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This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
Remarks by Harriet C. Babbitt Deputy Administrator, United States Agency for International Development Inter-American Development Bank's Annual Meeting of Governors
New Orleans, Louisiana
March 25, 2000
[As Delivered]
Thank you for that introduction, Mr. Jarquín. It's a pleasure to be here.
As the title of this seminar implies, addressing the impact of natural disasters will be one of the biggest challenges the developing world faces in the 21st century.
Statistics show that natural disasters disproportionately strike developing countries, often causing millions of dollars worth of damage--losses developing countries simply cannot absorb.
Evidence is also mounting that natural disasters are occurring more often, and that they are causing more damage.
The past ten years-ironically the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction-have been the worst of all. Disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean alone from 1990 to 1999 caused a remarkable $24 billion worth of damage and killed over 45,000 people.
Of course, it is impossible to measure the human suffering all these disasters have caused.
When I visited Nicaragua and Honduras after Hurricane Mitch I was saddened to see thousands of people who even with help would have to spend years just returning their lives to their pre-disaster state.
But one of the things we know today is that while there is little we can do to prevent hurricanes or volcanic eruptions or earthquakes, there is a lot we can do to lessen their impact on societies.
Mitigating natural disasters is a matter of development.
That is to say, we know the things that transform an event like a hurricane or earthquake into a disaster are the same things that hinder development--weak health systems, degradation of natural resources, and corrupt or inefficient governments.
And these are things we know we can do something about.
In the past, the emphasis of many organizations, national, bilateral and multilateral has been on providing humanitarian relief and reconstruction. While this is certainly important, we need to realize that the disaster--reconstruction--disaster cycle that we see all too often-all over the world-is a cycle that in the long run benefits no one:
Treating the symptoms of disaster-homelessness, disease, emotional trauma--while critically important, is not enough. We must also address the root causes of the devastating impact of disasters.
We know that this pro-active approach works. For instance, USAID has long supported the Pan-American Health Organization, which works in 35 countries throughout the Americas. We have helped PAHO improve the disaster management of Ministries of Health as well as local and community organizations around the Americas.
And it is partly because of our work with PAHO that there was no surge of epidemics--like malaria, dengue fever, or cholera-after Hurricanes Mitch and Georges.
There is more proof that development helps prevent catastrophe: In Honduras, before Hurricane Mitch, our Land Use Productivity Enhancement (or LUPE) project helped teach farmers better hillside farming practices--like where and how to plant trees to prevent erosion.
And the result was that during and after Hurricane Mitch, the land on which we had been working did not wash away. There were no mudslides of the kind that cost many people their lives and livelihoods.
Well, we know that one of the best ways to mitigate the impact of disasters is to empower communities to deal with local problems. People need to be involved in the decisions government makes about their lives--and that includes how to prepare a community for disaster.
But if this approach is to work, there must be not only a decentralized system of government, but a democratic one--a government that reflects the needs and wishes of the people it serves.
We know that we must work with the private sector, and invest in disaster-resistant building practices and land use. But if we want to engage the private sector, there must be open market economies.
And we know that one of the biggest amplifiers of natural disasters is environmental degradation--people farming on land that should not be farmed, draining wetlands, and destroying watersheds and forests.
But if we want the degradation to stop, effective laws and policies which protect the environment must be formulated and implemented. And citizens must be provided with new, better ways to make a living.
Over the past ten years the countries of Latin America have made tremendous progress towards peace--in Guatemala, in El Salvador, in Nicaragua, and in Peru and Ecuador, just to name a few.
Almost the entire region has been working hard to strengthen democracy, promote human rights, open up economies, and alleviate poverty. At USAID, we are encouraged by this progress.
Today, it is time to capitalize on it. But we need to act now.
The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean realize this.
After Hurricane Mitch, people from the highest levels of government to the local village realized that this tragedy also presented an opportunity--not just to rebuild their communities, but to transform them.
This vision was embodied in the Stockholm Declarations of 1999, which established a set of principles that now guide development in the region--environmental sustainability, accountability in government, decentralization, and respect for human rights.
In the United States, we too, see the reconstruction process as more than just the chance to replace what was there before, but an opportunity to "build back better."
We also need to increase appreciation for the role human behavior plays in disasters. Natural disasters are not all "natural." Nature provides the hurricane, or the earthquake; but we make ourselves more or less vulnerable to them.
Every time we destroy wetlands, or watersheds, we increase the chances of flooding. Every time we ignore building codes, we guarantee that when disaster strikes, more people will suffer--and that they will suffer more.
Taking responsibility for what we can control is always the first step toward effective action.
USAID is in charge of coordinating the United States' international disaster relief efforts and administering the United States' foreign assistance. So I have an official duty to promote disaster mitigation.
But as I mentioned earlier, I have also personally witnessed the destruction and human suffering caused by disasters. This experience has forged my personal commitment to do all that I can to help -- a commitment I know is shared by USAID's Administrator, Brady Anderson.
The American people also want to help. After Hurricanes Mitch and Georges, there was an outpouring of support from the American public--everything from food, clothing, and supplies to even, I remember, school desks.
Five thousand United States military personnel took action--rescuing people and providing emergency repairs to bridges, roads, and schools. They also delivered 84 million pounds of commodities--the largest airlift in United States' history.
After the immediate emergency was over, President Clinton asked USAID to lead a government-wide effort to help rebuild and repair the damage of Hurricane Mitch.
Of the many people we worked with I especially want to thank James Lee Witt, the Director of the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency. FEMA has one of the best domestic disaster management systems in the world.
Mr. Witt referenced the critical community partnerships that groups such as the Cooperative Housing Foundation and Catholic Relief Services are carrying out. USAID is proud to be financing those very partnerships. These give local communities the tools to cope with, and ultimately avoid, the tragic destruction caused by natural disasters.
The United States government will contribute a total of almost $1 billion for humanitarian aid and reconstruction after Hurricanes Georges and Mitch. But our assistance will not end there.
USAID is launching a Central America Mitigation Initiative (or CAMI). With an eye toward capitalizing on advances made under reconstruction, USAID will help strengthen partnerships among U.S. agencies, NGOs, and international and host country organizations.
The United States will also fortify our activities in the Caribbean, where the economic impact of disasters is often enormous. Last year many countries were hit hard by hurricanes--again.
For example, Hurricane Lenny devastated Antigua/Barbuda and Dominica, causing damages of about $280 million, or 150 percent of their GDP.
For many years USAID and the Organization of American States-my old home-have promoted the link between sustainable development and disaster mitigation. Building on their work, USAID is developing with the Caribbean Development Bank a Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Facility to help countries implement disaster-sound development plans.
USAID is also helping the World Bank develop its Disaster Mitigation Facility.
On the global stage, the United States is working with other nations to develop an international network of technical, operational, and policy experts focussed on using information technology for mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery.
For instance USAID has helped develop a way to use information collected by new satellite technology in Africa, as the basis for what could become a flood early warning system. I understand work is underway to apply this system globally--good news for all of us here.
We are using the technology developed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Geological Survey to identify safe places to rebuild houses in Honduras. The Survey has set up stream gauges to measure the flow of the Choluteca River, which local officials use as a "real-time" early warning system--a system that allows officials to warn their communities and plan their response in ways that weren't available before Mitch.
But, as proud as I am of my Agency's and the U.S. Government's efforts, the magnitude of the challenge requires strong partnerships and the contributions of people around the world, developing countries and donors alike.
So in closing let me commend the Inter-American Development Bank, which, through its new action plan, has shown its commitment to treating the root causes of damage from natural disasters.
USAID is proud to work with the Bank and with our developing country partners on this essential development issue.
Thank you.
This is an archived USAID document retained on this web site as a matter of public record.
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Last Updated on: July 12, 2001 |
