Human-induced Disasters

When a natural disaster occurs, the story is splashed for days in the media. As reporters say, “If it bleeds, it leads.”  However, in a random walk through human history, by far the most devastating disasters have been ‘human-induced’. We used to call them ‘man-made’. In other words, caused by us humans. Countless people have been killed by these events, far more than by even the worst of natural disasters.  Often we get into the politics of the event, and jadedly rattling off numbers killed like a ticker tape, without acknowledging the human tragedy – which by definition could be avoided.  What a shame!

Consider today’s news, and pick your geographic area: Ukraine, Crimea, Syria, Egypt, Lebabon, Gaza, Iraq, Afganistan, Israel, Korea, Iran…there are more but you get the picture. We’re talking millions of people in the midst of human-induced disasters. Yet when an earthquake hits or hurricane is pending, it’s covered wall to wall. I understand that the issues are complex. This is why, in the international humanitarian community, they are called ‘complex emergencies’. I have blogged about this previously. The disasters may have shades of impact by a natural disaster, such as a drought or disease outbreak.

An example is the Haitian earthquake from a few years ago, where so many deaths occurred in a relatively small 6.0 quake. (A similar 6.0 hit Napa, California 10 days ago with a handful of deaths, most indirect.) The high mortality in Port-au-Prince was primarily because of unsafe housing – the reason of which was squallored living conditions, cause of which was poor construction due to ignored building codes, the source of which is corruption and greed, the result of which is a poverty-ridden society, and the root of which is political self-interest for those in leadership to rob the country and invoke ill-conceived policies that resulted in endemic unemployment. A convincing argument can be made that the needless death of tens of thousands of Haitians was human-induced.

Almost as sad are the resources that are applied to natural disasters compared to human-induced ones. I can understand the sentiment toward those that have suffered the impact of a tsunami or wildfire. We can identify with factors beyond our control, and easily imagine that “this could have been me”. With a bit of not-too-subtle nudging, we open our wallets. I am not belittling this response – only am asking for a bit of equity. Of course, we must be wise with our giving. Yes, some humanitarian agencies are professional fund-raisers. If only they were as skilled at applying those funds to the people impacted by the disaster – whether natural or human-induced.

I know what it’s like to be in the middle of human-induced disaster, having served in Somalia, the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Kosovo, Liberia, etc. I likewise know the whirlwind of a natural disaster response, such as the SE Asian tsunami, Cyclone Nargis, Hurricane Katrina, Haiti earthquake, etc. I also can relate to the helpless feeling of being back in the comfy confines of Victoria, BC, Canada and listening powerlessly to horrors of flooded-out villages in the Philippines and sectarian atrocities in Iraq. The solutions to these tragedies are above the pay grade of this humble writer. As Jesus said to his followers 2000 years ago, “The poor will always be among us.” As with his other statements, this has proven true to this day, but it is not an excuse to live in a bubble and do nothing. We can all do something, ever how small, in this hurting world, whether it’s around the block or around the world. The key is to discover what is that ‘something’ and act upon it.

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