Opinion: It’s time to rethink how we manage disasters

As the world grapples with more complex, unpredictable, and prolonged disasters, policymakers and other stakeholders should stop focusing only on the response phase of a disaster and instead put more resources and effort into preventing and preparing for disasters, according to a new opinion piece written by Frederick Burkle, a visiting scientist at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a senior fellow at the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.

The piece, published on January 28, 2020, in New Security Beat, noted that dealing with disasters is a complex science that requires interdisciplinary skills. “Healthcare providers today face more complex and multidisciplinary decisions when responding to a natural disaster,” he wrote. “As a result, healthcare providers must call upon a broader knowledge base that straddles the entire disaster cycle and other contributing professions.”

Read the New Security Beat article: Disasters Have Changed. So Must Our Response.