CRISIS ACTION PLANNING

Crisis Action Planning

Crisis Action Planning

Background of the Problem

On December 26, 2004 the world experienced the most devastating natural disaster to hit the Indian Ocean. It was classified as a tsunami, (Wisner 2004) a tsunami holding immense power equivalent to the destruction of three nuclear bombs. Tsunami waves can become more than 30 feet high as they come into shore and can rush miles inland across low-lying areas. The death tolls were astronomical causing much grief, pain and depression throughout the world. "Estimates of the total toll from the eleven countries hit by the disaster range from about 162 000 to 178 000. (National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy 2007)

Research Question

What should we do when an emergency occurs?

Hypothesis

Tsunami holding immense power equivalent to the destruction of three nuclear bombs.

Discussion of the Problem

Tens of thousands more are missing and many are presumed dead." (Wisner 2004)A similar situation did occur in the past where a similar atrocity erupted on the Pacific Ocean. It created disaster along the Chile coastal areas in 1960 and killed many civilians but not nearly comparable to the death toll caused by the vigorous Asian tsunami. Reading in regards to the tsunami that had occurred in Chile, I find myself in a predicament wondering why warning devices were not established over the oceans to prevent this disaster from ever massacring a portion of the world's population. In a macro level sociological perspective, the world has determined the Asian tsunami to be a crisis which has stricken the world emotionally and physically.

It has been established that Sri Lanka and Indonesia suffered the most losses. At the moment the globe has unified to attempt to produce a sudden recovery for all the countries affected. The crisis has the entire globe involved with international matters such as foreign aid, re-development of the shattered countries and any other matters regarding the existence and protection of human life. (National Civil Defence Emergency Management Strategy 2007) I intend to focus on the world's adaptation to the Tsunami disaster and also explain the effects of the tsunami through a sociological perspective by focusing on the role of Media, corruption and poverty.

The role of mass media has conquered the transmission of communication and applied to most significant effect on post tsunami. Mass media comes in many different forms such as television, magazines, the inter-net and etc. There has been no natural disaster with the same impact as the Asian tsunami in more than 40 years. (Wisner 2004) The media has globally and domestically telecasted information based on the aftershocks of the Asian tsunami. An example would be supplying the countries hit by the tsunami and of course, the remainder of the world with the total number of deaths, injuries and missing persons. Not only has the media entirely focused on aspects related to the suffering of post tsunami, they have engaged in efforts to supply and increase the amount of social aid.

The media played a vital role in the amount ...