The Modernization of Disaster Response

With earthquakes, floods, storms, and drought, earth has been struck with a range of natural disasters since the beginning of time. The only thing that has changed about these disasters is the way that humans prepare for and resolve them. It would seem obvious that society is better able to deal with these disasters today than hundreds or thousands of years ago.  However, this is not always the case.

        Over the last century, advancements in technology have allowed us to prepare for and recuperate from many disasters. These technological advancements allow people to evacuate from dangerous areas, or to quickly receive aid if they fall victim.  Before many disasters hit, like tornados or tsunamis, radar systems and communication devices enable civilians in danger to receive information about how to best stay safe. Radar and other measurement systems are in place to predict future events and allow scientists to give the public fair warning before they occur. To convey these messages, new technology also allows the authorities to efficiently communicate information to the public.  Through television, radio, and phones, people can receive messages concerning their safety within minutes of weather reports.  These inventions allow the public to receive a warning so they can prepare themselves.

       Another relatively recent advancement that allows individuals to avoid disasters is access to high-speed transportation.  A large percentage of Americans either own cars or can use public transportation.    Now, once an evacuation is in progress, most people can quickly leave dangerous areas.  Through speedy transportation, rescue organizations can also quickly assist victims.  Using easy access to transportation, vital resources can be brought to people in need in a short amount of time.  Helicopters and boats can drop food and water to those low on resources. Transportation can also be used to move injured or stranded civilians to hospitals and safer areas. Communication is also key to helping people in need. Once a disaster hits, people around the globe have access to information about the victims in need.  They can either go physically help, or send resources to the region. 

Hundreds of years ago people had no way of knowing a deadly disaster would strike.  When a disaster hit, everyone was caught off guard, and therefore it produced havoc and chaos.  Once people realized that they had to escape from dangerous areas, there weren’t trains or buses or automobiles that could take them hundreds of miles away within a matter of hours.  They were trapped. Even after the catastrophe hit, victims were able to receive little aid because no one around the world knew what had happened.  There were no televisions or radios to share the knowledge.  All in all, if a disaster were to strike a region hundreds of years ago, the number of victims would likely have been higher, and the chance of them receiving any aid would likely have been minimal.

Therefore, it seems clear that new technological advancements have allowed people to stay safer in the midst of natural disasters.  However, I would argue that one thing hasn’t changed: equal access to assistance.  Ideally, everyone is supposed to receive the same care at the same time.  Yet in most cases, the wealthy are the first to be helped.   So, I ask the question; we may have made advancements to potentially predict and recover from natural disasters, but have we made the same advancements in morality that lead to everyone having the same access to aid in a time of crisis?