The following originally appeared in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, September 19, 2005.
The Gulf Coast tragedy struck a depressingly familiar chord for those of us who work in the humanitarian field in the developing world: When it comes to disasters, the poor and the vulnerable are hit hardest. The immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina had something in common with last year's deadly Indian Ocean tsunami, with hunger crises in parts of Africa, and with killer storms and floods in Haiti and Bangladesh. People who are wealthy and well-connected were affected, but most of them were able to escape the worst. Those without access to resources or who lacked the resilience to withstand a crisis suffered the most.
At the same time, the disasters brought out the best in human nature. Generous Americans and people from other countries around the world are opening their hearts — and wallets — to survivors of Katrina, just as they and millions of others did for survivors left homeless and traumatized by the tsunami. The attention, however, is often short-lived. Help usually slows to a trickle and stops once newscasters move to another story.
I've seen this cycle of alarm, response and finally lack of sustained attention time and again. For perhaps three weeks, during the initial emergency response, everyone focuses on the problem. But in the months that follow, the number of people seeking to ensure what is needed for full recovery sharply diminishes. Too soon, the outside world forgets the crisis. We go on with our lives while survivors are left to struggle with the consequences of the disaster, including joblessness and homelessness, for years.
If we are looking for what good can come out of the horrors of Hurricane Katrina, maybe it is that we will pull together to break this cycle. Having seen in our own country the terrible dynamic that poverty plays in who lives or dies when disaster hits, perhaps more of us will commit ourselves to what will be a long road to success. If we direct our energy toward lifting people out of abject poverty, we will help them not only to improve their livelihoods, but also to gain the resilience to face emergencies.
While CARE responds to disasters in the world's poorest countries, 60 percent of our work involves long-term efforts to fight poverty. We have seen that people are better prepared for emergencies in parts of the world where long-term development has been most successful.
In Niger, for example, women who are part of CARE-sponsored community savings and loan programs have been able to blunt some of the effects of the current hunger crisis. By setting aside portions of their modest incomes throughout the year, and investing in small-scale productive activities, they have developed resources to help themselves and their communities during what Africans call "the hunger season."
When catastrophic floods hit northwestern Haiti last fall, the death toll was lower in neighborhoods with improved drainage systems. In Central America, disaster-mitigation programs implemented after 1998's devastating Hurricane Mitch have reduced the destruction of subsequent storms.
Emergency assistance saves lives, and aid agencies and governments must be prepared to respond. But emergency assistance alone is not enough. Reducing the poverty that increases vulnerability must go hand in hand with preparedness and response.
When disaster strikes, those at the frontlines of the response must respect the dignity of displaced survivors and help them re-establish and improve their lives — whether they choose to return home or permanently relocate. Survivors must be considered equal partners by the governments and aid agencies working hard to rebuild.
Right now, all eyes are focused on the pace of recovery after Katrina. At the same time, some attention remains on other global issues, from the growing hunger crisis in Africa to the ongoing efforts to stabilize communities hit by the tsunami. In each of these cases, poverty plays a role in the degree of suffering, and we must tackle it as we seek solutions to the devastation. The people who have lost all they possessed now deserve a say in how their lives will be shaped.
Katrina put a spotlight on poverty, a condition that diminishes humanity. We in the world's wealthiest nation must take a hard, clear look and invest the time and resources needed to put an end to extreme poverty wherever we find it.
