GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL SURGES:

A WAY TO ELIMINATE THE ROOT CAUSES OF DISASTERS

DR. WALTER HAYS

GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR DISASTER REDUCTION

FOUR UNIVERSAL ROOT CAUSES OF DISASTERS

• IGNORANCE

• APATHY

• DISCIPLINARY BOUNDARIES

• UNWISE DECISIONS

A DISASTER is ---

--- the set of failures that occur when three continuums: 1)  people, 2) community (i.e., a set of habitats, livelihoods, and social constructs), and 3) recurring events (e.g., floods, earthquakes, ...,) intersect at a point in space and time, when and where the people and community are not ready.   

REALITY 101

• DISASTER = KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT TRANSFER AND IMPLEMEN- TATION

• DISASTER RESILIENCE = KNOWLEDGE WITH TRANSFER AND IMPLEMEN-TATION

REALITY 101

A disaster is the result of NOT IMPLEMENTING

knowledge-based policies to reduce

vulnerability and risk

LET’S AGREE THAT AN LET’S AGREE THAT AN EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SURGE TO BUILDSURGE TO BUILD

EDUCATIONAL, TECHNICAL AND EDUCATIONAL, TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL CAPACITYPOLITICAL CAPACITY

TO REDUCE DISASTERS IN EVERY TO REDUCE DISASTERS IN EVERY COMMUNITIYCOMMUNITIY OF THE WORLD, OF THE WORLD,

STARTING WITH OUR OWNSTARTING WITH OUR OWN , IS , IS REALISTICREALISTIC

LET’S ENVISION LET’S ENVISION

A GLOBAL SURGE IN A GLOBAL SURGE IN EDUCATIONALEDUCATIONAL, , TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL CAPACITY TECHNICAL AND POLITICAL CAPACITY

BUILDINGBUILDING

THAT IS DESIGNED TO MAKE ALL THAT IS DESIGNED TO MAKE ALL COMMUNITIESCOMMUNITIES OF THE WORLD OF THE WORLD

DISASTERDISASTER RESILIENT RESILIENT

LET’S AGREE THAT THE INTEGRATION OF EACH

COUNTRY’S HISTORY OF PAST DISASTERS

IS THE BEST KNOWLEDGE BASE FOR LAUNCHING A GLOBAL EDUCATIONAL

SURGE

DISASTERS THAT EXPOSED NATIOINAL VULNERABILITIES

• INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI--2004

• HURRICANE KATRINA--2005

• FLOODS IN CHINA --2007

• CYCLONE NARGIS—2008

• WENCHUAN, CHINA EARTH-QUAKE--2008

INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI DISASTER: DECEMBER 2004

Elements of the disaster: 1) An inadequate tsunami warning system, 2) An estimated 220,000 deaths in 11 nations, and 3) $ billions in losses.

FLOOD DISASTER IN CHINA: JULY 2007

Elements of the disaster: 1) Evacuation of one half-million people from the rain-swollen Huai River, 2) a plague of two billion mice, and 3) losses of $3 billion.

HURRICANE KATRINA DISASTER:AUGUST 2005

Elements of the disaster: 1) poor siting and design of the levee system, 2) flooding of 80 percent of New Orleans, 3) 1,800 dead, and 4) losses of $81 billion.

CYCLONE NARGIS DISASTER: IN MYANMAR: MAY 2008

Elements of the disaster: 1) Poor implementation of warning systems, 2) Slow acceptance of International AID, 3) an estimated 220,000 deaths.

DISASTERS THAT EXPOSED NATIONAL VULNERABILITIES

• HAITI EARTHQUAKE

• CHILE EARTHQUAKE AND PACIFIC TSUNAMI

• ICELAND VOLCANIC ERUPTION AND ASH CLOUD

• OIL LEAK IN GULF OF MEXICO

WENCHUAN, CHINA EATHQUAKE DISASTER: MAY 2008

Elements of the disaster: 1) Poor implementation of building codes, 2) 80,000 deaths, 3) 25 million buildings damaged, 4) 45 million affected

HAITI EARTHQUAKE DISASTERJANUARY 2010

Elements of the disaster: 1) poor implementation of building codes, 2) an estimated 220,000 deaths, 3) $ 100 + billion in damage, and 4) a 10-year-long recovery.

EYJAFJALLAJOKULL VOLCANO ERUPTS IN ICELAND: MARCH 2010

Elements of the disaster: 1) Lack of preparedness to deal with an ash cloud, 2) 100,000 canceled flights in Europe, 3) 1 billion + loss to aviation industry.

THE GREAT OIL LEAK DISASTER OF 2010 IN THE GULF OF MEXICO

Elements of the Catastrophe: 1) Lack of technology to deal with an 1-mile deep oil leak adding 22,000 gallons of oil per day, 2) pollution, 3) dead fish and wildfire, and 4) $ 100 + billion loss.

LET’S AGREE THAT WE CAN LINK UP STRATEGICALLY

AND TACTICALLY

LET’S AGREE THAT WE CAN LINK UP STRATEGICALLY

AND TACTICALLY •START WHERE YOU LIVE!

• START WITH EXISTING PARTNERS AND ENGAGE NEW PARTNERS!

• START WITH YOUR HOMES!

• START WITH YOUR SCHOOLS!

•START WITH YOUR INFRASTRUCTURE!

A GLOBAL PLATFORMA GLOBAL PLATFORMA GLOBAL PLATFORMA GLOBAL PLATFORM

- Strategic - Strategic Interactions -Interactions -

LINKED SURGESLINKED SURGESA GLOBAL A GLOBAL RESOURCERESOURCEA GLOBAL A GLOBAL RESOURCERESOURCE

KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCEEXPERIENCE

KNOWLEDGE AND KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCEEXPERIENCE

DISASTER DISASTER LABORATORIESLABORATORIES

DISASTER DISASTER LABORATORIESLABORATORIES

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN REGION PARTNERS:

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION FOR COMMUNITIES

NORTH AMERICAN REGION PARTNERS:

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE

ISLAND NATIONS PARTNERS:

MEDITERRANEAN REGION PARTNERS:

EUROPEAN REGION PARTNERS:

TURNING POINTS FOR CHANGE

TURNING POINTS FOR CHANGE

EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SURGESSURGES

EDUCATIONAL EDUCATIONAL SURGESSURGES

CAPACITY CAPACITY BUILDINGBUILDING

CAPACITY CAPACITY BUILDINGBUILDING

PRIMERSPRIMERSPRIMERSPRIMERS

MEETINGSMEETINGSMEETINGSMEETINGSASIAN REGION PARTNERS:

SUBSAHARA AFRICA REGION PARTNERS:

EXAMPLE: WE CAN AND SHOULD GO FROM “GEM“ TO - - -

EXAMPLE CONTINUED-- “GERR"

LAWS THAT FACILITATE REACHING THE GOAL OF LAWS THAT FACILITATE REACHING THE GOAL OF ELIMINATING CATASTROPHES ELIMINATING CATASTROPHES

LAWS THAT FACILITATE REACHING THE GOAL OF LAWS THAT FACILITATE REACHING THE GOAL OF ELIMINATING CATASTROPHES ELIMINATING CATASTROPHES

A FRAMEWORK FOR: THE JOURNEY

TOWARDS DISASTER RESILIENCE

A FRAMEWORK FOR: THE JOURNEY

TOWARDS DISASTER RESILIENCE

LAW OF SIGNIFICANCE

LAW OF SIGNIFICANCE

LAW OF THE BIG PICTURE

LAW OF THE BIG PICTURE

LAW OF MOUNT EVEREST

LAW OF MOUNT EVEREST

LAW OF THEPRICE TAG

LAW OF THEPRICE TAG

LAW OF THECOMPASS

LAW OF THECOMPASS

LAW OF THE CHAIN

LAW OF THE CHAIN

LAW OF THE CATALYST

LAW OF THE CATALYST

LAW OF THENICHE

LAW OF THENICHE

GLOBAL

GLOBAL

KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE

- Perspectives

- Perspectives

On Science, Policy,

On Science, Policy,

And Change

And Change

COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY

KNOWLEDGE

KNOWLEDGE

- Perspectives

- Perspectives

On Science, Policy,

On Science, Policy,

And Change

And Change

GLOBAL

GLOBAL

EXPERIENCES

EXPERIENCES

- Perspectives

- Perspectives

On Science, Policy,

On Science, Policy,

And Change

And Change