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Example research essay topic: Sri Lanka Tsunami A Social Autopsy Part 2 - 1,665 words

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... were the biggest problems to follow. There were also case of pneumonia and lung inflammations from water inhalation during the inundation, especially among women and children who would have had trouble staying above water. Also, minor injuries become easily infected. A greater danger than that posed by unburied dead bodies would be nitrogen poisoning from mass graves leaching into groundwater, so that had to be watched. Identifying the bodies was a worse problem than burying them, so they took photos and, when possible, fingerprints.

The photos were posted in district government offices. As of Thursday, the last day official figures were compiled, Sri Lanka had an estimated 665, 951 displaced people, many of them living in the 770 refugee camps around the country. Thousands of refugees must be transferred from shelters in schools before the start of the new academic term Jan. 10. The government has said the schools must reopen on time to restore a sense of normalcy for the children. As a result, provincial groups and aid organizations were scrambling to arrange new quarters for refugees... Among the next health challenges, she said, will be to identify and address psychological problems among survivors, particularly children. (Janega, James 2005) My concern is that in a few days and certainly in a few weeks, the money will start to peter out.

Interest will wane and people will not want to hear any more about lost livelihoods. 'But at the same time whole communities will be dying. We have to put aside our cultural and religious differences to help these people repair their homes and industries and give them food and manpower to mount a huge clean-up operation. (Waidyasekera, DDM. 3 / 16 / 2005) These and other problems of recovery, including the rebuilding of the infrastructure, fixing ripped out roads and broken bridges, rehousing hundreds of thousands of people and rebuilding businesses and the economy. In addition there is the problem of helping people to rebuild their lives. Death and destruction on this scale is just practically unprecedented and nobody really knows what to do.

One issue that has emerged is the earthquake warning system. Scientists were vilified after the disaster by people who thought that the system had been unused or poorly monitored, and that it could have saved lives if things had been better. The question here is how much warning would have helped? In looking at the damage we see a lot that was never thought about.

For example, ecosystem damage contributed to the impact of the tsunami: coral reef mining has a direct effect on wave amplitude and energy, building damage, and loss of life. Tsunami waves also appear to have driven inland with greater force in areas where sand dunes had been graded or mangroves cut. Many people died because they couldn't escape the ocean waves or because they didn't appreciate the danger. When the first wave receded to expose the sea floor, large numbers of people followed the strange phenomenon to collect seashells and stranded fish. Then when the wave suddenly turned, they were too far out to reach safety.

Others died when they tried to climb onto buses or a train, instead of taking refuge in reinforced concrete buildings nearby. Evacuation was difficult in populated areas, and certain environmental factors like a palm tree with serrated fronds, caused more injury and death... Sadly it is used often for fencing and the piles of bodies near these fences showed the dangers graphically. One area which was not criticized, or even examined, until many months later was the media coverage. Right after the disaster, the coverage was news gathering. However, as time passed, the coverage became highly politicized.

Transparency International Sri Lanka (TISL). "The study found that the media in Sri Lanka, irrespective of policy differences, engages in propaganda for parties which they prefer. " The nine months since the tsunami may have added to the erosion of public trust placed on the media, the report warned. "The sad outcome of this catastrophe is that the public in turn, increasingly distrusts journalists, even hate them. And it will only get worse. The majority of Sri Lankan's would not think the media cares about the people. It seems that journalism is disappearing, " the last paragraph said. (Perera, Amantha 2005) The huge disaster has given us much to think about.

In areas of heavy population density, the risk of disasters of this dimension are always present. While we may not be able to do anything to prevent them, we can do things to minimize the damage and loss of life. Early warning systems can help up get people to places of comparative safety. More important is a well planned disaster recovery program. With no centrally coordinated effort, much well meant help goes to waste. In addition, an educational program must be put into force to help people know what to do in such a case.

So more than a year later, Sri Lanka has still not recovered, There are still homeless people and the infrastructure is not rebuilt. Some good things have come in the form of new well thought out regulations, but these are the minority. The country still struggles to recover economically, and emotional recovery may take a generation or more. An international agency should collect information to help all countries to work out useful plans. A communications center after a disaster, located outside the disaster area, but not too far would be invaluable.

Even a center to distribute vital news to the various news agencies would be useful, and especially useful would be an international fund to be ready with necessities. Disasters like the Tsunami and the hurricane in New Orleans should show us that we simply need to plan better. Some lessons learned: A coastal buffer zone and even a business free zone might help a great deal to prevent death and injury. It seems that the statistics back this up. A coastal erosion reduction zone, when present, seemed to have lower casualties nearby also, where construction must remain at least 46 yards inland from the vegetation line. The lack of quality control for housing and buildings which contributed to the destruction also extends to access routes -- which in the densest areas were either nonexistent or very narrow.

Education is essential to saving lives. Many people died in Sri Lanka because they did not know when to evacuate. Fewer lives were lost in the places where people were educated about tsunamis. Everyone worldwide should be educated about tsunamis, regardless of where he or she lives. Anyone can be caught on a coastal road, on a train, in a port, or in a hotel, restaurant, or business.

Many of those who died in the tsunami last December 26 were tourists on a winter holiday. Governments must provide access routes and keep them free of obstructions. Officials must identify shelters within a five- to 10 -minute walk of the projected hazard area that can accommodate refugees for up to 24 hours. Multi-hazard comprehensive planning is a prerequisite to orderly recovery, such as considering the implications of ecological disturbances such as coral reef mining, and its vulnerability to tsunamis, earthquakes, cyclones, and storm waves. Transportation is another important consideration.

In Sri Lanka, as in many other places throughout the world, the principal roadway and the railroad parallel the shore -- but there are relatively few corridors running perpendicular to them. This means that development and people are clustered in the most vulnerable areas, and escape from a shoreline disaster is difficult. The clear identification of risk factors is only the first step in establishing risk-based development criteria, including restrictions. However, mandated open space and setbacks may not be sufficient to reduce exposure to ongoing erosion or to encourage safer development patterns. Clearly articulated goals must guide future development to desired locations, and building construction must comply with standards. Nonstructural tools such as vegetation management, which can create buffers, are important as well.

Lack of a centralized administrative framework continues to hamper the recovery in Sri Lanka. As of April, more than 6, 000 donors had made formal commitments to help with rebuilding. Without a coherent mechanism to coordinate planning and decision making, the various agencies involved are issuing approvals that often conflict with each other. Disaster management is critical not only to coordinate response but also to provide for orderly recovery. Because a long process is required to adopt regulations, it is obvious that planning policies and regulations must be in place before a disaster strikes. Disaster conditions evolve rapidly; they make it nearly impossible to create a new administrative structure with the authority and expertise to oversee the wide range of decisions that must be made.

Sri Lanka is likely to continue to struggle with a range of issues, including equitable land-use decisions that balance ecological restoration with economic uses. (Paulson, Tom. 2005) Sources Cited Bate, Roger. "Who's to blame? The tsunami's aftermath. (The World) (preventing malaria in Sri Lanka) ", National Review, February 14, 2005. National Review, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.

This document provided by HighBeam Research at web Janega, James. January 4, 2005. "Despite fears, Sri Lanka sees no cholera in tsunami's aftermath. ", Chicago Tribune (Chicago, Illinois) (via Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News), Paulson, Tom. 2005, IN SRI LANKA, SCIENTISTS FEEL POST-TSUNAMI WRATH... Seattle Post-Intelligencer (Seattle, WA) Perera, Amantha. 9 / 15 / 2005 RIGHTS: SRI LANKAN MEDIA FAILED TSUNAMI VICTIMS. Inter Press Service English News Wire Preuss, Jane. 2005. Why 'tsunami' means 'wake up call': what planners can learn from Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka. (2006).

Encyclop? dia Britannica. Retrieved April 19, 2006, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Premium Service web web web Sri Lanka.

Encyclopedia article; The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2004 Waidyasekera, DDM. 3 / 16 / 2005; Australasian Business Intelligence; Mar 15, 2005 (Tax Notes International - ABIX via COMTEX)


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Research essay sample on Sri Lanka Tsunami A Social Autopsy Part 2

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