Americus, Georgia: The Case Study of Disasters Serving the Role of Facilitators and Expeditors of Progress and Betterment

RAY HUNTZINGER

Reference:Hyden, M. & English, C. (2011). Americus, Georgia: The case
study of disasters serving the role of facilitators and expeditors of
progress and betterment. Homeland Security Affairs. Retrieved on
December 5, 2013, from http://www.hsaj.org/?fullarticle=7.1.5

Theme: The theme of this study is an evaluation of whether disasters
serve as beneficial long-term change agents or merely lead to
worsening conditions following the disaster. The study based its
conclusions on the town of Americus, Georgia following a category 3
tornado in 2007.

Summary:

· There has long been a debate in the emergency services as to
whether communities are better off economically before or after a
major disaster.

· The effect a disaster has on human life and suffering can't
not be underestimated and is difficult to quantify but what can be
quantified is economic and infrastructure growth/decline following a
major disaster.

· Following the tornado in Americus, many building were
damaged so badly they had to be demolished; the result of this
post-disaster demolition was ultimately updated buildings and homes
that were in desperate need of improvement before the disaster.

· Disasters can have a positive effect on local job growth
because of the need to rebuild infrastructure.

· Ultimately, Americus recovered from the tornado and will
likely be an improved city because of the disaster.

Application to lesson topic: The article is not directly related to
the lesson topic but serves as a great example of how a community can
make the most out of a bad situation. Resiliency and effective
post-disaster leadership can make the difference between disasters
that have mostly temporary affects on a community versus ones that
create permanent devastation.

Application to emergency services: This study emphasizes the
importance of the recovery phase of a major disaster. Although the
trauma to human life can't be completely healed, communities can use
disasters to build better and stronger communities with the right
leadership.