HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TURNS CORNER IN JAPAN ON DAY 14: MARCH 24

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HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE TURNS CORNER IN JAPAN
ON DAY 14 MARCH 24

• PROBLEMS FOLLOWING THE MARCH 11TH
• EARTHQUAKE / TSUNAMI ARE NOW BEING
  OVERCOME

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster
Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA
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THE EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED AT 246 PM, MARCH 11,
2011
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DAY 1 HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

• Humanitarian assistance was pledged or dispatched
  to Japan on DAY 1 by many countries to mitigate
  the possibility of thousands of deaths, and to
  provide specialized health care in the light of
  possible water borne diseases and the effects of
  high radiation levels and a possible nuclear
  melt down.

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SOCIETAL IMPACTS

• The tsunami wave runup, which left widespread
  devastation, debris, and impassable road systems
  on DAY 1, stymied humanitarian assistance.

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A CATASTROPHE DIDNT HELP

• Japans social, technical, administrative,
  political, legal, health care, and economic
  systems were tested to their limits by the
  impacts of the earthquake and tsunami, the
  radiation leaks, lack of food, and harsh
  weather..

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DIMENSIONS OF THE CATASTROPHE

• WIDE SPREAD DAMAGE AND LOSS OF FUNCTION
• MORTALITY (LIKELY AROUND 26,000)
• A NIGHTMARE NUCLEAR DISASTER
• HUGE ECONOMIC LOSSES

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THE MAJOR HINDERANCE RADIATION CLOUDS
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THE NUCLEAR DISASTER SLOWED HUMANITARIAN
ASSISTANCE

• The fires, explosions, and radiation leaks and
  clouds that raised radiation levels to 1,000
  times normal levels dramatically slowed and, in
  some cases, prevented humanitarian assistance.

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HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE

• The USS Ronald Reagan, which was dispatched
  immediately to Japan at the request of the
  Japanese Government, made helicopters available
  and assisted in urgent search and rescue
  missions until thwarted by the radiation clouds.

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EVEN THE WEATHER HINDERED HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
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DAY 14 MARCH 24

• HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE FINALLY ABLE TO TURN THE
  CORNER

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DAY 14s TURNING POINTS

• Turning points Food aid is flowing, refugees are
  seeing daily routines restored, and mobile banks
  are appearing in northern Japan.

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EVACUEES ROUTINES AND ASSISTANCE MARKEDLY
IMPROVED