Part A | Issue Analysis
The issue of disaster preparedness has received unprecedented attention in the wakes of hurricanes such as Katrina and Rita, the devastation of school shootings such as Columbine and Virginia Tech, and in our newly acknowledged energy crisis. Disaster preparedness encompasses a variety of aspects such as: natural disasters, societal disasters, and global environmental disasters.
Natural Disasters
While easy to ignore on an everyday basis, natural disasters are significant threats that face the United States, Canada, and the rest of the world because of their implications for physical survival and damage costs. The term “natural disasters” primarily refers to large-scale disasters that are caused by “natural events” such as hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, droughts and heat waves, earthquakes, thunderstorms, and volcanoes.1 Their dangers to physical survival include deaths, injuries, and displacement. Natural disasters affected over 1 billion people worldwide in 2005. Of those, nearly 100,000 died.2 The top ten worst catastrophes in American history – with the exception of September 11th – have all been natural disasters.3
Disasters can also lead to short- and long-term homelessness and have adverse effects on psychological health. While natural disasters may appear to average lower death rates than other causes such as traffic fatalities and crime, they are an ever-present danger to any community because of their unpredictable nature, frequency, and potential for injury or death.
Along with their death rates, disasters carry a significant financial cost. According to a report detailing large-scale disasters from 1980 to 2005 by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association, 67 weather-related disasters have happened over the past 26 years in which damages cost at least $1 billion.4
Societal Disasters
While the term “Disaster Preparedness” is most often associated with natural disasters, societal disasters have escalated to the point where it is necessary to recognize that, while natural disasters will always remain imperative in the disaster preparedness initiative, the definition for this category has expanded beyond this limited view. The State Farm Youth Advisory Board defines societal disasters as “disturbing acts of mankind caused by the emotions and feelings of an individual or group.” It includes, but is not limited to, issues of teen violence, such as school violence & shootings, teen suicide, and sexual violence; but also issues related to social privilege, power, and difference, such as racism, sexism and xenophobia.
Racism and sexism are just some of the many factors that play into the continuing and escalating occurrence of the societal disasters and issues mentioned above. Racism, the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others; and sexism, discrimination based on gender, are two factors that lead to a rise in school shooting, suicide, and sexual assault rates. There is a definite need to educate and battle against prejudices in our society in order to prevent and mitigate their pervasion of society and the societal disasters that result.
According to the Center for Disease Control, “In 2004, more than 750,000 young people ages 10 to 24 were treated in emergency departments for injuries sustained due to violence.”5 School shootings, such as the much-publicized Columbine and Virginia-Tech incidents, are one source of violence. The number of school shootings has increased dramatically since 1996 to include more than 77 school shootings or stabbings in the United States alone. Teen suicides are the third leading cause of death amongst teenagers. It is the cause of almost 2,000 deaths annually, and even more contemplate or attempt it. Rape and sexual violence are yet another way in which youth face violence within their communities. According to Robin Warshaw, author of ‘I Never Called It Rape’ says; “The risk of rape is four times higher for women aged 16 to 24.”6
The variations of teen violence facing the world today, ranging from school shootings, teen suicides, and/or rape and sexual violence, all disturb and impact mankind. The effect of the incidents at Columbine and Virginia Tech, for example, are similar to that of Hurricane Katrina in the way it has impacted individual people, legislation, current events, and the fears, actions, and lifestyles of the population as a whole. The Youth Advisory Board is confident that society needs to pay attention to these societal disasters that leave a large impression on the youth of today and society as a whole.
Global Environmental Disasters
Global environmental disasters are NOT disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, etc., but are disasters such as global climate change and the looming energy crisis. Global climate change will affect everyone on the planet in some form or fashion, whether by the warming or cooling of the local climate, the rising sea levels, or rising energy costs accompanied with the temperature changes. The United Nations issued a Global Climate Change report that stated evidence of a warming trend in the world is “unequivocal” and that humans were “very likely” to be the cause of global climate change.7
Another global environmental disaster could be the looming energy crisis. The New York Mercantile Exchange states that in September 2003 the price of crude oil was $25 a barrel; as of the date of this writing, it is nearly $80 a barrel. The cause of this sharp rise in price is the near stagnant production of oil in the world. At the rate oil prices are rising, the price of gas could hit $3.50 to $4.50 range within the next three years, which would cripple the American car market.
Another example of a global environmental disaster is deforestation. Since the mid-1800’s almost half of the world’s 1.5 to 1.6 million hectares of mature tropical forests have been cut down.8 The problem with the clear cutting of forests is that it could have a strong economic impact on the world’s economy, for instance illegal logging alone causes billions of monetary damages annually.9
All of these issues will have profound impacts on everyone’s life. Whether it is the temperature change caused by global climate change, the rising costs at the gas pump, or the vast devastation of plant and animal species in the planet’s forests, somehow, everyone will be affected in some form or fashion.
Part B | Examples of Disaster Preparedness Service-Learning Projects
Natural Disaster
In June 2006 the town of Sidney, New York was devastated by flooding. Students from Sidney High School have created a plan to use meteorology, electronic monitoring, and remote rain gauges to better predict floods in the area. With constant monitoring of the local Susquehanna River it will become possible to give residents more time to prepare for future disasters. Students will work with local village and town officials in forecasting flood potential. Students will also look at hydrologic data to determine the need for flood control dams on tributaries of the Susquehanna.
Societal Disaster
Following numerous acts of violence across schools in one district, students decided it was time to stand up for their community. Through a youth leadership development program, high school students spearheaded an initiative to create systemic change at the root of the destructive community violence issue. The project began by researching the problem, determining viable solutions, and creating a plan of action. The project culminated with the birth of a direct-service project where participants partnered with a number of local agencies, businesses, and professionals in the social services arena and went in the community to work with younger students to promote leadership and deepen understanding and prevention of the social issue of violence and provide the tools necessary to deal with feelings, such as aggression, through preventative strategies. By working with students as young as kindergarten, the project leaders hope to ignite a constant conversation and lasting solution to violence in the community they call home.
Global Environmental Disaster
In recent years, secondary school science curriculum has expanded to include the importance of alternative energy sources. Students at one middle school explored energy choices through a United Nations model. By researching ways to make the best energy choices, the participants became Student Ambassadors on energy. Beginning with a school-wide energy campaign, the students embarked on a mission to apply the skills learned in their science class to advocate energy conservation in the community. The students worked with the local Parent Teacher Association, neighboring schools, and community homeowners associations to educate the community while assuming an advocacy role in the fight to reverse global warming. The students also published a number of written publications, including a newsletter with student-written articles, on making smart energy choices. The service-learning project comes full circle as the students engage in a number of experiences where the student becomes the teacher and become more educated about energy choices for themselves and the community.
1 Albala-Bertrand, J.M. The Political Economy of Large Natural Disasters. New York: Oxford University Press, 2005.
2 EM-DAT : The OFDA/CRED International Disaster Database. http://www.em-dat.net, UCL - Brussels, Belgium. N.d.
3 Steinberg, Theodore. Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.
4 McNeill op. cit.
5 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS) [online]. (2006) [cited 2006 Feb 8]. Available from: URL: www.cdc.gov/ncipc/wisqars.
6 "Sexual Abuse as a Factor in Adolescent Pregnancy & Child Maltreatment," Family Planning Perspectives, 24:4, Jan./Feb., 1992
7 “Global Warming.” New York Times. July 2007. July 15, 2007. http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html?8qa
8 Ron Nielsen, The Little Green Handbook: Seven Trends Shaping the Future of Our Planet, Picador, New York (2006)
9 Destruction of Renewable Resources. Rhett B. Butler. Rhett B. Butler. July 15, 2007
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