Development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Development - Essay Example In 2002, the World Health Organization encouraged the international communities to conduct studies on disasters and their impact on the genders, male and female. A pattern about the vulnerability was observed but needed evidence, further studies, and analysis in terms of â€Å"exposure to risk, risk perception, preparedness, response, physical impact, psychological impact, recovery and reconstruction†(WHO [a] 2002, p.1). As early as that time, WHO had reported that 2 billion people had been affected by a combination of natural and man-made calamities from 1990 to 1999,wherein nearly 30% died. And there seemed to be a trend of increasing disasters. . [Source: Zakour, M.J. and Gillespie,D.F. (2013). Community Disaster Vulnerability. p.12 ] II.Random Sample of Disasters Worldwide This research compiled a random set of disasters arranged in chronological order to verify such a report of increasing trend reported by the World Health Organization. ... Catalina Floods & Mudslides 128 1/2/2010 Haiti Earthquate 316,000 died. 2010 Russia Heat Wave 56,000 2010 Japan Heat Wave 1,718 2011 Brazil Rio de Janeiro Floods & Mudslides 1,000 It should be noted that according to the World Health Organization statistics for 2010 (Kaiser, H. 2012, p.1), the vulnerable sector of society affected by malaria epidemic is the pregnant women and children. Of the 216,000,000 cases in 2010 alone, 665,000 died of which most were children. Because the children were attended to by the female gender, they too were very vulnerable to the epidemic. As a result of such findings, one of the policies of WHO effective 2012 is the â€Å"intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in pregnancy. . .† (WHO [b] 2012, p.2). Hurricanes and storms worldwide also killed thousands from 1990 to 2011. In just this classification of a natural disaster, it can be seen how the female gender would actually be at a disadvantage by virtue of the fact that she is a weaker sex . Their trauma is aggravated by their being emotional to people and things they value and have lost. It would be but natural for women to feel the great damage when their homes are blown away or destroyed by the powerful twisters which could have carried every person who does not hide. Statistics are shown as follows: [Source: Weather Underground Inc. Hurricane Archive. Viewed February 16, 2013 @ http://www.wunderground.com/hurricane/hurrarchive.asp] It was discovered that natural disasters had lowered the life expectancy among women more than it does to men. In terms of total impact on the total population, women are more damaged in terms of living shorter lives compared to men whenever a disaster takes place.