Assessment of Relief and Recovery Needs



Assessment of Relief and Recovery Needs

Assignment 5a - Case

Question 1: Application of an Ethical Approach to a Potential Ethical Conflict in one of the Principles of Relief Planning

The ethical principles that have been defined are all subject to provide guidance for the government and other authorities as to what actions could be taken in case of existence of a disaster. In my opinion, there is one principle for disaster relief that possesses an ethical conflict, and can be addressed and corrected through one of the five ethical approaches. The principle that has been selected is “Assistance is based on priority humanitarian needs, which have to be determined prior to the disaster.” The approach that has been selected to address this ethical conflict is the “The Fairness of Justice Approach.” A short explanation about the Fairness of Justice Approach in relation with the identified ethical conflict is discussed as follows.

The Fairness of Justice Approach to Ethics is basically developed according to the teachings of Aristotle, who was an ancient Greek philosopher. Basically, the core purpose that has been emphasized in this approach is to provide equal justice to all. Justice should not be subject to priorities in accordance with the nature of disaster or the needs of people (Velasquez, 2009). It is also noticed that the relief funds or extension of help to disaster victims is also subject to the priorities of the concerned authorities. The main focus of this approach is that the equal justice and assistance should be provided to the victims of the disaster regardless of any sort of priorities. In my opinion, this was the conflict in the principles of the relief planning, and it could be addressed and corrected through the Fairness of Justice Approach.

Question 2: Opinion about the Compensation to the Victims of 9-11 Terrorist Attacks and the Future Disasters

In my opinion, the assistance that was provided to the victims of the 9-11 terrorist attacks was according to the principles of relief planning and was an ethical practice. It was the responsibility of the government to provide assistance to the victims of this terrorist attacks. On the other hand, it is also true that the expectations of the victims of other disasters have increased, and they also expect to receive a similar assistance as was received by the victims of the 9-11 terrorist attack. In my opinion, the assistance that was extended to the victims of 9-11 terrorists' attacks was quite an ethical approach to help the victims to develop themselves again and continue a respectable life.

If we take the example of the hurricane Katrina that appeared in the United States, a large number of people were affected by this natural disaster and the lives of many citizens of the United States were ruined by this hurricane. This hurricane is recorded to be the deadliest and costliest natural disaster in the history of the United States. According to the approach of Fairness of Justice, financial assistance should also be ...