Term Paper on "Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction"

Term Paper 7 pages (2133 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

In addition, large areas - approximately 300 kilometres of coastal land area have been degraded or lost (Asian pp).

Three major industrial sites are confirmed to be damaged, Pertamina, an oil depot in Krueng/Banda Aceh, Pertamina, oil depot in Meulaboh, and Semen Andalas Indonesia, a cement factory in Banda Aceh, resulting in possible contamination, including negative effects to human health and the environment, remain a matter of serious concern (Asian pp).

In January 2005, more than 13,000 members of the American military were serving the victims of the Asian tsunami. And though many governments, charities and individuals from around the world have rallied to help, the American military is the relief operation's backbone, especially in Indonesia (Spaeth pp). Region wide, the Pentagon has dispatched an aircraft carrier and an amphibious assault ship, an armada of support vessels and 103 planes and helicopters, and the U.S. bill is expected to reach about $6 million a day (Spaeth pp).

Volunteers from every corner of the world and from every facet of life have come to the devastated region to help the survivors. Volunteers have been vital to dig out the rubble while government agencies deal with infrastructure and other emergencies (McGirk pp). Thailand's Phi Island has witnessed a bizarre revival, as hundreds of foreign backpackers and scuba divers arrive to rebuild the packed guesthouse and nightclub strip that was destroyed by December's waves (McGirk pp). Many show signs of post-traumatic stress at the sudden destruction of so much life and property and volunteers say that keeping up morale inside inadequate refugee camps frays the nerves and erodes any sense of dignity (McGirk pp). One woman living in a windowless schoolhouse in Moratuwa with 64 families, was found hoarding drugs in order to commit suicide (McGirk pp). One promising note is that the Indonesian military completed a major trunk road, using elephants and coconut tree scaffolding to rebuild 35 of the 41 bridges that were knocked out by the massive walls of water (McGirk pp).

Governments, humanitarian organizations, Asian expatriates and individuals around the world have scrambled to offer aid and technical support. More than thirty major countries, including the U.S., Australia, Germany, France, Italy, Canada, China, Finland, Japan, and New Zealand ro name a few are providing relief funds. By New Year's Day, more than $2 billion had been pledged (Tsunami pp). Australia, India, Japan and the United States formed a coalition to co-ordinate aid efforts to streamline immediate assistance, and at the Jakarta Summit on January 6th, the coalition transferred responsibilities to the United Nations (Tsunami pp).

Former presidents Clinton and H.W. Bush recently visited the region on a humanitarian tour. Clinton praised U.N. officials for their "terrific job" in emergency relief and recovery, and admitted that the most difficult period will be as efforts move from relief into recovery and reconstruction, "citing the need to rebuild homes, restore jobs, replace fishing boats, reconstruct sanitation facilities and rehabilitate roads' (Clinton pp). Given the numerous charity organizations and fund raising efforts, it is impossible to the amount of dollar aid, nor to calculate the number of volunteers helping with relief.

Work Cited

"Clinton pledges to undertake task of special envoy on tsunami relief."

Xinhua News Agency; 4/13/2005

McGirk, Jan. "Tsunami survivors suffering pounds 2bn aid shortfall; Indian Ocean

As graft and bureaucracy hamper efforts to help the worst-hit, the UN says full recovery is 10 years away." The Independent Sunday (London, England); 3/27/2005; pp.

Spaeth, Anthony. "Hearts and Minds." Time International. 1/24/2005; pp.

"Asian Tsunami Inflicts Multimillion Dollar Damage on Indonesia's Environment."

United Nations Information Service. 25 January 2005.

http://www.unis.unvienna.org/unis/pressrels/2005/iha1002.html

"At-a-glance: Tsunami economic impact." 22 March 2005. BBC News.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4154277.stm

Lambourne, Helen. "Tsunami: Anatomy of a disaster."

BBC News. 27 March 2005.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4381395.stm

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