Jefferson College of Health Sciences Week Aspects of Disaster Response
Jefferson College of Health Sciences Week Aspects of Disaster Response
Hi, I have 3 of my classmates’ posts. I need you to respond to each one separately. Also, one source at least for each one of them. Don’t write about how good their posts or how bad. All you need to do is to choose one point of the post and explore it a little bit with one source support for each response. The paper should be APA style.
The question was:
Diverse Populations: Socio-cultural Context
Listen: to This American Life Episode 296: After The Flood (September 9, 2005) 60 min http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/296/after-the-flood
~ Try listening while driving, cooking, folding laundry or doing other household tasks if you find it difficult to listen without visual input J
Reflect on the following:
- What “Act” stuck out to you the most? Why?
- What would you find the most challenging as someone involved in Emergency Management or as part of a Recovery team?
- How might these experiences have been better Prevented?
- What can we do to build more resilient communities BEFORE a disaster strikes so the impact of such a disaster is lessened?
- What must be done AFTER a disaster in this context to build community recovery and resilience?
Respond to at least 3 other classmates.
NOTE: Please be respectful of different viewpoints, experiences, and reflections. Be open-minded in order to learn from each other’s points of view.
This the first post from my classmate IBRAHIM need for response
:
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were the some of the most devastating occurrence in history. The August and September 2005 hurricanes caused extremely overwhelming flooding in New Orleans, and the narration of the account of events, as well as the aftermath, clearly paints a picture of a devastating incidents from which society can learn multiple life-lessons. However, the important aspect is how experiences from these incidents can inform best practices in disaster and crises management.
Act One, “Middle of Somewhere”, stuck out the most to me, as I was listening to “This American Life Episode 296: After the Flood”. The Act narrates the account of events that took place after the aforementioned hurricanes from the perspective of one of the victims, Denise Moore. The Act revolves around what Moore saw, felt, and experienced when the hurricanes struck and they had to seek refuge in the Memorial Hospital in New Orleans, and later the Convention Center. This Act sticks out the most for me because of how it reveals the hidden, true nature of humanity in times of crises. Moore narrates how it is the gangsters who looked out for desperate mother with their babies, and the senior adults, who were most affected by the events of the incident. Conversely, the National Guard, and the police, were ready to shoot to kill by the governor’s orders, even though they are supposed to help in such times. It was the perceived criminals who protected and helped the victims, revealing the better side of society when a common enemy strike.
I find diversity a major challenge when it comes to Emergency Management, or being part of a Recovery team. Just as it was during and after the hurricanes Katrina, individual differences along diversity lines posed barriers toward bettering the situation. Mothers and their babies were devastated by lack of food, water, and even places to sleep, not to mentioned how overwhelmed old people were during the crisis. Resources were available, since trucks with water kept on passing and National Guards were there, but difference in race caused a barrier. The ‘criminals’ had to help the mothers with their babies, and the elders, which evidently shows how diversity played part. Therefore, working well with diverse backgrounds is a challenge.
The experiences which the acts narrate might have been better prevented if society had unity, and social justice was key a practice. The narrations state that the Blacks were supposedly left to die; they had no place to sleep, and no water or food. Besides, Moore’s mother was reportedly kicked out of her place in the hospital for two White ladies, even though she was entitled for a room in the premises. The society needs to adopt social changes that features unity and social justice. Race and difference in culture should not be a barrier against safeguarding the health and wellbeing of people in society. People should learn about how to unite efforts and help each other regardless of their race. A more resilient community is based on how well the members can come together, mutually assent on priorities, and collectively address problems facing them in the event of a disaster.
After a disaster, the community need to gather resources, which would include individuals who can provide help to the vulnerable, and distribute them effectively. Recovery and resilience are affected by how well the community can withstand, adapt, or rapidly recover for a disastrous event. In this regard, it is imperative for the community to make use of the available resources and support to relocate the affected to safer places, distribute help to the needy, and support the devastated in best way possible to avoid losing to the crisis. Some people died during the floods of 2005 in New Orleans, and it can be blamed on disunity in society.
This the second post from my classmate GUFRAN need for response
:
1. What “Act” stuck out to you the most? Why?
Act One: Middle Of Somewhere. The convention center full of people waiting for buses that never came. People lost their hope, they were sure that they will die in one way or another. The convention center was unlivable. They slept on the sidewalk with their children and babies. It is hard to be in a place full of desperate people watching other people getting killed, and being raped.
2. What would you find the most challenging as someone involved in Emergency Management or as part of a Recovery team?
Not being sure what to do is the hard part. Watching People screaming for help and you can’t do anything about it is challenging. As an emergency manager, you will be overwhelmed and unable to rescue all these people. The person in charge that is in the first act line people for buses but the buses did not come. He also tries to calm people but he couldn’t. He walked away after he realizes that he can’t do anything to help them.
3. How might these experiences have been better Prevented?
You can not predict the effects of disasters, so it can not be prevented. On the other hand, you can reduce the casualties and be prepared. Hurricane Katrina was a big disaster that has teach people and the government on how to be better prepared and manage the situation in better way.
4. What can we do to build more resilient communities BEFORE a disaster strikes so the impact of such a disaster is lessened?
People need to be prepared before a disaster strike. People need to be educated on how to manage their lives for at least 3 days. Preparation is the key to an effective response. The public may face disasters with a lack of knowledge on how to prepare, how to act, and where to go. They need a guide to act right, save their lives and others. Society should recognize the hazards and risks that are around them. Developing and broadening the knowledge of specific disasters that may occur.
5. What must be done AFTER a disaster in this context to build community recovery and resilience?
After each disaster, there are some lessons learned for better preparation and recovery. Rebuild the city and restore what is lost will help the community. Also, a mental health response is required.
This the third post from my classmate FAHAD need for respons
e
What “Act” stuck out to you the most? Why?
Listening to the one-hour audio, the most devastating acts that struck me are the first three acts. The ‘acts’ reveal negligence from the police forces, the emergency response team, and the emergency management law during the disasters (Glass, n.d.). The survivor’s torture by the hospital management and the police are even more devastating. Also, the lack of buses to transport the survivors shows a high level of negligence, and instead police preventing survivors from crossing the bridge due to race is stressing in an emergency. Inadequacy of clean water and sanitation in the camp and stopping anyone in the camps or out depicts a high level of negligence. The survivors’ saying they were left to die as police pass by is humiliating.
What would you find the most challenging as someone involved in Emergency Management or as part of a Recovery team?
Being part of the recovery team appear to be challenging and demanding in terms of coordination, attending to the large group of survivors, assistance in reconstruction, endless questions with no definite answer from the survivors, among other issues. This is because the vastness of the disaster requires calmness and coordination to allow quick recovery and reconstruction of the city. The other challenge is on how to convince the survivors that the government is taking necessary measures to rescue all affected persons. Addressing security questions would also be a challenge because the survivors are in fear of police actions.
How might these experiences have been better prevented?
Hurricane Katrina would have been prevented better if the government took up more emergency responsibilities in its management and response. This is because, throughout the audio, the survivors express that the government betrayed them and left them to die. Also, the vastness of the experience would have been prevented if the residents would have been evacuated to safe zones on Friday before the hurricane. This would have prevented the impacts of the disaster (FFIEC, 2018). Also, provision of evacuation measures by the city would have prevented the devastating experiences since the survivors wouldn`t be wandering on the streets, parks, and buses.
What can we do to build more resilient communities BEFORE disaster strikes, so the impact of such a disaster is lessened?
Fostering good relationships between neighboring cities is essential to lessen the impacts of disasters such as hurricane Katrina. Good relationships would enhance support in terms of shelter, food, security, among other aspects. The bonds would also prevent neighboring cities from harassing affected cities. Training and emergency planning regarding the predictable natural disaster is also critical to build resilient communities (Alexander, 2015). Training provides the skills and knowledge on how to coordinate a disaster and lessen possible impacts. Also building infrastructure best fit for any predictable natural disaster is essential. Enhancing the communications across all cities is necessary to ensure the information is spread to all persons, including the poor for them to take precautionary measures.
What must be done AFTER a disaster in this context to build community recovery and resilience?
Multi-agency support and government support are essential to the disaster-stricken people to build community recovery and resilience (Wulff, Donato, and Lurie, 2015). Physical resources are critical and more so psychological support. Thus mental health care support is essential during and after such a disaster. In offering the support, social justice consideration in planning is vital, and differentiation in terms of caste or race is inappropriate. Social justice in terms of health, transport, education, and housing is crucial to community recovery and reconstruction. Also, establishing donation collection centers is essential to facilitate coordinated support for the disaster-stricken people.
References
Alexander, D., (2015). Disaster and emergency planning for preparedness, Response, and Recovery.
Wulff, K., Donato, D., and Lurie, N. (2015). What Is Health Resilience and How Can We Build It?.
Glass, I., (n.d.). https://www.thisamericanlife.org/296/after-the-flo…
FFIEC. (2018).Lessons Learned From Hurricane Katrina: Preparing Your Institution for a Catastrophic Event. Retrieved from https://www.ffiec.gov/katrina_lessons.htm
