How Long Before Disaster Fatigue Kicks In?
by Susan Kraemer in Climate Change
Climate scientists have long predicted that with increased climate change will come increasing precipitation in the North Eastern US. The prediction has been in the climate models for at least ten years is based on the past increase. This means more heavy snowfalls, more heavy rain, increased humidity and more flooding.
But what they didn’t predict is the disaster fatigue that will go along with that.
“A year after severe flooding in Indiana forced hundreds of residents from their homes, disaster response organizations are facing a dearth of volunteers who can help speed recovery for people’s lives limping back to normal” says Disaster News Network
At some point in our future, this increasing number of disasters will simply overwhelm the common humanity that leads neighboring states, counties and towns to pitch in and help.
We will no longer take heed of our neighbors in trouble. Worldwide, disasters are up fourfold. Insurers are already balking. Insurers’ re-insurers have already bolted. Even a competently run future competently run FEMA would eventually become overwhelmed.
It is startling to see how soon on our journey into our climate-unfriendly future that this “future” scenario is starting to happen. Here’s three quotes from that Disaster News Network story about Indiana’s struggle to rebuild:
“Since there are so many other disaster sites around the world, volunteers tend to go to the most recent disaster.”
“The… many ongoing Midwestern flood recovery efforts, has been overwhelming for local communities. Our state has not faced the kind of vast devastation of the 2008 floods before. While there was much attention initially, it was quickly overshadowed by Iowa and the Gulf.”
“Due to unprecedented numbers of disasters across the country the organization has embarked on a campaign to reengage local business, service and faith-based communities in the recovery efforts. That involves education and building relationships.”
Nobody is helping Indiana quietly struggling to rebuild and repair after the floods of 2008. If you don’t live nearby, who even knows about it?
It’s only news on the Disaster Network.
Source: Disaster News Network
(Oh, and these pictures are of Iowa’s floods last year.Just another state with floods.)
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Posted on Dec 29, 2009
climate predicitions, disaster fatigue, floods, heavy precipitation, heavy snowfall, increased flooding, increased rainfall, increased snowfall, Indiana floods, volunteers
About the Author
Susan Kraemer
Susan Kraemer is a transplanted Kiwi retired from three design businesses she started from humble beginnings in N.Y.C. and California, who now lives in the Bay Area. She enjoys living in a gorgeous but big passive-solar house her husband designed and built 15 years ago overlooking the San Francisco Bay up in the East Bay Hills, but now they are thinking of something different with their kids gone from the nest. She writes about climate change to publicize the many great solutions we can find if we just put our minds to it.Trackbacks/Pingbacks
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[...] missing- that it doesn’t have the same emotional effects on us as it once did. We’re becoming fatigued. That’s not good for disaster relief funds, but it IS good for our [...]