Friday, October 12, 2012

Blog #7: Natural Disasters, to Japan's Action, to World Bank Thoughts.


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“No country can fully insulate itself from disaster risk, but every country can reduce its vulnerability. Better planning can help reduce damage and loss of life from disasters…” Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Group President.
                In Japan, 2011, there was a tsunami that cost the entire world over 3.5 trillion dollars that will be carried behind us for the next 30 years. Situations like these catastrophes caused the World Bank to raise and demand solutions for these national disasters as well as better disaster planning. This brought about a Policymakers meeting in Sendai, one of Japan’s majorly damaged cities in the northeast, made a point that infrastructure in economies should be designed to minimize the cost of natural disasters. That way we wouldn’t have to face 3.5 trillion dollars of debt between all nations.
                So, the World Bank started doing experiments, going to different places, trying to get a hold of what they could fix and how. They visited an elementary school, where 320 people took shelter on the roof from the waves that had previously struck in the tsunami disaster. This same school had even served as an emergency evacuation centre when the waters had receded. The school had many different items that made them well prepared and well equipped to be an emergency evacuation station. Items such as blankets and food. “
                They then went to another part in Japan’s northeast region, where huge waves swept over and killed nearly 19,000 people. This opened the World Bank’s eyes, making them want to learn from Japan because of their nicely developed disaster management plans. The “resilience of the Japanese people in their reconstruction efforts, and their generosity in sharing that experience with us” is truly amazing, said Kristalina Georgieva, European Union Commissioner. These studies and hopes brought about plans for disaster planning on a part of a lot of emerging economies.
                Though the decision isn’t quite made up yet, it is still a large possibility that will help as a general whole. If we together as a nation can bring about disaster relief in a better way, the entire economy of the world will not be faltering as much anymore. Natural and Catastrophic disasters are a part of our world, and they have been for a very long time, that’s not going to change. The only thing that will change is our action, and our voice. What will we do about these disasters to better our world as a whole? I think both the World Bank and Japan have a pretty fantastic head start. If we can put those decisions into action, our entire world won’t be in such bad turmoil anymore, but we’ll be able to fight through it together, leaning on each other. We all experience a lot of the same natural disasters within each country. If we can give aid to other countries, and get their aid in return, as well as their ideas, there will be change in the economy and in our World. 

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