4. Response to and Emergency Relief Efforts for the Selected Disasters

Since the beginning of this century, more than 100 major natural and man-made disasters occurred in different parts of the world. Each one of these disasters was followed by a massive emergency relief operation that lasted months. Five of these operations have been selected to evaluate the effectiveness of each one of them by exploring weaknesses and strengths of each selected operation. In doing so, basic statistics associated with each selected disasters, and domestic and international response, along with economic, health, and other impacts, are discussed. The selected disasters are: the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2005 Hurricane Katrina, 2005 Kashmir Earthquake, 2010 Haiti Earthquake, and 2017 Famine in South Sudan. Although each relief effort was confronted with unique challenges and problems, and achieved varying degree of success, there are many commonalities among their operations. The information presented in this chapter is essential for improving both public and private response to future disaster relief operations. Additionally, each of the operation considered in this chapter is fundamental for understanding the dynamics of the relief process.