing community disaster awareness through activities through communications so that all people, even the poor can understand disasters and be able to respond and cope to every situation, an important aspect in disaster prevention.  Humanitarian aid reliefs should reach the victims efficiently and government should have reserve funds to quickly rebuild the community struck by a disaster especially of a large scale.   

It is difficult to persuade Governments and individuals to protect themselves against disaster because people tend to take disasters for granted. When it comes, it comes. They will only take it seriously unless it happens to them or their immediate loves ones, only then can they be persuaded to be prepared.

The elected governments have the overall duty to foresee any disasters that might strike a citizen(s) to be prepared and to undertake the overall responsibilities in funds distributions, training and also  in implementing school curriculum, into preparing students to part take in community rescue drills and basic know how of emergency standard procedures. To educate the people into becoming a community, to perform small rescue and relief tasks, instead of just standing around like tourists. In a major natural disaster, it is also the role of everyone to help each other or to volunteer to help.  

The writer is a woman who works in a security company and is the Head of investigations and is also responsible for formulating security field operational procedures for clients.