The tale of Katrina vs. Tsunami and Bombay cloudburst.

Katrina - category 5 (then downgraded to 4 ) hurricane, in the earlier part of today, just ripped through the Gulf of Mexico leaving large parts of two states - Louisiana and Missisippi under water because the waters from the Gulf of Mexico surged through the neighbourhoods.
Although the devastation was pretty big in the cities and localities that the storm hit the amazing thing is that the loss of life was limited to only 5 people. The water in a lot of low-lying activities topped the roofs of the houses and people had to be rescued from tops of houses, trees and what have you.. hey but the total loss of life, in New Orleans (a city that was battered.. ) not even one and overall put together just 5..

Whenever, I observe such happenings, my thoughts head out into the recent calamities in the Indian situation - the Tsunami, the recent Bombay cloudbursts. WE lose multitudes of people (I think the loss of life in the Bombay cloudburst in Bombay alone was 400 people and the Tsunami ran into more than 10, 000 people).

I am also reminded of the time, when I was in school - it was the end of one of the semesters and we were planning to go back home and just as we were about to leave our dorms - a local storm ravaged the North Eastern part of Tamil Nadu. It was a storm that hit only about 100 Km/H at its peak (65-70 miles/h) but the devastation was cruel. I think the total dead accounted to about 20 people and for miles people were stranded in three districts. It is true that we plodded on without waiting to think and people did turn around to help but lack of leadership was pretty evident. I did not know then that disasters could be efficiently managed and losses mitigated but now that I have been around a little bit longer- I have seen the efficiency that science and management together have brought about to effect a genuine improvement in people's lives in a fairly hostile environment. I can also understand a little better the blessings that India as a nation has from the environmental perspective (Anyone who has been through a Northeastern, Midwest winter or a Gulf of Mexico storm will vouch for this!!)

So, why do we have to suffer so badly?

Apparently, efficient management of disasters requires:
1. A very good early-warning system
2. Solid contingency planning and effective execution - well Co-ordinated effort by the local authorities - police, Fire, governors, and others
3. An aware citizenry that follows orders and directions from the local government folks.

Our civilian top bosses will have us believe that we lack the resources to acquire the first requirement. Lets give them that (although getting into that will be the source of another post). But what about the remaining two steps - is funds such a big limitation that we cannot get our act together on basic contingency planning and co-ordination? Do citizens get angry that the elected representatives push the civil service to provide what they are supposed to do - civil service, and protection? I read, that in the recent Mumbai cloudburst - no support was forthcoming to most of the flooded regions fr more than 3 hours. Isn't that pathetic? Mind you, the cloudburst was on one section of Mumbai, yet, it completely put the management response to that from the city government, in total disarray.

For whatever its weaknesses my observation, in the last 1 year, is that the US democratic structure, at its local county, town, sub-division level is very dynamic and while its Federal Government might be driven by special interests, it is this localised spread of democracy, which helps people stay connected to the community and have a much heavier stake in the system. Once people have a stake in the system, things improve because we tend to be more vigilant and a vigilant, active citizenry supported by an able media (or press) can make a difference between life and death at least before the next big calamity befalls us (which in the case of India is infrequent compared to what North America faces year on year!!). Will our governments learn? Will our civil service learn? More importantly, will we learn anything at all?

(Totally my views... any offence is totally unintentional!!)