November 21, 2001

6:06 AM

How to survive extreme natural events.International project promoting understanding disasters from the "roots" up, and preventing disasters from the "bottom up" as well as the "top down". Whatever you think of his politics, this project should be encouraged.
posted by asok (5 comments total)

ok, you don't have to ignore Wisner's politics, because they are not mentioned at all. It's just that 'level-headed man makes reasonable statement and request' isn't as intriguing.
'The systematic study would require a careful and precise definition of the elements one is looking for. These are mostly likely to include self-help and citizen-based social protection at the neighbourhood level, trust between the authorities and the population, investment in basic needs and social capital such as the training of neighbourhood activists, investment in capable and transparently operating government institutions for prevention and mitigation of disaster risk, investment in scientific capacity such as Havana's weather institute and public health services, an effective risk communication system and institutionalised historical memory of disasters.'
posted by asok at 6:41 AM on November 21, 2001

you don't have to ignore Wisner's politics, because they are not mentioned at all

But it's certainly not too difficult to glean them by reading between the lines and considering the publication that this article appeared in. A quick Google search also turns up a number of articles by Wisner that call for a socialist approach to natural disasters in the Third World. The man definitely has an agenda.
posted by MrBaliHai at 7:44 AM on November 21, 2001

It hit land at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba's southern coast, where the ill-fated CIA-backed invasion failed decades ago

Just HAD to get that in there, didn't he?

Information is the key to mimimizing loss of life in a hurricane. I don't think the type of government matters much. With advances in forecasting, any government that has some communications infrastructure can mimimize loss of life. A totalitarian regime such as Cuba's may have better results when it comes to getting people to evacuate, however.

Luck has a lot to do with it. Hurricane Andrew, a much more powerful storm, resulted in 15 deaths in a much larger population. If the storm had occurred during the day, instead of early in the morning, no doubt many more would have been killed. ("Hey, man, that surf is up! WAY up!")
posted by groundhog at 8:29 AM on November 21, 2001

as you will have seen from the article, ground-hog, he makes the same point:
I don't care whether it's called socialism or good governance.
The ideological orientation of the national government may not be the most important factor.
I am sure luck can have something to do with it!

MrBaliHai, mr wisner's agenda regards the saving of human life. It's interesting that his approach to the issue is the most comprehensive i have seen. This may, or may not, be a result of his political ideals.
posted by asok at 9:47 AM on November 22, 2001

Just HAD to get that in there, didn't he?

Any newspaper in the US would have done the same. It's background on a recognizable name.
posted by rodii at 10:50 AM on November 22, 2001