Natural Disaster Preparation

Paper Summary:

This paper explores the possibilities for increased awareness, preparation and response to natural disasters, given the recent history of these events around the world. The paper gives a general overview of natural disasters and discusses the ability of private citizens and local, state and federal agencies to prepare for them. The paper goes into detail about some aspects of Hurricane Katrina and what could have been done differently to prepare for her.

Table of Contents:
Introduction
Natural Disaster Overview
Community Preparedness for Disaster
Katrina, an Exercise in Ineffective Preparedness
Recommendations by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies on Disaster Preparedness
Early Warning Technology
The Future

From the Paper:

"There is only one thing for certain; disaster will strike again. Meteorologists have noted that the period of reduced activity that occurred between 1971 to 1994 ended, and predict that three or more major hurricanes, rating Category 3 or higher, can be expected each year in the Atlantic, Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico (Beardsley, 2005). Earthquakes will continue to occur, as will tsunamis, wildfires, flooding, and the plethora of other disasters that affect communities around the world. Only through increased preparedness will the citizens of the world be protected from these unavoidable, inevitable events."

Sample of Sources Used:

• August 28, 2005 10:11 am CDT NOAA bulletin. (28 Aug 2005). Retrieved February 13, 2006, from http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/August_28_2005_10:11_AM_CDT_NOAA_Bulletin.
• Beardsley, T. (Oct 2005). Science in the spotlight. Bioscience, 55(10). Retrieved February 13, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database.
• Binns, J. (Sept 2004). Ground monitoring system may prevent massive losses in natural disasters. Civil Engineering, 74(9). Retrieved February 13, 2006, from Academic Search Premier database.
• Bourne, J. (No date). The Louisiana bayou, hardest working marsh in America, is in big trouble. National Geographic. Retrieved February 13, 2006, from http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0410/feature5/?fs=www3.nationalgeographic.com.
• Fischetti, M. (Oct 2001). Drowning New Orleans. Scientific American. Retrieved February 13, 2006, from http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?chanID=sa006&articleID=00060286-CB58-1315-8B5883414B7F0000.

More papers on Natural Disaster Preparation:

• Research Paper # 96217 : "Disaster Management and Volcanoes"
• Term Paper # 146917 : "The Federal Government's Role in Disaster Response"
• Analytical Essay # 118748 : "The Hurricane Katrina Disaster"

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