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- Permanent Link:
- http://dpanther.fiu.edu/dpService/dpPurlService/purl/FI13042554/00001
Material Information
- Title:
- The Storms of '98 : Hurricanes Georges and Mitch impacts, institutions' response and disaster politics in three countries
- Series Title:
- Special publication (University of Colorado, Boulder. Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center)
- Alternate title:
- Hurricanes Georges and Mitch
- Creator:
- Stuart Olson, Richard
Alvarez, Ricardo A.
Baird, Bruce P.
Estrada, Amelia
Gawronski, Vincent T.
Sarmiento Prieto, Juan Pablo
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
- Place of Publication:
- Boulder, CO
- Publisher:
- Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center. University of Colorado
- Publication Date:
- 2001
- Copyright Date:
- 2001
- Language:
- English
- Physical Description:
- State or province government publication
Notes
- Summary:
- This report documents a study conducted on Hurricanes Georges and Mitch. The two hurricanes severely impacted the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean regions, resulting in hundreds of deaths and billions of dollars in losses. The report covers the storms’ overall impact, but primarily assesses the events’ response efforts. Political and media coverage are evaluated in terms of their impact on emergency response implementation. This study examines why the agencies charged with responding to the disasters were marginalized and thus could not implement their mandates. It is hoped that in so doing, similar missteps can be avoided in the future. Catastrophic events, though physical in nature, have significant social components. They do not merely strike a region, but affect pre-existing situations and societal stresses. The immediacy and magnitude of their impact places demands of similar character on politicians, agencies, and a variety of institutions in the private sector. The problem is compounded by the lack of political power afforded to disaster response agencies, in that political power is a prerequisite for allocating substantial resources on short notice. The importance of political capacity, coupled with extensive contextualization of these types of events, necessitates an in-depth understanding of the social forces in play throughout the catastrophic event cycle. Thus, attention to media coverage as a form of social interaction is essential to understanding the manner in which a disaster’s aftermath unfolds. Solutions must be pursued with urgency, as disasters are projected to increase in frequency and severity. The study cites multiple causes of this trend, some of which are population growth, environmental degradation, lack of mitigation measures, and institutional weakness. The researchers suggest solutions in the context of existing political and economic constraints. They recommend that national emergency agencies be endowed with capabilities that ensure a flexible, agile response to disasters. The study’s report concludes with an endorsement of the Pan-American Health Organization’s (PAHO) “accordion” option, whose features enable agencies to adapt to the size and nature of each disaster they face. ( English )
- Subject:
- General Disaster Risk Management ( English )
- Scope and Content:
- Acknowledgments and Editor's Note p. 6; Abstract p. 7; I. Introduction p. 9; Disasters in Context. HDI, HPI, and TI's Corruption Index. 1998: A Very Bad Year. Analytic Purposes; II. Hurricane Georges and the Dominican Republic p. 15; Impacts. Domestic Media Treatment. Responding to Georges A Tragedy of Errors. Blame Themes; III. Hurricane Mitch and Honduras p. 29; An Erratic Path. A Cruel, Nasty Storm. Media Attention Span. Assistance Credit. the Casualty Issue. Economic Losses: The EIU Assessment. The Political Context of the Impacts. Institutional Change and the Politics of Honduran Sidelining. Blame Themes. In Sum; IV. Hurricane Mitch and Nicaragua p. 47; Death and Destruction (But the Eyewall Never Came Close). Nicaragua: A History of Disaster. Institutional Evolution: From Somocismo through Civil War to Sandinismo. Media Attention Span. Assistance Credit. Blame Themes. A Policy Work in Progress: Nicaragua's Post-Mitch Changes and Proposals. In Sum; V. Conclusion p. 61; Losses (Still) Going Up. PAHO's "Event Lessons". Our Conclusion and the "Accordion Option"; References p. 65; The Authors p. 67; TABLES: Table 1 Human Development Index (HDI) Rankings, Latin American Countries, 1998 p. 11; Table 2 Human Poverty Index (HPI) Rankings, Latin American Countries, 1997 p. 12; Table 3 The Transparency International (TI) 1998 Corruption Perceptions Index, Western Hemisphere Countries p. 13; Table 4 Hurricane Georges Coverage: Ten Dominican Newspapers p. 21; Table 5 Hurricane Georges: Dominican Media Recognition of Assistance, by Donor Nation p. 24; Table 6 Hurricane Georges: Dominican Media Recognition of Assistance, by NGOs, IGOs, and MNCs p 25; TAble 7 Hurricane Mitch Coverage: The "Big Three" Hondiran Newspapers p. 35; Table 8 Hurricane Mitch: Honduran Media Recognition of Assistance, by Donor Nation p. 37; Table 9 Hurricane Mitch: Honduran Media Recognition of Assitance, by NGOs, IGOs, and MNCs p. 38; Table 10 Social Impact of Hurricane Mitch in Central America p. 39; Table 11 The Casualty Story: OFDA Sitreps 1-22 p. 40; Table 12 Hurricane Mitch: Government of Nicaragua, Official Losses p. 49; Table 13 Hurricane Mitch Coverage: The "Big Three" Nicaraguan Newspapers p.54; Table 14 Hurricane Mitch: Nicaraguan Media Recognition of Assistance, by Donor Nation p. 56; Table 15 Hurricane Mitch: Nicaraguan Media Recognition of Assistance, by NGOs, IGOs, and MNCs p. 57; FIGURES: Figure 1 National Hurricane Center 1998 Hurricane Tracking Chart p. 14; Figure 2 Hurricane Georges Coverage: Ten Dominican Newspapers p. 22; Figure 3 Hurricane Mitch Coverage: The "Big Three" Honduran Newspapers p. 36; Figure 4 Hurricane Mitch Coverage: The "Big Three" Nicaraguan Newspapers p. 55; PHOTOS: Photo 1 Hurricane Georges on 9/22/98 at 15:15 UTC p. 17; Photo 2 Hurricane Georges on 9/22/98 at 21:15 UTC p. 18; Photo 3 Hurricane Mitch on 10/26/98 at 12:45 GMT p. 31; Photo 4 Hurricane Mitch on 10/29/98 at 20:15 UTC p. 32 ( English )
- Citation/Reference:
- Olson, R.S., Alvarez, R.A., Baird, B.P., Estrada, A., Gawronski, V.T., Sarmiento-Prieto, J.P. (2001). The storms of ’98: hurricanes Georges and Mitch—impacts, institutional response, and disaster politics in three countries. Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, University of Colorado.
Record Information
- Source Institution:
- Florida International University
- Rights Management:
- Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
- Resource Identifier:
- FI13042554
48062609 ( oclc )
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