Why was this blog created?

This blog was established in the days after the Haiti earthquake, and will likely focus on this disaster for the near future, but I would like this to be a repository for all manner of information on disasters, hazards, risk, and related matters. The amount of information here will ebb and flow with the salience of disasters and policy and research agendas. If you would like to be a contributing author, let me know!

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Disaster Research Newsletter Leads with Haiti

The Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado has published its latest edition, with an important essay (the first item) on what happens after the cameras leave Haiti. As Kathleen Tierney asks:


What happens when the media leave and the drama of lives being saved transitions into the gritty business of providing for the daily survival needs of hundreds of thousands of victims? Aid workers and agencies converge to provide assistance to disaster-stricken communities, but what happens when they leave and move on to the next disaster? What will it take to meet the challenges of recovery in a devastated nation?
This is clearly worth reading and contemplating. Indeed, the results of the Mass. senate election now occupy space on the front pages of the major news sites, pushing Haiti out of the front pages. BBC World Service at midnight E.T. last night led with the Senate race; it had been leading with Haiti for several days straight. How long will Haiti remain on the news agenda, and on the public's mind? If history is any guide, not very long at all.

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