Governments must learn tsunami lessons, says Christian agency

Governments must learn tsunami lessons, says Christian agency

-02/01/06

Governments mu

Governments must learn tsunami lessons, says Christian agency

-02/01/06

Governments must change the way they do aid work and commit billions of pounds to disaster prevention in the wake of thousands of needless deaths in the Asian tsunami, says a report from major UK Christian relief and development agency Tearfund.

At least 10 per cent of government humanitarian budgets should be re-directed to reducing the risks of disaster faced by millions of people in the developing world, says Tearfund on the one-year anniversary of one of the worldís worst natural disasters in living memory.

ìWe are wrongly wedded to aid spending which ëbandages woundsí rather than ëprevents injuriesí,î says Sarah La Trobe, the reportís author. ìThis must now stop. We must re-think and learn the lessons of the tsunami and other recent disasters.í

The report, Learn the Lessons, states that thousands of lives could have been saved in the South Asia tsunami and other recent disasters if simple, cost effective measures like evacuation training and storage of food and medical supplies had been put in place to protect vulnerable communities.

ìRich countries spend billions of pounds protecting their people from floods, earthquakes and droughts. But we spend very little of our international aid budgets helping poor communities to do the same,î declares Tearfundís Sarah La Trobe.

In the report, Tearfund, one of the UKís largest relief and development agencies and a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee, warns that during the last ten years, disasters have increased dramatically killing over 675,000 people, affecting more than 2.5 billion people and costing an estimated 690 billion US dollars in economic losses.

ìItís not rocket science,î says Marcus Oxley, Tearfundís disaster management director. ìSimple, cost effective measures like evacuation and rescue training and storing food and medical supplies can ensure that disaster prone communities are able to cope with disasters when they strike.î

He continues: ìSuch preparation is vital because most lives are saved in the first 48 hours of a disaster. Very often, as was the case with the tsunami or hurricane Katrina, the first emergency relief from the international community does not arrive for a few days. The local people are always the ones that must respond quickly to a disaster.î

Tearfund believes that the rich worldís scant investment in reducing disaster risks is illogical and indefensible. It makes no moral or economic sense to ignore the urgent need for this when it is clear that investing in it saves lives, livelihoods, property and safeguards development and poverty reduction progress.

ìOne year on from one the biggest disasters we have seen, the international community must heed the lessons of the tsunami and other disasters,î says Marcus Oxley.

He explains: ìThere was a time when we did not know where disasters would strike. But today we know which countries are most disaster prone. Earthquakes in Pakistan, flooding in Bangladesh or drought in Ethiopia are hardly a surprise. Richer nations have a moral obligation to adopt new thinking and action about aid budgets and programmes. It is inexcusable for the international community to mainly respond to disasters in a reactive way, when science and technology now enable us to predict risk and help vulnerable people prepare for disasters.î

Concludes Ms La Trobe: ìUnless governments do this as a matter of priority, preventable disasters will continue to undermine the efforts of poor people to escape poverty and the efforts of rich countries to help them. Many governments, clearly, have not yet grasped the urgency of this race.î

Tearfund’s Asian tsunami report can be downloaded here (*PDF format).

[Also on Ekklesia: Tsunami: lives could have been saved says Christian aid agency; Irish Catholics declare day of fasting for tsunami victims; Earthquake has increased fears say Christian workers; Churches fill as tsunami prayer and giving mounts; UK Christian charities launch separate tsunami appeal; Christian Aid and Tearfund pledge Pakistan relief support; Aid agency warns of southern Africa food shortages; Pope calls for massive aid to Pakistan, India and Afghanistan; UK Christian agencies act to stop climate chaos; Christian agencies unite to make poverty history]

Governments must learn tsunami lessons, says Christian agency

-02/01/06

‘We are wrongly wedded to aid spending which ëbandages wounds’ rather than ëprevents injuries’,’ says Sarah La Trobe, the report’s author. ‘This must now stop. We must re-think and learn the lessons of the tsunami and other recent disasters.’

‘Rich countries spend billions of pounds protecting their people from floods, earthquakes and droughts. But we spend very little of our international aid budgets helping poor communities to do the same,’ declares Tearfund’s Sarah La Trobe.

In the report, Tearfund, one of the UK’s largest relief and development agencies and a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee, warns that during the last ten years, disasters have increased dramatically killing over 675,000 people, affecting more than 2.5 billion people and costing an estimated 690 billion US dollars in economic losses.

‘It’s not rocket science,’ says Marcus Oxley, Tearfund’s disaster management director. ‘Simple, cost effective measures like evacuation and rescue training and storing food and medical supplies can ensure that disaster prone communities are able to cope with disasters when they strike.’

He continues: ‘Such preparation is vital because most lives are saved in the first 48 hours of a disaster. Very often, as was the case with the tsunami or hurricane Katrina, the first emergency relief from the international community does not arrive for a few days. The local people are always the ones that must respond quickly to a disaster.’

Tearfund believes that the rich world’s scant investment in reducing disaster risks is illogical and indefensible. It makes no moral or economic sense to ignore the urgent need for this when it is clear that investing in it saves lives, livelihoods, property and safeguards development and poverty reduction progress.

‘One year on from one the biggest disasters we have seen, the international community must heed the lessons of the tsunami and other disasters,’ says Marcus Oxley.

He explains: ‘There was a time when we did not know where disasters would strike. But today we know which countries are most disaster prone. Earthquakes in Pakistan, flooding in Bangladesh or drought in Ethiopia are hardly a surprise. Richer nations have a moral obligation to adopt new thinking and action about aid budgets and programmes. It is inexcusable for the international community to mainly respond to disasters in a reactive way, when science and technology now enable us to predict risk and help vulnerable people prepare for disasters.’

Concludes Ms La Trobe: ‘Unless governments do this as a matter of priority, preventable disasters will continue to undermine the efforts of poor people to escape poverty and the efforts of rich countries to help them. Many governments, clearly, have not yet grasped the urgency of this race.’

Tearfund’s Asian tsunami report can be downloaded here (*PDF format).