Vocabulary #2

Chapter 8: Natural Disasters-Something Can Be Done

Words given on Monday April 1, 2013 for the test on Friday April 5, 2013

            In December of 2004, a huge Tsunami brought death and devastation to Southeast Asia.  From Somalia to Thailand, children became orphans, and families were left homeless and destitute, unable to find food or lodging.  The news media reported the awful consequences of the tsunami.  Each night the evening news vividly broadcast them into our living rooms.  As terrible as these events and their consequences may be, scientists warn us that they are, in a human sense, escalating. 

            While events of this kind cannot be prevented, measures can certainly be taken to minimize the damage they bring.

            Natural disasters have not actually been increasing in number.  What has happened is that the injury to humans has increased dramatically over the last century.  In a way, technology is to blame, because technology has enabled people to live in areas that were not previously inhabitable.  Poverty too, must absorb some of the blame, because poor people have been pushed into some of these areas.  That’s where the problem lies: some of these areas are most susceptible to natural disasters.

            Both the rich and poor seem willing to accept the risk.  California real estate is among the most expensive in the world.  The state’s millions of residents have decided that the pleasures of West Coast life offset the danger of living along a fault line.  At the other extreme are the poverty-stricken residents of Indonesia, who live within striking distance of the nation’s 150 active volcanoes. 

            The difference between rich and poor lies not with chances that disaster will strike-in such cases, natural disasters may be inevitable-but with how governments have responded to the challenge. 

            Take, for example, the Pacific Coast of the United States.  In this area, governments have already upgraded construction codes for buildings and highways, creating flexible structures that will sway and not collapse.  They have improved warning systems and done considerable research to determine the exact nature of the danger.  Should disaster strike, structures are less likely to crumble, and people are more likely to survive.

            That’s not the case in poorer countries.  Following a disaster, people are liable to return to where they have always lived, and buildings are more likely to be rebuilt in the exact same way.

            Across the world, governments must develop policies that stress human disaster prevention.  Governments cannot guarantee that natural disasters will not occur, but they certainly can offer some promise to try to save lives.  The tsunami offered a very real reminder of how fragile human life is.  The world should not need other reminders.