1.9C - Modifying Loss
Strategies to modify loss include emergency, short and longer term aid and insurance. (P: role of NGOs and insurers) and the actions of the affected communities themselves.
Loss modification could be described as 'picking up the pieces' after a disaster has occurred. Losses should be small if event and vulnerability modification have been used, however loss modification is often the main management strategy in developing countries. This was the case after the 2010 Haiti earthquake and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, where management failed to protect people.
Short-term Emergency Aid
Search and rescue followed by emergency food, water and shelter.
Advantages
Advantages
- Reduces death toll by saving lives and keeping people alive until longer-term help arrives
- High cost
- Difficult to distribute in isolated areas
- Emergency services are limited and poorly equipped in developing countries
Long Term Aid
This may take the form of reconstruction plans to rebuild an area and possibly improve resilience.
Advantages
Advantages
- Reconstruction can 'build in' resilience through land-use planning and better construction methods
- Very high costs
- Needs are quickly forgotten by the media after the initial disaster
Insurance
This is compensation given to people to replace their losses.
Advantages
Advantages
- Allows people to recover economically by paying for reconstruction
- Does not save lives
- Few people in the developed world have insurance.