Events+and+Conflicts



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Conflicts that are present in the event of natural disasters are much more complex and are beyond monetary expenses. From the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina in August 2005 to the Haiti Earthquake in January 2010, there are multiple issues that stand regarding the organization and coordination of manpower and supplies. Another central problem is the recovery and aftermath of the event.

Take the example of Hurricane Katrina. It has been almost 5 years since it occurred, but many seem to have forgotten the effects it brought to the thousands of citizens in New Orleans. “One year later, many still coped with Katrina's devastation. Some had moved forward, but for others recovery was at a standstill.” (CNN.com, 2006) Till this day, survivors in unison have this response, “we lost everything.” 

There is an estimation of approximately $100 billion worth of damages, making it one of the worst tragedies in the history of the United States. Homes were beyond shattered and in unrecognizable conditions and Hurricane Katrina left 80 percent of the city flooded. Victims lost all their property and in some cases entire families were wiped out.

According to reports, when the decision of evacuation was put into action, there was limited time for anyone to leave. Under the pressure and panic, there were severe transportation issues and supplies shortage. Despite the 10% of residents that decided to remain amongst the wreckage, there were others who were left in New Orleans with no option such as those living in shelters, patients from hospitals and the elderly from nursery homes. Hence, the death toll increased to about to 1,800 people.

Above from evacuation management issues, the aftermath created more chaos. Crimes such as theft, racial assaults, shootings, murders shortly emerged after Hurricane Katrina hit the broad grounds of New Orleans because many were suffering from injuries, losses and severe shortage on food and vital resources. There were media coverage’s of law enforcement officials shooting civilians on the streets that rioted due to lack of food and water. Many of these reports were dismissed or obtained some sort of evidence to be proven that the speculations were false or misinterpreted. However, news broadcasts recently reported that there were multiple officials involved in cover-ups for murders.

It is obvious that even in a developed nation like the United States, dreadful tragedies of violence occur and many cases were not dealt with appropriate or justified treatment. An example of a cover-up was a recent news report stating that a law enforcement officer pleaded guilty for assisting in a cover-up of shootings conducted by other officers. Many of these barbarous happenings take place even after a tragedy like the Katrina because of lack of adequate coordination between organizations, the public and the government. Hence, it isn’t a matter of where natural disasters occur but rather it depends on how a nation takes cautious and emergency procedures that will prevent severe aftermaths.

The second example mentioned was the Haiti earthquake. Before the earthquake occurred, Haiti itself was a developing nation with many problems. Many Haitians are refugees suffering from hunger and striving for employment opportunities and the nation itself has been suffering from countless political upheavals and changes. Now that the devastating earthquake has hit, people desperate for basic resources like food, water and shelter. However, because of the large amounts of victims, resources are always running out and there is barely enough sources or even a place to provide sufficient medical treatment for victims. According to a news report, because of the enormous amounts of victims, there is barely enough hospital beds or space for patients. There were some patients who had to have their arms or legs decapitated on the beds settled in the narrow corridors of hospitals and emergency medical centers. Moreover, reports say that in a thirty bed hospital, twenty eight out of thirty had to have a certain body part decapitated. Above from the vasts amounts of innocent victims, people are beginning to steal, murder, assault and fight for food. They would smash into stores and snatch whatever they could find, creating chaos and slaughtering others. Issues like this cannot be solved unless there is an appropriate, well planned and organized manner of disaster control measures with countries and organizations uniting or else more lives will be taken away.