What do you consider the difficulties are in mounting a flood rescue operation in a developing country?
I’m a university student and as part of our assessment for a module I have just completed we have to do a presentation on flood/sea/swift water rescue, with a medical focus.
I’m looking at the difficulties presented in mounting an aid or rescue operation in a developing country after flooding, and was wondering if anyone else had any thoughts? I’ve been thinking along the lines of lack of infrastructure in the country to work with, lack of training, lack of resources, but I’m also having some problems finding resources, so any suggestions would be most helpful!
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Have you tried looking at UN reports? Or investigating some of the NGOs? They all do reports and whatnot outlining problems they face. I’m sure there must be a gazillion reports about Aceh Tsunami recovery efforts. Where are you looking? Google? Or other resources? I’d Google Aceh or maybe Aceh NGOs or Aceh recovery and see what turns up. Let me know if this is helpful.
If you go to FEMA.gov, they have a number of free online classes that take about an hour to complete. They have several on addressing issues of flooding.
A major logistics headache in this area is that underdeveloped countries lack so much infrastructure even before a disaster that it’s difficult to get assistance in. Roads, port facilities and airfields are a bottleneck, even in undamaged areas. Another problem area (which UN reports won’t emphasize) is inefficiency and corruption in these countries. Officials will hold up a shipment until they are paid off, regardless of how badly needed it is.
After the Indian Ocean tsunami, medicine shipments to Indonesia were held on the dock waiting for “customs clearance” (NGOs refused to pay). Many months later, the Indonesian government made a big effort at propaganda by destroying the medical supplies that the western donations had donated, claiming that they were “expired”. The medicines had expired while sitting in warehouses waiting for “clearance”.
A HUGE Problem is security!! Following a disaster it is a free for all and a grab fest for anything and everything! I know Dr.‘s that had to wait almost a week to get a security detail together to go into Haiti after the earthquake and they were the first ones there because they made the arrangements privately on their own as Gov sponsored efforts were bogged down in red tape and their own efforts to gain control of the gang attacks on relief efforts.
So look into red tape and security big time issues!
Thanks all, really useful starting points! Will get working on it ASAP.
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