How the article aid DEM professionals in providing competent and ethical assistance to the citizens affected by disasters
Digital Elevation Models are essential tools used by the geological departments in a nation to help reveal various aspects of earth’s structure. Generally, a combination of various factors is known to cause disasters; these include political factors, cultural/social factors, economic factors, and physical/geographical factors in a given area (Rovins, p.3).
The above-mentioned article examines possible consequences that can be seen if proper response to a disaster is not followed by a recovery from the disaster. It reminds different professionals about their collective responsibility in managing disasters should they occur.
In fact, it emphasizes the fact that there is need to predict and prepare for such incidences. DEM professionals can thus use the model to help in predicting disasters, for instance, the possible occurrence of a volcanic eruption of faulting along some lien of weakness on the surface of the earth.
The concept of physical vulnerability is described in the paper. The way the infrastructure of a country is designed in relation to the geographical location has been portrayed as one of the factors leading to disasters. It is also observed that even though attempts have been made to plan for hazards that results into disasters, implementation of such plans often fails. The DEM professionals should consider it a responsibility on their side, to be involved in the planning process.
Perhaps, it is lack of enough information that could lead to poor implementation of the plans, thus these DEM professionals should be involved during the planning of infrastructure. In addition, surface terrain should be considered when designing infrastructure such as roads and railways, while houses that happen to have been erected on lines of weaknesses should be brought down following recommendations from the professionals.
How the information can be used to create democratic public policies and programs that assist the community in mitigating, preparing for, responding to, and recovering from the disasters
In managing disasters, much focus has been given to mitigation planning. This paper reveals that the implementation of plans has been thwarted especially by the fact that the causative agents may not follow a predictable or regular pattern. Policies that allow for flexibility in the operations of the government could thus be enacted based on such a principle. Moreover, a special program department in a government could be created that deals with such issues.
Besides, it has been stressed that planning for disasters should not be isolated from all the other planning in a community or country. Thus, a democratic system of government would be one that advocates for the incorporation of such plans in the national budget and obtaining views from the public concerning such steps. This has been supported by the paper as reducing losses that are experienced in the response to and recovery from a disaster.
Moreover, arguments have been put forward that the cost of mitigation planning can be very high. However, it is still acknowledged that such costs cannot be higher than the unpredictable damages that can follow a disaster. Therefore, policies to be adopted should be those that would prefer reducing benefits rather than completely losing such benefits.
Evacuation of victims of disasters from the struck areas has been used in some areas in order to reduce casualties. However, the findings in the paper reveal that it is not a good solution, as it is just a temporary solution that would soon wither away with a short time.
Instead, physical planning should be done to ensure that the population is settled on safer locations. The authority can then find appropriate activities suitable for such areas. This can be easily used in the management of flood disasters
Reference
Rovins, J. (2009). Effective Hazard Mitigation: Are Local Mitigation Strategies Getting the Job Done? American Military University. Retrieved from https://training.fema.gov/hiedu/highpapers.aspx