Global lessons learned from Katrina

Special correspondent John Zarocostas in Geneva interviewed Salvano Briceno, director of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), Friday on the lessons to be learned from the devastation wrought a week ago on New Orleans and the U.S. Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina.

Question: What lessons can the United States and the world learn from this devastating storm?

Answer: Clearly, there are several. These big disasters, which are terrible tragedies, are usually the result of several weaknesses.

In the first place, it is important to say there is not enough awareness and education on these issues for people to know their vulnerabilities and how they must be prepared for these disasters to overcome them. So I trust investment in education and awareness will be reconsidered because this is the thing that has been requested for many years and only a few countries are really doing it systematically.

What happens usually is that people become aware when disasters hit, but soon after, they’re forgotten and nothing is changed … to maintain concern in these issues, the same as with AIDS and traffic accidents. …

In the case of natural hazards, we’re still far behind in awareness and education.

A second important issue is that in land-use planning, until now there has been little consideration of the risks of natural hazards … For many years, the Mississippi River basin has been used for many purposes that divert water and reduce the flow to the delta where the city of New Orleans [is located], weakening the city’s base. This is an issue we press very strongly — that land planning must continuously consider as a main item the potential natural hazards.

Third, environmental management. It’s clear the coastline of the Gulf of Mexico — like many others in tropical areas — has been damaged by urban development, tourism development and other economic projects that don’t maintain the natural ecosystems like coral reefs and mangrove swamps that are essential to reduce the impact of these natural hazards. As you know, the mangroves and coral reefs in particular perform a very important buffer function in the face of natural hazards.

Fourth is the issue of disaster preparedness. Clearly, the people in the Gulf region were not sufficiently prepared, as was the case in the Pacific tsunami, the forest fires in Portugal or the floods in central Europe. Clearly there is a lot of work to be done on disaster preparedness.

Q: Katrina’s force was so strong that there is a debate among scientists about whether global warming has added to the intensity of hurricanes. What’s your view?

A: The issue of climate change is clearly very important to consider, of course, and the threat for the long term is very big. But we must distinguish between global warming and climate change.

Climate change is the concept that the global warming that is happening is perhaps due to human interference. In other words, to greenhouse-gas emissions. That is what is under debate.

What is not under debate is that global warming is happening, and be it from natural forces or human intervention, the world is getting warmer — and, therefore, there is a trend toward increasing frequency and intensity of some of the hazards. So I think we must react to it, regardless of the political debate on climate change.

Q: The fact that the waters are warmer in the Gulf of Mexico — is that adding to the intensity of the hurricanes?

A: The debate is open, and scientists are divided. There is a strong belief that is the case, and also with the more intense drought and more intense precipitation in Europe that happened recently and both at the same time.

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