Artigenda
International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction
When: Anually, October 13.
The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is about natural disasters and their impact on our environment. The United Nations (UN) has declared this day on 13 October to draw attention to thinking about how to reduce the impact of natural disasters.
There is something to be said about this day. After all, doesn’t this tell the people’s organisation that we are unable to adequately protect the world from natural disasters? Actually, yes.
Nor can the world be protected from natural disasters. The UN asks us to think critically about the impact of these natural disasters. What are the risks to humans and animals?
Warn people
One solution may be to warn people. A timely warning can lead to people being able to prepare for what is to come. The only question is whether this can be sufficient. To what extent is it possible to evacuate densely populated areas where a natural disaster is imminent, for example, in time, and how much time is there to evacuate?
One of the best-known examples was the Indian Ocean seaquake on Sunday 26 December 2004. That quake was not that dangerous for humans. It was the tidal wave (tsunami) that then swept across the Indian Ocean in several directions that caused casualties. In total, more than 230,000 people lost their lives. This natural disaster is considered one of the biggest disasters in modern history.
A warning system for approaching tidal waves was not in place everywhere. Had this been the case, the number of casualties might have been lower. However, that is difficult to determine, given the huge impact of the tidal waves. In some areas, the water reached large parts of the interior.
In other cases, warning systems do exist or people are otherwise informed of what is coming. Think, for example, of approaching forest fires. Even in those cases, casualties occur because not everyone hears a call to leave.
Think critically
On a day like today, it is a good time to think critically about what the risks are and how they can be combated. Learning lessons from the past is important. In doing so, do not close your eyes to a changing world.
