Tsunami Must be Preventive Wake-up Call, Like Titanic a Century Ago

UN News Centre
December’s devastating Indian Ocean tsunami is as urgent a wake-up call for the world to get its already existing emergency communications systems in working order as the sinking of the Titanic was for instituting mandatory SOS monitoring a century ago, according to the United Nations telecommunications agency. (February 23, 2005)

Our Actions in Tsunami-Hit Areas Today Will Catch Up With Us Tomorrow

The San Francisco Chronicle
So what do we do now that the waters have receded? It is simple, we give today and we give tomorrow, and we get smart about the organizations to which we give. It's not enough to write a check. (January 26, 2005)

Disaster Relief: What Would Adam Smith do?

The Christian Science Monitor
An earthquake kills more than 150,000 people in Asia. How should we as individuals respond? Is government obliged to help those in need simply because they are members of society? Should the private market or the government take charge of relief? These questions were posed by Adam Smith, the Scottish moral philosopher and promoter of markets, in 1759. Like his questions, his answers also resound today. (January 18, 2005)

Rethinking Science Aid

SciDev.net
Donors should take an 'innovation' rather than a 'research' approach to designing scientific and technological aid programs. (January 10, 2005)

From the Ruins (HBS only)

The New York Times
Catastrophe can be healing for conflict. Working together in times of human disaster can help build confidence between two sides, and foster a feeling of solidarity among ethnic groups. Politicians and guerrillas in Indonesia and Sri Lanka should take advantage of these side effects of the disastrous situation to help solve their human conflicts. (January 8, 2005)

Avoiding a Catastrophe of Human Error

The Washington Post
How to prevent the human cost of future natural catastrophes: Monitor; Warn; Prepare the public; Adopt less risky behavior; Focus on social equity. "In 1998 Hurricane Mitch undid a decade of World Bank investment in Central America. Donor nations and nongovernmental organizations such as the World Bank must link aid and investment to strategies for reducing vulnerability to natural hazards." (January 5, 2005)

The Becker-Posner Blog: The Tsunami and the Economics of Catastrophic Risk

Richard A. Posner
Posner is a judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, and is a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago Law School. "Economic Effects of Tsunamis and Other Catastrophes—A Reaction to Posner's Discussion," Becker was the 1992 Nobel laureate in economics, and is professor of Economics at the University of Chicago and senior fellow at Stanford's Hoover Institution. (January 5, 2005)

Raining Money (HBS only)

The New York Times
"The foremost challenge now is to ensure that the money pledged in the glow of the media spotlight gets to the people who need it. That is the job of the United Nations, which has a chance to redeem itself after the oil-for-food scandal." (January 4, 2005)