Thesis:
Barack Obama should care about making an International Natural Disaster Policy that has involvement with one to three natural disasters. This can benefit America in more than one way.
Ways it can benefit America:
-Other countries aid us, give us manufactured goods or perserve endangered species or a certain type of unique animal/plant, or even hold a plant that provides us with medicine for a cure of some diseases (the rainforests)
-By helping protect other countries, we are helping protect resources that we need. We can also learn from other countries, their disaster relief plans and tactics and how to maturely spread out our economy so that there is a balanced opportunity for safety and protection for the rich and the poor.
-Could prevent America from slacking off, We have the surplus of money, we just need to use it correctly. America will be helping atleast one forgiegn country with a natural disaster that occurs, or with planning for a natural disaster, so will have to keep economy evenly distrubuted and will have to keep its own natural disaster recovery and prevention and protection plans up to par
Powerful Quake Ravages China, Killing Thousands.
New York Times Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/13/world/asia/13china.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=Biggest%20Natural%20Disasters%20of%202008&st=cse
By Jake Hooker and Jim Vardley
May 13, 2008
December 1, 2008
The Earthquake was predetermined to have a magnitude of 7.9. It was the Country's (China's ) worst in three decades. It destroyed 80% of the structures in towns and small cities. Tremors were felt as far as Vietnam and set off another, smaller quake in the outskirts of Beijing; 900 miles away. 900 students became trapped in rubble in a school that collapsed in Juyuan, south of the city Wenchuan. A search went on through the night to look for survivors. Two chemical factories in Shifang were destroyed and 80 tons of toxic liquid ammonia were spilled. In addition, the descruction of a single steam turbine factory in the city of Mianzhu. This was stated by the Xinhua News Agency. It is the biggest quake since 1976
The "quake" in 1976 occured in the city of Tangshan in Eastern China. 240,000 people died. It was a challenge for the Communist Party, which has actually tried to cover the event up. This time though, 50,000 soldiers were mobilized to help with rescue efforts. Prime Minister Wwen Jiabao was hands on helping with disaster response from the cabin of his jet. He was later shown on national television shouting encouragment and comfort to people trapped in the ruins of the damaged Traditional Medicine Hopspital in the city of Dujiangya. He was quoted yelling to the people,“Hang on a bit longer,” “The troops are rescuing you. As long as there is the slightest hope, we will never relax our efforts."
The earthhquake was the most recent of a series of events that disrupted China's plans for the Olympic Games in August. It added to the unrest felt by the Tibetan population which lives in large numbers in the area of Sichuau Province where the earthquake struck.
Most of the damage was in nearby towns, which by Chinese standards was not heavily populated. Though, officials did not go into detail about the damage done to Wenchuan itself. Wenchuan is home to the Wolong Nature Reserve which is the largest panda reserve in China. Town of Beichuan suffered several thousand deaths.
In Chengdu, many people huddled outside due to the affects of the aftershocks from the quake. A business man, Wwang Zinhon, spent 12 hours outside his hotel squating with others on a street corner due to the shocks. He was quoted, saying," It was a terrible shock, I couldn't stand up straight. We were on the second floor and we ran outside."
The largest hospital in Western China, Changdu's Huaxi Hospital, recieved 180 patients from hard hit surround counties.
*An important quote * -->“Seven thousand people have died in Beichuan, a single county, and we think Wenchuan will be similar, too, because it was the epicenter,” said Kang Zhilin, a spokesman for the hospital. He added: “The first patients who came had jumped from buildings because they were frightened.”
A map of the area with figures
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/05/12/world/05132008_CHINA_MAP.html
River threatens China Quake Survivors
New York Times Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/29/world/asia/29china.html?scp=10&sq=Biggest%20Natural%20Disasters%20of%202008&st=cse
By Andrew Jacobs
May 29 2008
December 1, 2008
One million people planned to evacuate if a massive flood is close to occur due to a blocked river in the highlands of Sichuan Province. This is incase the rock and mud embandment on the dam gives way. The Earthquake occured on May 12, 2008. If the dam opened up, all the people would have to be moved within 4 hours. 4 hours is the same amount of time it would take the water to consume many in the cities and rural villages. Officials practiced the plans to move people from some of the urban areas. Many of these places had inhabitants from nearby towns and from in the mountains. China media said the plans included the shuttling of a few thousand people to higher ground. It is unclear how so many people will be able to move if the dam suddently gives way. Jiangyou is a city of 300,000 people. According to The Morning News, they would all have to be moved within 70 minutes in order to insure safety.
According to the head of quake relief operations in the city of Miangang, which has a population of 600,000, efforts are aimed at getting all 1.3 million of the residents on their way out in four ours incase the quake lake bank fully opens. His goal is to get this process done without a single death in the evacuation. He stated that ,"Otherwise, it wil mean a breach of duty on our part as goverment employees." Earthquake's death toll went from 1,000 to 68,100. 21,000 people are still missing. The army is using helocopters to fly in 30 excavators and bulldozers. They are trying to ease the pressure on the barrier lake at Tangjiashan, which is a swelling body of water that has been rising behind an avalache that clogged the Juan River. It is two miles upstream from the city of Beichuan. 600 workers have been on call around the clock to dig a sluice in order to drain away some of the water. In Tongkou, the closest settlement to the dam, residents have planned to release fireworks as a warning if they began to see a deluge occur. UF.
Quake toll Rises; China Struggles to Reach Victims
New York Times Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/world/asia/14china.html?scp=6&sq=Biggest%20Natural%20Disasters%20of%202008&st=cse
By Edward Wong and Jake Hooker
May 14, 2008
December 1, 2008
Atleast 5,000 dead as a result of the earthquake. Road washed out by a landslide. Tens of thousands of people remained buried. Death toll climbed to 13,000. 18,000 plus were unaccounted for in Mianyang , and 2,300 went missing in Shifang due to the collapse of some buildings. 60,000 people unaccounted for across Beichuan County. Central government spending $120 million on rescue efforts. Sent 50,000 soldiers to the disaster zone. “We welcome funds and supplies,” Wang Zhenyao, the Civil Affairs Ministry’s top disaster relief official, said, according to The Associated Press. “We can’t accommodate personnel at this point. President Bush called the President and offered an initial $500,000 in relief aid, as said by a White House spokeswoman. Aid has begun arriving from other countries, with Russia sending a plane with 30 tons of relief supplies. Thousands of reserve troops have been bused into the area, but they do not have enough supplies, like food and tents, for the survivors, as said by the relief official. The farmers living in the mountains who survived the earthquake have had to rely on themselves rather than wait for outside help. The government has set up a tent city for the homeless across from the local Communist Party headquarters in Yong’an.
Meager Living of Haitians Is Wiped Out by Storms
New York Times Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/world/americas/11haiti.html
By Marc Lacey
September 10, 2008
December 1, 2008
Myanmar Reels as Cyclone Toll Hits Thousands
New York Times Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/06/world/asia/06myanmar.html?scp=16&sq=Biggest%20Natural%20Disasters%20of%202008&st=cse
By Seth Mydans
May 6, 2008
December 1, 2008
Message on the International Day for Disaster Reduction
ISDR website (International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
http://www.unisdr.org/eng/public_aware/world_camp/2008-2009/iddr-2008/2008-iddr.htm
By Ban Ki-Moon (General of United Nations)
October 8, 2008
Decemebr 1, 2008
Big Quake "Guaranteed" to hit California by 2037
National Geographic Online
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/04/080414-AP-earthquake_2.html
By Alicia Chang, AP Science Writer, in Los Angeles
Associated Press
April 14, 2008
December 1, 2008
A Rescue in China, Uncensored
New York Times Online
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/14/world/asia/14response.html?scp=13&sq=Natural%20Disasters%20International%202008&st=cse
By Andrew Jacobs
May 14, 2008
December 1, 2008
Unnatural Weather, Natural Disasters: A New U.N. Focus
New York Times Online
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9902E1DF153FF93BA25756C0A9629C8B63&scp=3&sq=Natural%20Disasters%20of%20Europe%202008&st=cse
By Elizabeth Olson
May 18, 2004
Comments (1)
sandra jamieson said
at 12:18 am on Dec 3, 2008
I like this argument--although your third point might be a little idealistic! You might also consider the possibility that if we help other countries when they need it perhaps other countries will help us when *we* have a natural disaster (like Katrina). Don't worry f you have already drafted the paper and that isn't there--you could put it into a revision if you wanted to do so.
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