Disasters Have Occurred in the Area of Kava Island - Article Example

Introduction The report examines the analysis, synthesis and prescription of recommendations based on a decision made by a mother Company in the US concerning a greater presence in Kava; an island located in the South Pacific region of the world. The area has been struck by a series of disasters. There is a need for much to be done and one of the recovery plans is encompassed in this report.1 PART ONE Description of the problems The first challenge facing this island is the fact that it is prone to so many natural disasters. These range from volcanic eruptions, floods, fires, earthquakes, avian flu, hurricanes, tsunami, tidal waves, typhoons and tornadoes. The natural disasters are not the only problems facing the residents of Kava; apparently, these residents are also faced with the threat of man- made disasters. They are susceptible to terrorism both from outside the country and within the country. This is topped up by some acquired diseases like HIV/ AIDS. Another challenge within this Island is the numerous diversity of its people. There are many indigenous languages representing the local ethnic communities spoken besides other international languages like Spanish, French and English representing the Americans, Spanish, Africans, French and Chinese people located in the Island. They also have very many problems rooted in their beliefs through differing religions like Christianity, Buddhism, Islam and other local religions. Lastly, most of the Island is made up of young people since Statistics show that half of the population in Kava is made up of people who are less than fifteen years of age. This is also topped up by fact that most of them may not be educated deduced from the fact that cheap labor is available there. Why it’s a problem The natural disasters are the biggest problem because first of all, they could cause considerable loss of lives. The reason why most of the population in Kava is largely constituted of youth could be because the Island’s lifespan is quite short. Hurricanes that have occurred all over the world have caused death of thousands if not millions. Such people are essential in the development of the Island; they are the ones who hold the economy in their hands. If there are no people to produce Cocoa, coffee, natural gas and most importantly petroleum, the rest of the world is affected. Other countries that have not been endowed with these resources heavily depend on countries like Kava for survival. This implies that the rest of the world would be adversely affected. 2 Diversity present in the country could also be a problem because it very difficult to coordinate activities between different members of the community since most of them may not be able to understand each other. This could be a very difficult problem for a number of stakeholders. The first group would be the Company. Since it is considering establishing a greater presence in Kava, then chances are that the Company will recruit internal members. This may be very difficult for the Company because communication will be quite difficult. It will also be very difficult for private organizations and other international communities to coordinate disaster recovery, disaster responses and disaster prevention activities since reaching people on the ground will prove to be very difficult. This means that getting help during times of disasters could be very difficult. The numerous cultures and religions could present a number of problems too. First of all, cultures present different interpretations for problems that occur. Some of them may interpret the natural disasters as a form of divine punishment. The problem with such interpretations is that those people will not be moved to act. They may simply resign and assume that all is lost; this could act as a serious impediment to plans of action. It could also act as an impediment to preventive measures because some of them may not attempt to prepare for future disasters under the assumption that their fate lies in some other divine power. On top of this, locals might regard other groups with suspicion and mistrust. They may find it difficult to work with them and this could be a serious problem to prevention and recovery from the disasters. Terrorism and other man made disasters could also increase the rift that is also present among members of the community. It could also affect other foreign companies that may want to invest in the Country. 3 PART 2 Causes of the problems The natural disasters could have been caused by the geographical location of the Island. Hurricanes and Tornadoes have a seventy percent chance of occurring in coastal regions. This high probability has most likely become reality. Sometimes some man -made activities could aggravate the problem. For example there may be poor allocation of land in areas that have been identified as disaster zones. There may be cases of poor preparations for example through structural changes like building flood levees. Legislations could have also been passed to determine which areas are suitable for settlement. There is also the conduction of risk management. Community groups, emergence response service providers could have failed in risk assessment. Risks can be analyzed though a probability element and vulnerability element. The Island might not have predicted the likelihood of these disasters occurring hence causing the serious problem that can be observed now. Man made disasters could have been caused by poor management of resources. For example oil spillages could have been avoided if there was adequate maintenance and use of oil transportation and storage items. Ignorance, cultural beliefs and ideologies could be the cause of cases of HIV/ AIDS prevalence among members of the community. If locals were aware of what is necessary to prevent the spread of the disease, they would have taken precautionary measures. Terrorism could also have been caused by extremist religious beliefs where some may presume that their faith is the ultimate choice. Perhaps another reason why terrorism is a threat is as an attempt to control the many resources that Kava Island has been endowed with. External terrorism activities in other parts of the world have been linked to mineral resources. In the case of Kava, this could be as a result of the presence of petroleum deposits. 4 Implementation of a plan for the problem The plan will be implemented through a SAFE format that will be examined below; Suitability The Island is quite suitable for the plan because the natives are in dire need of assistance. Many have lost their property; others have lost their relatives and associates. These same people have been severely impaired financially and economically. Their differing attitudes have caused cases of inactivity. This people have provided to the rest of the world through their resources but very little has been done to return the favor to them. It is only right that the Company establishes itself in the area since they will be doing the right thing for the Company. The Company will be dealing with an area that fall right under their jurisdiction. There are so many disasters that have occurred in the area and these would be fertile ground for the Company to enforce its services. Besides this, there is also the possibility of learning a lot from the Island especially with regard to dealing with disasters. Information acquired from here could be applied in the mother Company to mange disasters that occur there. 5 Kava as a location is quite suitable because many countries all over the world including the US highly depend on the resources and products emerging from the country. If nothing is done about the country, then the US and other parts of the international community could be heading for disaster. They will run short of supplies and may have little to fall back on. Accessibility Kava is an Island that has many foreign cultures and high numbers of tourists. This implies that it is not a remote location and that chances are it can be very easy to access it. However, it will be a bit far from the mother Company. This implies that meetings or delivery of supplies could prove to be difficult. The country is in a current state of confusion. Transport and communication networks have probably been impaired. This is a serious impediment to the implementation of the plan because no matter where the Company chooses to locate its premises, it may not be able to reach that area easily and effectively. Telephone, postal and other communication services may also be a problem. Accessing the mother Company, local, sponsors, the government, community organizations may become very difficult for the Company. Feasibility There are chances that there may be very few members of the community to work with the Company. Most of them have either been killed by the disasters or others are still trying to come to terms with their losses. This may necessitate the need for outsourcing work or bringing in foreign members of staff. However, caution should be taken when choosing the latter alternative because there may be cases of rejection by people from the US. They may not feel that Kava is a safe area to work in; they may fear for their lives. They may also be hindered by the poor transport, communication and infrastructure. Some may feel that the financial and economic background of the Island is not conducive for conducting business in the area. 6 However, because the Company has the experience in this area, then chances are that the project will succeed. The Company is equipped with the right business culture, management skills and departmental back up to deal with the situation at Kava. The government will back up efforts by the Company because they are the ones that requested the Company to help them with their social needs. This will make it easier for the Company to achieve its goals. The Company’s economics will be in line with the situation at Kava. It can be able to handle the financial challenges at the Island because it has chosen an area full of them. The Company is one of the few ones around the world that has chosen to see disasters in another light. Instead of considering disasters as an inconvenience, they should be seen as an opportunity that can be harnessed as the Company plans on doing. Endurance The Company has the capability to endure the challenges present in Kava. First of all, the Company is endowed with an efficient human resource team. They have an efficient technological department. They are able to handle all the financial and physical resource, strategic planning, purchasing, finance and marketing aspects well. 7 PART 3 Implementation of the solution and resources required The solution will occur in three phases preparation/mitigation supporting/ response rebuilding/ recovery Because it has already been reported that there are high chances of risks occurring in the area, then the first thing that needs to be done should be adequate preparation. In the event that other disasters occur, there should be support to members of the community. Rebuilding should be done after disasters have occurred as is the case currently. This is what will be done immediately the Company is formed. Mitigation is the process by which a given country or location prepares for a disaster. The Company can help Kava achieve this through the use of legislation. The Company could work hand in hand with the government to make sure that land used is planned. It could also designate areas like parks to be used as flood zones. The Company could also urge members of society to take up insurance cover. Structural changes can also be implemented. This can be achieved by building disaster structures like flood levees. Mitigation could be done after risk assessments have been one. This is the identification of all the disasters that can occur at a given location and the calculation of their probability of occurrence in combination with assessment of their level of impact. This will act as a guideline in mitigation activities. Impact assessment is calculated using this formula; Rh=H * Vh Where Rh is the hazard specific risks -H is the probability that a given hazard will occur -Vh is the vulnerability to the hazard8 One should remember that there ought to be adequate preparedness measure that may include any of the following measures. The company should come up with an effective way of communication to members within the organization and to members of the community. The communication levels will also be improved by establishment of a chain of command where instructions can flow from one part to another. The Company will also work hand in hand with other agencies that are located in Kava Island because it should realize that it is not working alone. Besides this, there should also be training of emergency services all the time within the organization so that members can be able to act accordingly after those disasters occurred. The Company should also come up with an evacuation plan, they should think of building emergency shelters and back this up with warnings to members of the community whenever there is a threat of disaster occurring. The Company should also maintain supplies as an attempt to prepare for dangerous days. 9 Since the disaster has already occurred, the company should now work on mobilizing the services of all emergence response services available in the area. These may include the ambulance, police and firefighters. It should also mobilize the other rescue teams that specialize in specific services. The Company should put to use services offered by some non- governmental organizations like the Red Cross and St. John Ambulance. This is because such organizations are able to provide basic aid to those who may be badly injured. The Company should also coordinate the services of volunteers because if left to work haphazardly, they can be a hindrance to rescue efforts. The Company should also be involved in recovery efforts. They could do this through the use of the government. Here building and structures are repaired or rebuilt. This is the most difficult aspect of disaster management. But through the use of adequate timing and available resources, the company can achieve this. The main problem with changes is that there may be some forms of resistance from locals. It is best for the Company to implement these changes as early as possible10 Factors affecting the solution The first obstacle that the Company will face is the exhaustion of resources affecting many stakeholders. Even though it plans on coordinating the services of many emergency response teams, these teams have had to deal with too much within a short time. It would therefore be favorable fro the company to employ the services of external service providers. The Company may face some difficulties when recruiting members of staff especially because they speak different languages. They my also face resistance from locals who have a lot of cultural and religious inhibitions. The Company should also consider sponsors and financial resources to initially deal with the scenario. This can be obtained through writing a convincing business plan. Ethical considerations Because the Company will be engaging in a lot of volunteer work, it should ensure that strict ethical standards are adhered to when coordinating the activities of rebuilding or responding to the issues. The Company should not misuse locals by paying them low wages. It should not exploit any of their natural resources without due consideration of who is concerned. Lastly, the Company should make sure that there are no other forms of mismanagement. Conclusion Kava Island is very useful for the rest of the world. However, because numerous disasters have occurred in the area, it is necessary for the Company to intervene in the area. It can do this through coordination of emergency response efforts, working with the local community and the government. Considerations should be made for sources of finances, resources and recruitment of labor. 11 Reference Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) (2007): Emergency Management Guide for Business & Industry; a report by FEMA, 18 May 2006, pp 5 The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) (2005): NFPA 909: Code for the Protection of Cultural Resources Properties—Museums, Libraries, and Places of Worship; Quincy, Mass NFPA, pp 3 National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) (2007): NFPA 1600: Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs; Quincy, Mass NFPA, pp 4 Buchanan, S. (2000): Emergency preparedness: from Paul Banks and Roberta Pilette, Preservation Issues and Planning. Chicago: American Library Association, pp 21 Haddow, G. et al (2004): Introduction to Emergency Management; Amsterdam: Butterworth-Heinemann Publishers, pp 15 Wisner, B. et al (2004): At Risk - Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability and disasters; Wiltshire: Routledge, pp 112 Cuny, F. (1983): Disasters and Development; Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp 53 Alexander, D. (2002): Principles of Emergency planning and Management; Harpenden: Terra Publishing, pp 12 Walker, P. (1991): International Search and Rescue Teams; A League Discussion Paper. Geneva: League of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, pp 1 Read More