Vajiragnana Warnakulasuriya Melbourne Australia

Mr.Ban-Ki-Moon
The Secretary General of United Nations
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The United Nations Organization

Your Excellency,
ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 
How Basic Survival Rules can minimize the Loss of Life in Disaster Situations!

I believe UN Charter is endowed with unlimited intelligence, talent, mechanical, electrical and electronic aids at its command to harness them in an unexpected natural disasters situation to bring about much less suffering to the masses. The success of itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s operation depends on the swiftness in executing a predetermined action plan.

We have witnessed tragic human catastrophes many a times in the recent past, the latest being the devastating floods in Pakistan. Lately, occurrences of these incidents have become frequent, these may be due to geothermic changes, atmospheric changes, whether human pollution of the environment or the natural changes of climatic conditions cause them are debatable issues.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Either way, when they occur in developed countries or the undeveloped or very primitive countries the human reaction or the behavior is the same. Scenes are chaotic, the natural instinct of survival of the fittest reigns! OneƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s superiority, educational excellence, intelligence or the commonsense approach is nonexistent. The only difference is, the developed countries have the machinery to help the affected people in a relatively shorter period.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hence itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s time for the World to come out with a program to tackle such situations, so that the shattered lives and the suffering of the people can be uplifted within a reasonable period. It maybe easier said than done, but we must have the positive attitude to make even the impossible possible!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Of course no one can predict when, where and in what form these misfortunes occur. When tsunami struck no one knew how to react, as itƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢s nature or the symptoms were alien to the World, some paid heavily with their lives for not knowing how best to protect themselves.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Since then the scientific community has educated the masses as to how to protect themselves in the future. Seismic monitoring devises are installed at crucial sites to issue alarms to areas or countries that are threatened and regular drills are conducted. The success of combating the next Tsunami is now a case of putting into practice what has been practiced at regular intervals thus far.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Presently developed countries take precautions to arrest wastages of water, energy i.e. electrical, coal, natural gases etc by commencing early educational programs in schools and in the community, teaching waste not want not techniques. One has to realize these resources are finite, one day they will be exhausted, therefore those resources must be intelligently utilized, at the same time alternative methods must be explored to supplement these dwindling resources.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Now, we have seen in these colossal tragic situations masses become helpless, disoriented and at times kill each other just to survive. This is where we have to draw our attention to analyze the human frails or the natural instincts under trying conditions and find solutions just like advance preparation of the masses in Tsunami situation. Sometimes there may not be clear-cut solutions, but one may be able to set some basic survival rules at least to reduce the loss of lives.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hence the key to overcome any difficult calamity is to educate and prepare the entire country irrespective of the age, at all levels as to how one should take the initiative, realizing the hopelessness or the gravity of the situation. If this attitude is not installed in the community, no one will seize the opportunity to help each other but wait in false hope that someone will come to their aid, by the time the authorities start sending help within their means, the consequences will be disastrous and most may have to pay with their lives.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ When these disasters occur most Governments cannot assist the troubled people due to weaknesses in various infrastructure or non availability of infrastructure at all, only the developed countries may have a slight edge over the third World countries, even then take hurricane Katrina situation, the most rich and the advanced country in the World failed!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ 

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ This failure is due to the absence of any basic survival rules of behavior/assertiveness within the community. Suppose the people were educated as to how they should shoulder the responsibility or take the leadership role to guide the rest of the people creating some sort of discipline, which in turn may clam down the distressed masses. It may not be just one person, perhaps a network of people among these distressed isolated group can take the initiative to guide the rest to have faith in each other to get over the situation in a calm manner. It wonƒÆ’‚¢ƒ¢-¡‚¬ƒ¢-¾‚¢t just happen unless some techniques were imparted to them by a competent group expertise. This is where the services of the UN have to step in, a panel of experts should be assigned to design a set of basic survival techniques for any possible disaster situation!ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  The basics will be common under whatever situation.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ In the absence of such a preparatory system, its rarely people with initiative to take responsibility upon them will surface spontaneously on calamity situations; hence all countries must have a system to prepare the ordinary people to take charge of the situation to guide the rest. Then hopefully, such people may be able to handle such situations in a relatively orderly manner than otherwise a chaotic way.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Such a system can be effectively created in the form of a documentary using the library shots of calamities that are in record up to now and advising as to how one should conduct on selected scenes. How to share the limited essential commodities, resources, what are we talking here? Water, shelter, medication, food etc, should be detailed. Chaotic behavior seen at food drops and at distribution points should be talked about and a patient approach should be encouraged, assuring that help is near.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ The importance of such a system is to create confidence and alleviate hopelessness in people that someone or a group is there to take control of the situation to guide them to safety. The documentary should be common to all possible scenarios of various calamities. Such as earthquake, floods, fire, radio active fallouts or trigger happy psychopath etc.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ We have seen how two, three year old children have rung the emergency telephone number to call for help in the developed countries. This was possible because adults taught these children how to react under emergency situation, surely to prepare adults in advance cannot be that difficult!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Hence, to formulate a comprehensive knowledge base educational program, I see no better organization than UN, where the best expertise can be harnessed, hence my appeal to the UNƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚  to take this task on board without further delay to prepare a survival BASIC RULES procedure, instructing the ordinary people how they should take control of their lives under calamity situations until help arrives.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I am proposing something positive that can be formulated and implemented by the UN expertise to help the masses in case of emergency situations.

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ I believe thatƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ this request will attract your careful consideration and attention!

ƒÆ’-¡ƒ”š‚ Yours Sincerely,

Vajiragnana Warnakulasuriya
Melbourne
Australia