Every year, various natural disasters hit the world. In 2020 alone, we were faced with California and Australia’s wildfires, the Philippines’ volcano eruption, Turkey’s earthquake, Africa’s locust invasion, and of course, the global pandemic that has completely changed the world, COVID-19. This doesn’t even fill up the entire list for the year. Reports from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) showed that from 1994 to 2013, almost 7,000 natural disasters occurred worldwide and affected an average of 218 million people per year.
Thankfully, continued innovations have made prevention and relief more manageable despite the harsh effects still felt by the populace. Here are some of the resources that have been most helpful in recent times.
Modular tents
Although tents have long been a good easy option for evacuation for years, the current iteration of modular tents has really changed the game in terms of reliability and accessibility. Their form makes them a safe temporary shelter and means of isolation without using materials that are so expensive that it would be hard for NGOs and local government units to deploy them in many numbers enough to accommodate those affected by a disaster.
Many countries are using these right now, especially as space runs out for healthcare during the coronavirus pandemic. You can also see a lot of modular tents in the Philippines as the country attempts to provide safe evacuation centers for the large number of citizens affected by the devastation of Typhoon Goni (known locally as Rolly). The good thing about these tents is that they are easier to install in groups, fit into spaces, customize, and are more durable. The good models are even often fitted with netting so that those inside can aerate without worrying about mosquitoes or the like.
Automated anti-wildfire systems
There has been a slew of wildfires throughout history. Still, this year particularly saw a number of really significantly damaging ones that only made a case for global warming even more pertinent. Through the use of robotics and artificial intelligence, there are wildfire detection systems that are now in place that can automatically identify signs of a fire and subsequently alert any live personnel.
This is a crucial resource that can make the difference between being a second too late and actually being able to stop a wildfire in its tracks. It’s also essential because of the speed at which these wildfires can spread, especially if winds are particularly strong. These systems use a combination of smoke detection, thermal sensors, farther distance radius, and nighttime capabilities so that there is no longer limited reliability on human watchers. Although these investments don’t stop the fires from happening in the first place, they are the crucial step in stopping them from spreading out and causing a huge amount of loss.
Mobile and digital emergency alerts
With the advent of smartphones and better cellular networks, the common public can receive timely alerts with ease in today’s modern society. Not only do official sources send out text alerts to mobile numbers, but they are also able to send out alerts using the various social networking sites actively connected to people everywhere. This has proven to be one of the most efficient ways of disseminating information and helping people get crucial updates if they need to evacuate or respond to a natural disaster in their area.
There are over 3 billion smartphone users in the world now, so it’s one of the best methods to alert people in real-time. Because of modern tech, there is virtually no delay between when these messages are sent out and when people actually see them.
Drone aids
As drones are now being built with more durable and heavy lifting parts, they have become great tools for disaster relief. Those equipped with cameras have made it safer for people to assess zones that have been hit by disaster sothat they can assess any damage. Plus, it allows better viewing points for any potential search and rescues that need to be done. On top of that, drones have been used to carry supplies over to stricken regions since the most advanced models have been built to carry enough to be of actual aid tofrontlinersand victims alike. There have even been uses of drones to disperse water during fires and disinfectants to sanitize quarantine zones.
It’s a wonder to see how these innovations have truly changed how disaster relief is done. It brings hope that there may be even better things to come and action can be taken promptly.