The British Lucy Easthope, one of the leading experts in disaster management internationally and professor at the University of Bath (England), has spent more than two decades advising governments and organizations in extreme crisis situations. From the devastating 2004 tsunami to the 9/11 attacks, his career is marked by the constant challenge of understanding and mitigating the impact of disasters on entire communities. She is the author of the best seller “When the dust settles: searching for hope after disaster,” a book in which she narrates her professional and personal experiences facing catastrophes. However, despite all the road traveled, there is still something that continues to shock him: “I am always surprised by how thin the line can be between the catastrophe and the rest of the world.” This fine line became painfully evident in Spain during the tragedy caused by the dana. “It was quite sudden and worse than expected,” Easthope admits in conversation with ABC. For an emergency planner like her, working with what is called the “reasonable worst case scenario” is standard practice. However, what is “reasonable” to experts may seem exaggerated to citizens and policymakers. “You can’t ask citizens to live in a constant state of preparedness,” he says, calling fatigue from constant alerts a real challenge in an era in which extreme weather events are, and will be, increasingly common. Easthope is clear on one point: the alert system needs urgent improvements. “It’s far from perfect,” he says, acknowledging that emergency management is fraught with complex dilemmas. When should authorities issue a mass evacuation order? How to react when weather forecasts are uncertain? “What we saw in the United States during hurricanes Milton and Helen was that some predictions were wrong. “They moved people to the wrong place.” The uncertainty inherent in these decisions can have devastating consequences. “As emergency planners, you don’t want things to be the worst. But if you send an alert and the event in the end is less severe, there is also a lot of criticism.”ManagementThe disaster in Spain also exposed flaws in aid management. Easthope points out that, in many cases, massive aid turns into a second disaster. “One American researcher called this an ‘avalanche of aid.’ Second-hand donations often create trash and logistical problems. “It is much more useful to donate money than things,” he defends, knowing that it is a controversial opinion. The response to the disaster made it clear that these events are still rare in Spain, which highlights the need for a “more agile and coordinated” management system. Beyond logistics, Easthope highlights the human dimension of disasters . «Emergencies affect people and communities, who end up exhausted and fearful. And confidence in the government response has been lost. For her, the key is to think locally, where communities have more capacity to act immediately. “In the UK we have legislation that was implemented in 2004 based on the principle of subsidiarity: the best place to make decisions and handle matters is always at the local level.” Thus, local authorities must have the power and resources to act immediately, without waiting for a centralized response that often arrives late, although of course national and sometimes even international support is necessary. However, the relationship between local authorities and national affairs is often fraught with tensions. «Disasters do not create new cracks; They simply expose pre-existing problems and quarrels,” warns Easthope. Differences in priorities, lack of coordination and even political problems can greatly complicate a rapid and effective response. Therefore, he maintains that it is essential to improve collaboration and clearly define, before emergencies occur, the role of each level of government. «There is a constant challenge between the local and the national. “And these issues tend to come out very strongly during a disaster.” But the premise is “think locally, listen to the experts, and include diverse voices in the conversation. “It is the best way to manage the country’s risks, although with all the necessary national support and resources.” Realistic trainingDisaster management also involves constant training and realistic training. Easthope acknowledges that “it is incredibly difficult to replicate the real environment” in simulations. «When we practice, the information is usually too perfect. But in real life, there are factors that interfere: leaders are not prepared or are afraid and worried about relatives in affected areas, there is incomplete data, fear and pressure. And if you write an exercise that puts, for example, a minister in an uncomfortable situation, in which you criticize that he is making decisions from the beach, or that he does not want to leave the Opera until he is informed that there are already 50 people dead, you they take out of exercise. “If you put that in the drill, senior officials get very scared.” But leaders must face these tougher training sessions, where the margin of error is as small as in a real crisis, and with the emotional part taken into account. Climate change and its effects are another central point of the conversation. “This is probably the beginning of a set of changing experiences in Europe,” and “around the world,” he warns. The combination of more extreme weather events due to climate change makes the future uncertain. Easthope insists on the need to learn from other countries, especially “from the Global South, where communities do not expect authorities to solve everything. In Central America, for example, people know that they live with constant threats. “There’s not this expectation that the government will always save you.” «The local level should have very strong power, and only in certain specific circumstances have a centralized response. Here in the UK local planners have quite a bit of power. They are organized geographically in what we call “Resilience Forums”, something that some countries have also implemented in a similar way. The American model is very interesting in that aspect. The expert also advocates personal preparation. “Never scared, never afraid, but prepared.” He talks about having “a good first aid kit” at home, “always carrying a cell phone charger”, having insurance documents in the cloud and family emergency plans, as well as first aid courses for everyone. What once seemed overkill is now a practical necessity. “I’ve been more direct with my family about questions like, ‘If there’s a flood, what will you do?’ If I don’t have electricity, heat, or cook for 72 hours, what will I do?’ Before, people thought it was strange, but after the pandemic, these conversations have become more common. Asking what worked Easthope insists that preparing is not an act of pessimism, but of resilience. «One of the hardest things to do is ask yourself after a tragedy: Was there something that worked well? I don’t say this to be optimistic, but because it is necessary to build on what is already done well. Learning from mistakes is essential, but it is also essential to recognize what did work. MORE INFORMATION news No Mazón asks for “total tax exemption” in aid to people and companies affected by DANA news No The Júcar Confederation recognizes the mayors that the impact of DANA was “very difficult to foresee” news No The lives that DANA took, although disasters cannot be avoided, their impact can be mitigated if we work with empathy and preparation. Easthope concludes with a reflection that encapsulates the human dimension of disasters: “Floods are incredibly distressing. One of the hardest things is that I can’t promise people that they will be safe forever. I don’t work with that premise. “I still see people who experienced floods in 2007 as children and who, so many years later, urinate on themselves when it rains.” But “we can’t make it stop raining, we can’t control the weather. Therefore, we have to learn to live prepared and together with what triggers trauma. “Something that would be very important to highlight is how crucial it is to have support so that survivors can process what they experienced.” And he maintains that not everything ends when the media headlines move on to another topic: “The moments, hours and days after a flood, a fire, an explosion… are feverish and chaotic. The adrenaline rush of the emergency passes quickly, but disaster recovery is a long-term game: not a sprint, not even a marathon, but rather the worst kind of endurance event imaginable.
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