Isolated Communities

There are many challenges faced by individuals who live in isolated communities during a tsunami disaster, especially those who don't have any form of communication, such as telephones, radios, cellular phones, televisions, or computers. Therefore, the two main goals for this tsunami program in rural and isolated communities is to save as many lives as possible and to reduce the extent of property damage in Peru and Micronesia by educating the people prior to an incident. Moreover, this program will not only be dedicated to teaching individuals basic information about tsunamis, but also appropriate evacuation plans and the significance of the different levels in the warning systems.

Today, the major problem in tsunami disaster prevention through education is the lack of communication of safety guidelines between tsunami agencies, government officials, and the general public (El-Sabh, 280). Consequently, it is necessary that an international organization, such as the United Nations (UN), take direct responsibility to overcome this barrier by setting up a chain of command in which the necessary information will be passed down efficiently down the chain. This will have to occur in a quick manner so that groups at the bottom of the chain, such as isolated communities, can be prepared in case of a tsunami event. In addition, this agency will be responsible for the standardization of tsunami hazard zones, evacuation signs, and brochures in countries which will be associated under the UN in this initiative. By being a member of this initiative, countries will receive special aid and support from the UN.

In Peru, 'la Dirección de Hidrografía y Navegación de la Marina de Guerra del Perú' is responsible for the administration, operation, and investigation of oceanic activities resulting in the contribution of national development, navigational security for naval forces, and research materials for educational institutions (http://www.dhn.mil.pe/index.asp?pag=principal). The safety rules posted on their webpage is essential, and thus posted below as part of the material needed to be incorporated in the educational plan:

Moreover, for tsunami causalities to be significantly reduced, the development and installment of warning sirens across the costal region of Peru and Micronesia will be done by a team of scientists with association to the UN and other relief agencies. These sirens will only be activated by Tone Alert Radio signals when a tsunami warning is issued. Furthermore, the deployment of several radios is also paramount as a source of information, especially individuals who are isolated from outside contact, in a time of crisis. But for any of this to serve a beneficial purpose, the people in these isolated communities must be educated in the significance of the warning messages produced by the sirens. Likewise, for a warning system to be effective, the warning messages or signals must contain all of the information necessary to permit rapid and rational decision making.

How will these individuals be educated? Well, one way is to incorporate into the school curriculum information about tsunami hazards and what actions must be taken once a tsunami warning is issued. The costs for such a program in rural communities will be great, and government resources will be limited in this area. Yet, researchers for the World Bank have found that rural Peruvian households are willing to pay high enough fees to established and open new secondary schools in their villages. Moreover, relief money from global cooperation will also help establish schools in these communities. Teachers may range from educated Peruvian individuals to UN relief works and humanitarian workers. In addition, these schools should periodically hold tsunami drills so that children will hopefully learn about proper evacuation methods and be source of information to their parents in a real emergency.

Special considerations in forming an educational plan should include how to tackle language barriers, literacy, and cultural traditions. For instance, in Peru, even though Spanish and Quechua are the official languages, there are also a number of minor Amazonian dialects that are spoken especially in isolated communities (Central Intelligence Agency: The World Factbook. (2005, August 30). Federated States of Micronesia. Retrieved September 20, 2005 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/fm.html). Thus, informational brochures will need to be made in a manner in which individuals whose languages are solely oral or who are not able to read can grasp the message. Furthermore, additional explanations and information can be provided by humanitarian workers from the United Nations or through other agencies trained in these different languages. Micronesia also has a similar scenario, and therefore similar action is appropriate.

Again, rapid communication at all levels is pivotal for this educational program to excel and save lives during a tsunami warning. Therefore, the following procedure, which has been modified and expanded from Ayre’s research, was developed for isolated and rural communities (1975):

Furthermore, for this tsunami evacuation procedure to occur efficiently and rapidly, it needs to be educated to all the people in the community prior to a tsunami event. In the case of Micronesia where religious service is of great importance, the minister’s wife can spread the word through the village.

Also, the individuals in an isolated community, like all other victims in a tsunami disaster, should be educated on what do after a tsunami has hit. They should also be aware of hazardous debris that can threaten health and safety, such as weak infrastructure of buildings and contamination of water and food supplies (United Nations, 2005). Moreover, during the period of recovery and relief that follows a tsunami disaster, individuals need to be alert about the preservation of limited resources, such as that of clean water.

With such an extensive educational program, one must also remember that “over-warning based on inadequate knowledge” or with too many false alarms (such as in the case of tsunami-drills) often results in “a loss of faith” from the people towards the tsunami warning agencies, and thus “result in a reluctance to take action in subsequent tsunami events.” (El-Sabh, 280). Therefore, caution must be held throughout this initiative.

In short, the development of an educational program for tsunami awareness is paramount to prevent the loss of life. But just as Bernard has stated in his report, this can only be done with cooperative efforts from the government to coordinate, plan, and implement such a program (202). Knowledge is power, and in this case, the power to save lives!

References:

1. Ayre, R. S. (1975). Earthquake and Tsunami Hazards in the United States: A Research Assessment. Boulder: University of Colorado.
2. Bernard, E. N. (1997). Reducing Tsunami Hazards along US Coastlines. In G. Hebenstreit (Eds.), Perspectives on Tsunami Hazard Reduction: Observations, Theory, and Planning (pp. 189-203). The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
3. El-Sabth, M. I. (1995). The Role of Public Education and Awareness in Tsunami Hazard Management. In Y. Tsuchiya & N. Shuto (Eds.), Tsunami: Progress in Predication, Disaster Prevention and Warning (pp. 323-336). The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
4. Gertler, P., & Glewwe, P. (1989). The Willingness to Pay for Education in Developing Countries: Evidence from Rural Peru. In Living Standards Measurement Study (No. 54). Washington, D.C.: The World Bank.
5. United Nations. (2005). After the Tsunami: Rapid Environmental Assessment. New York, New York: United Nations Environment Programme.