Tag Archives: disaster response
Wildfires, Ranchers, and their Cattle…preventing a BBQ
Most of you are aware that in British Columbia, I have primarily focused on agricultural emergencies. Most agri projects in which I have been involved over the years address “planning”. My hope is that this planning results in a swifter and more effective response to a natural disaster. This might be a Plan for the […]
Natural Disasters R Us
Most in North America are turning the clock back this weekend, which gives an extra hour of early morning daylight. Unsure if this is positive or negative, but it got me thinking about how we try to manipulate our natural world, our fragile ecosystems, and our environment. Are we arrogant or what! Disasters can be divided into two basic […]
The Nepal Earthquake
Many of you have heard about the worst earthquake in 80 years to hit Nepal last week on April 25. At this writing, the death toll is >4000 and climbing. Incredible to see the sudden awesome power of human nature, especially in a setting like the Himalayas. We deal with tragedies in our lives, but […]
2014: The Year in Review
A popular media segment at the end of every year is ‘most important news’, especially on radio, which is my favorite means of receiving news clips. I thought I’d look back at some of worthwhile stories (i.e., those beyond the local politics and teapot tempests of Vancouver Island, BC) Although I am a huge advocate […]
Bird Flu raises its ugly head in Canada
In early December, an outbreak of Avian Influenza suddenly hit poultry farms in the populated Fraser Valley, near Vancouver, British Columbia. Immediately, several countries banned imports of poultry products from either BC or Canada. The BC Ministry of Agriculture, Emergency Management BC, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, the RCMP, and local authorities were mobilized. […]
Early Recovery
This month, I attended a training with the United Nations in the area of ‘early recovery’. Among other things, it was a flashback my past before having a family, when I was based and worked overseas. This course was led by the UN Development Program, and I was impressed by the 25+ who attended, from […]
Ebola!
Ebola is back in the news, and rightly so. The name hits our emotions hard: Death. Fear. Doom. No cure; no escape. To date in late July, the mortality rate is pushing 800. The great relief for us in North America is that these deaths are in isolated, distant countries – Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea. This […]
Relief vs. Development: The Agony and the Ecstasy (Part 2)
In the last blog, I discussed advantages and challenges of relief programming in a disaster. I will now discuss “development model” considerations in an international disaster response. By definition, the international NGO (INGO) is present because the host country is considered “under-developed” by one or more recognized international indices. The lack of development is usually sectoral, i.e. […]
Relief vs. Development: The Agony and the Ecstasy
Most relief responses by international agencies take place in settings where the groups already have a presence, primarily implementing development programs. However, the approach to relief and the approach to development are different by their very natures, which has the potential to cause tension between the programs. These tensions can and must be mitigated before they escalate into […]
Avalanche!
The season is here again, when the local news gives a tragic story of another death from an avalanche. As I write this, the hourly news from my trusty radio just reported two deaths in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Avalanches kill more than 150 people throughout the world every year. Here in British Columbia, the toll averages 11 deaths annually. The 2008-09 winter was especially tragic, with […]
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