Natural Disasters

Paper Summary:

The paper compares the natural disasters of New Orleans and South Africa in terms of survival statistics in relation to their effect on children in terms of symptomatic trauma, interventions and resources in rebuilding the urban places after the disaster. The paper examines both South Africa and New Orleans to analyze what could have been done to mitigate some of the damage inflicted in these two instances and further to envision what might be done in retrospect to strengthen the response of humanitarian efforts at times of natural disasters. The paper includes a map and tables.

Outline:
Objective
Introduction
Disaster Assessment of South Africa & New Orleans
Flooding Greatest Risk in South Africa and New Orleans
Findings of Risk Assessment
Disaster Mitigation Requires 'Spirit of the Law' Application
Summary and Conclusion

From the Paper:

"Those most affected were individuals who lived in homes that were constructed poorly. Identification of areas and communities that were affected had no uniformity. The results show that some communities received relief while others did not. Relief agencies were not well represented insofar as informing these individuals of what relief they were entitled to with many failing to miss such relief funding as Social Security for water-damaged property replacement. The report states: "...In these communities, rain or flood-affected households managed their losses alone or, in the case of many farm-workers residing on farms, repaired their homes with the farmer's assistance."

Sample of Sources Used:

• "The Role of Institutions in Reducing Vulnerability to Recurrent Natural Disasters in sustainable livelihoods development: Case Study South South-Africa (2005) Department of Social Services and Poverty Alleviation of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. & United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Provincial Development Council of the Western Cape. Online available at: http://www.fao.org/sd/dim_pe4/pe4_050701_en.htm
• Disaster Costs in South Africa (2007) Online available at: http://info.worldbank.org/etools/docs/library/238228/Krovvidi_RapidOnsetPresentation.pdf
• Kamara, James (2004) Indigenous Knowledge in Natural Disaster Reduction in Africa. The Environment Times. UNEP 2004. Online available at: http://www.environmenttimes.net/article.cfm?pageID=132
• March 2003 Cut-off Law: Consolidated Report (2003) Department of Social Services and Poverty Alleviation of the Provincial Government of the Western Cape. & United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the Provincial Development Council of the Western Cape. Online available at: http://www.egs.uct.ac.za/engeo/research/summary.doc and http://www.egs.uct.ac.za/engeo/research/Montagu_ConsolidatedReports12.doc
• Moody, Matt (2006) Los Angeles Times. Mississippi Coastal Damage Assessment. http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/fullMaps_Am.nsf/luFullMap/D7C897E570CB228FC125707A002E9C35/$File/lat_TC_usa070905.pdf?OpenElement

More papers on Natural Disasters:

• Research Paper # 95288 : "Natural Disasters and the Elderly"
• Term Paper # 143307 : "Regulatory Environment And Natural Disasters"
• Cause and Effect Essay # 106560 : "Natural Disasters and the Economy"

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