Theolinda Barlagne

Caribbean Studies
Topic: Ways to minimise the impact of natural disasters social ,psychological and
economic.

Natural disasters are inescapable but the damage can be mitigated with proactivity
done inhabitants of the Caribbean island. Natural disasters hinder development as
it contributes to the loss of infrastructure, crops and life and general development.
Natural affects one’s wellbeing as well as the environment.
The social being the totality of explanations describing how people interact and
makes meanings of their experiences. When the social is disrupted by intrusion of
natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and season hurricanes
measures need to be placed in order to endure that social is controlled to extent
when the natural disaster does occur the individuals can be bounce back
accordingly. The curbing of the social impact begins at homes, schools, churches
the institutions of socialization needs to be informed of the danger of natural
disaster and steps to go about the survival of said disaster that may strike. There
needs to be an increase in public awareness of the natural disaster, one ought to
know about the cause and effects of the disaster, with increase education of the
public about the issue people would understand the best precautions suited for
them. This may achieve in writings in the newspaper, messages on the television.
The Use of Mass media to constantly keep the people aware of the dangers of
natural disaster and the detriment it would have on the society. The local villager
councils have to suede government to ensure that old building structures are
demolished to ensure earthquakes do minimal damages or fissures and mild shifts
in the tectonic plates. Earthquakes are one of these disasters that are erratic in
nature like the 1692 Earthquake in Jamaica ravaged Port Royal Jamaica snuck half
the city and killed two thousand.
The Psychological impact affect the psych of those that suffered great lost whether
it be material possession or love ones. The psychological breakdown of individual
stagger the reconstruction and healing process of the affected country. The
Government is responsible for the mental wellbeing of the citizens especially the
children. In response of mental damage the government should assign a especially
task force to track the vulnerable groups such as affected single women headed
households, children, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, disabled people and
the elderly to better understand their understand their increased risks and
vulnerabilities and how further psychological risks can be mitigated. The
deployment of trained counselors and therapists conduct seminars with survivors
suffering from nervous shock of witnessing deaths and site of catastrophe
witnessed upon their property and next of kin. Another short term actions ensure
measures are put in place to identify vulnerable persons who need to benefit from
social protection additional psychological support and medical care. Volcanic
Eruption victims leave the islands and lose their sense of identity especially when
they leave young the memory of their country is lost to cultural assimilation. The
1979 volcanic eruption of Soufriere ,st .vincent and 1902 mt Pelee in Martinique
The economic impact of natural disaster is the extremely significant to the totality
of the country affected. The economy feels the brunt the most compared to
individuals if the economy is unable to recuperated from the disaster. The
economic sector increase the capacity of the private sectors to respond to the
disaster. Private sector actors should take measures to reduce the likelihood and of
floods and landslides by strengthening the capacity of employees by preparing
evacuation plans in community, preparing facility maps, showing critical
equipment a business continuity plan and buying insurance. The Government
established a broad based catastrophe risk financing strategy and transfer
mechanism. Sovereign disaster risk financing strategies to increase the financial
response capacity of government in aftermath of natural disaster while protecting
their long term fiscal balances. An agricultural insurance development of
competitive catastrophe insurance markets to increase property. A disaster micro
insurance by facilitating success to disaster insurance procedures to protects the
livelihood of the poor against extreme weather events and promote disaster risk
reduction in conjunction with social programs such as conditional can transfer
programs.
Natural disasters can’t be prevented but mitigated to an extent when the
appropriate steps are taken when the social, psychological and economic aspects
are consider.