Essay On Disaster Management

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Recommended: Impact of natural disasters on human life

The impact of natural disaster over the years has negative effects on human physical, social and economic wellbeing, none the less the need to adopt practices to mitigate the risk impact on society is essential to a rapid recovery process. Professor Stephen Nelson (2013), a lecturer in the department of Earth and Environmental Science at the Tulane University in New Orleans explained in his report that hurricane being a natural disaster cannot be controlled by man but studying its pattern and effect on mankind can be manipulated to curtail the potential impact on residents and finding ways to protect themselves and their property as best as possible. He further reiterated that the essence of vulnerability affecting human life via disasters is mainly due to lack of public education and awareness. By effectively informing residents in Portland Cottage of the potential risk of hurricane Dean the full outcome of the catastrophic event can be minimized.
The Department of Emergency Management (DEM) is ultimately responsible for disaster management for Barbados. The District Emergency Organisation (DEO) is a program developed to residents on a local level to recover in the aftermath of a disaster. The parish of St. Lucy is exposed to disaster risk as it is relatively flat, which lends itself to flooding resulting in most cases in dislocation of some residence. The St. Lucy District Emergency Organization (DEO) in Barbados was developed a community awareness and education for the level of vulnerability the districts face after the impact of hurricanes over the years. The local organization seeks to reduce disaster risk impact by improving disaster recovery through the assignment of duties and placement of volunteers personnel’s in areas...

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...ze loss of life and property to minimize the impact of a disaster.
The different views of community awareness have showed some contribution to sustainable development of a community against natural disasters. In cases a similarity is the cooperation of residents to create community resilience which facilitates the growth and development of a district via community participation and effective use of local resources in a sustainable manner (human and natural resource) to minimize potential risk of hazards. A holistic approach to community awareness considers all the stakeholders including Government, NGO’s, along with the residents to reduce the risk that can be incurred to all. The case studies highlighted above are among a few ways in which community awareness has been exercised and its positive outcome that benefit not just the local residents but also the nation.

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