Disaster and Poverty

Disaster is an extreme weather event recorded around the globe. It is increasing in frequency, and in the magnitude of overall economic losses they cause. Many countries in the world, especially the middle and low-income countries, suffer badly during and after postdisaster, also, recovery becomes difficult. However, the statistics on casualties and economic losses reported in the media fail to give us the full picture of a much more complex, extensive, and prolonged tragedy which is mainly experienced by the poorest.

• Disasters often cause the poor to lose most of the assets they depend on for their survival. In addition, the lack of education and a lack of access to health care causes them to be more vulnerable to risks. The poverty of much of the world’s poor is due to the lack of food availability. However, droughts and floods can destroy a year’s income in a flash. This forces many into poverty.
• The poor are the most affected by disasters due to poverty, and the risk of disasters is inextricably linked. The increase in disaster risk and exposure is caused by the compulsion of the poor to extract resources from the environment for their survival.
• As a result of poverty, the poor migrate and live in physically more vulnerable areas, often on dangerous land and in unsafe shelters. As a result of disasters, ongoing activities aimed at reducing poverty are disrupted, and financial resources may be diverted to relief and rehabilitation efforts.
• It is also possible that poorer households make ex-ante, deliberate risk-averting livelihood choices, which can further compound poverty. As it may be more costeffective for poorer households to opt for crops more tolerant to natural disasters rather than crops that yield higher yields or are more profitable.
• Without clean water and limited toilets after a disaster, the disease can spread quickly. Limited health care resources in poor countries (the number of doctors, hospitals, etc.) can be inadequate for dealing with the health emergencies that result from disasters. Children orphaned by disasters in poor countries are vulnerable to exploitation of various sorts, including sex trafficking.
• Orphans’ and children’s trauma are dealt with by fewer skilled social service workers. The costs of rebuilding after a disaster are higher in richer countries, although money and technology are usually available for reconstruction. The costs may be lower in developing countries, but obtaining funding is more challenging.
• Poor countries have few or no resources to cope with the long-term effects of posttraumatic stress on survivors, especially parents who feel responsible for their children’s deaths.
• There will be little or no money available for post-disaster development if governments have development obligations to pay. They are completely reliant on wealthy countries for debt forgiveness and substantial long term assistance.
• There are no safety nets for those who are poor. Those in poverty, for example, have little or no resources to buy food if their crops are lost due to drought. Developing people in poor nations are unable to restore their homes following natural catastrophes due to a lack of insurance. Their governments lack the financial means to respond to disasters.

Reason Behind Disaster-led Poverty:

• Geography: Flood plains, volcano bases, seismically active areas, and tornado alleys are all places where the poor often live due to less expensive real estate and greater environmental vulnerability. Natural disasters like landslides increase vulnerability due to environmental exploitation (for example, deforestation of hillsides).
• Personal resources: The poor are well known to suffer from poor physical health because poverty is a determinant of poor physical health, and disasters may make them even more vulnerable. Physical stress from a disaster may be especially difficult for malnourished, non-immunised, and chronically ill people. In addition, poor individuals who are focused on daily survival are less likely to possess additional resources – such as food, fuel, or money – that they could use in case of disaster. The body’s response to a prolonged period of hunger and insufficient food can lead to physical changes and symptoms as it moves from famine to adequate nutrition.
• Infrastructure: In poor areas, housing often falls below minimum standards, making it far more vulnerable to collapse during an earthquake or other disaster. Building codes are rarely enforced or followed. Transportation and communication infrastructure are often lacking in poor communities, making disaster response more difficult. Many poor countries lack adequate funding for their health systems, which are then overstretched when faced with increased injury and illness when a disaster hits.
• Political instability: A lack of resources as well as intra-community schisms – sometimes with racial, ethnic, or religious overtones — can make it difficult to coordinate a community response. This complicates efforts to coordinate disaster response efforts. Following a disaster, those who can afford to leave disaster areas can do so with a dramatic degree of ease. Economic privilege, race and religion are fault lines that are opened by disasters. When this happens, the difference in economic status is further exacerbated because the rich are able to leave while the poor are not. For themselves and their families, the poor may also use illegal and risky immigration routes (e.g., “boat people”) in order to find safety, food, health, and work.
• Vulnerable populations: Especially vulnerable to neglect and exploitation are the elderly, women, children, and children with mental and physical disabilities in a lack of resources. Poverty-stricken children and women are especially vulnerable to exploitation as they seek food and shelter in a disaster-stricken neighbourhood that lacks both.
• Recovery from disaster: The resources brought by other countries to disasteraffected nations can also create expectations that cannot be maintained after the responders have left. Reducing the likelihood of reoccurrence of disasters is made possible by working with disaster affected populations and recognizing the need for sustainable recovery.