February
2005
Tumultuous
Times
By Sangamithra Iyer
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Shortly after the major earthquake devastated Turkey
in August 1999, I was sitting in my geotechnical earthquake engineering
class listening to my professor describe the affected area as ‘smelling
like 40,000 dead people.’ He went on to say that those who
know that smell do things a lot differently than those who don’t.
That comment continues to haunt me when I consider the scale of loss
in the seismic events that followed, including the Bhuj earthquake
in India, the Bam earthquake in Iran, and most recently on December
26, when hundreds of miles of seabed ruptured and displaced the water
above, transmitting waves across the Indian Ocean. The current statistics,
though they seem to change as often as we refresh our Internet browser,
include 12 countries affected, 225,000-plus casualties, millions
displaced and in need, tens of thousands missing, and 5,000 miles
of coastline damaged.
The main figure emerging on our TV screens appealing to the world and coordinating
the response is UN Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency
Relief Coordinator, Jan Egeland. His effort involves logistical coordination
with the 12 national and 100 local governments, 150-plus NGOs, and military assistance
from 15 countries. In a recent briefing at the Asia Society in New York, Egeland,
introduced by former U.S. ambassador to the UN, Richard Holbrooke, spoke about
the status and goals of the relief effort for the affected regions.
The Money Trail
Just as extensive as the reach of the tsunami has been the response from the
world. From the U.S. to China, Trinidad to Tobago, Nigeria to Macedonia, funds
have poured in for this relief in almost a competitive manner. Egeland acknowledges
the unprecedented global support this disaster has received from the 65 donor
countries and private donations. Due to this monetary support, many of the major
public health risks like cholera have been averted, and the relief crews have
been able to treat the instances of measles and diarrhea as they emerge. The
key though is to make sure there is sustained support throughout the reconstruction
efforts, especially after the world press moves on. Holbrooke noted that such
a sustained effort was lacking in Iran, where the world pledged a billion dollars
for Bam’s reconstruction, of which only $19 million has been received.
Addressing corruption, accountability and public tracking of funds is imperative
for this relief effort both on the giving and receiving ends. How much of the
aid has strings attached? How much of it will be swallowed by bureaucracy? Private
firms, like Pricewaterhouse Coopers have offered to provide pro bono auditing
services for public tracking. Will this be the precedent for a well-managed relief
effort? Or will this be another oil for food debacle?
Planning for the Future
The question of how to rebuild is an interesting one, and the answers really
lie in the hands of the affected communities. Reconstruction should allow for
the development of local micro-economies so that communities can rebuild with
local labor and resources and not be dependent on western remedies. Basic disaster
education and emergency preparedness is also vital. There are resources for and
the potential to build resilient sustainable societies reflecting progressive
long-term thinking as opposed to a mere band aid approach, but these resources
could also be mismanaged leading to poor planning in low-lying areas, unsustainable
redevelopment catered to tourists and big businesses, or further depletion of
natural resources and habitats. For example, the remaining free-living orangutans
survived the disaster in Indonesia, but their forests have been vulnerable to
loss for quite some time now, and reconstruction efforts involving timber could
wipe out their habitats.
While commenting on how the animals fled to safety in the recent events, Egeland
remarked, “There are no dead animals, really, because of their instincts.
We don’t have instincts. We need early warning that we organize ourselves.” A
global early warning system covering the reaches of all the world’s waters
will surely emerge, but in addition to detection and evacuation plans, it is
necessary to really think critically about how these events have a disproportionate
affect on poor communities and why these communities are most vulnerable.
Coincidentally, two major world conferences were scheduled last month that are
addressing many of the issues the tsunami brought to center stage. In Kobe, the
World Conference on Disaster Reduction commenced where Action Aid and Christian
Aid presented a joint paper entitled “In Harm’s Way,” demonstrating
how the World Bank, IMF, and other international financial institutions have
ignored disaster management in their lending policies for poverty reduction and
development, putting millions at risk. An internationally funded expressway and
hydroelectric dam in Sri Lanka has displaced thousands causing them to move to
low-lying coastal areas vulnerable to flooding. Coastal mangroves in southern
India, which serve as natural water defense barriers, have largely been destroyed
by the World Bank’s efforts to promote prawn farming in the region. And
the notorious Chad-Cameroon oil pipeline has made the area more vulnerable to
drought and food shortages.
In addition to these lending policies, world practices contributing to pollution
and climate change are endangering the lives and way of living of many communities,
plants, and animals. In Mauritius, the small island states gathered to discuss
the risks they face with coral reef depletion and rising sea levels. While we
may not be able to foresee or control the “natural disasters” of
the future, we do have some control over our vulnerabilities.
What Nature Won’t Do To Us Will Be Done By Our Fellow Man
Already wounded from internal strife, conflict zones in Aceh, northern Sri Lanka,
and Somalia are facing the additional impacts of the deadly disaster. In the
days that followed the catastrophe, there were stories of Tamil Tigers and the
Sri Lankan government army working together to save lives and reclaim bodies.
There, however, were also stories of rebels recruiting child soldiers from the
refugee camps. Still, Jan Egeland’s optimism views this as a historic opportunity
to put their conflicts behind them. With resources available and equal distribution
of these resources, warring parties have the chance to rebuild together.
Although it got off to a rocky start, Egeland has lauded the world in their generous
and expedient response stating that 2005 started out with humanity at its best.
This is what the response should be, but unfortunately, he notes this hasn’t
been the case in many other disaster areas like the civil strife in the Democratic
Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea, and Central African Republic, and the ongoing
genocide in Sudan. In the DRC, 1,000 people die every day due to war, preventable
disease, and neglect. From Ethiopia to North Korea, starvation is common. Every
month, 150,000 African children die from malaria. Tuberculosis, though a curable
disease, kills one person every 15 seconds. AIDS/HIV, compounded by poverty,
is halving the life expectancies in developing countries. The list goes on.
It’s overwhelming to process all these statistics, and while these should
be global concerns, it sickens me to compare our $420 billion military budget
with the $22 billion we devote to foreign and humanitarian aid, a mere 0.15 percent
of our gross national income. The real cost difference between these expenditures,
however, is measured not in dollars but in lives.
The smell of the dead is diffusing, and its time to change how we do things.
For more information on Asia Society’s programs regarding the Tsunami
Relief
and Rebuilding project, visit www.asiasociety.org. To learn about underreported
humanitarian crises see www.doctorswithoutborders.org.
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