This week's prompt is about natural disasters. There seems to be an increase in the frequency of natural disasters around the world recently. The worst of these disasters usually happen in Asia or European countries, rarely in Africa, my continent.
The governments of the affected countries are doing their best to contain the after effects of the disasters. Some of the disasters themselves are truly horrific. I remember reading about the incidence of a tsunami that swallowed almost a whole city in an China. Or watching the floods that ravaged Texas on television.
Natural Disasters In My Country
My country doesn't experience lots of natural disasters, the most common here are floods, land slides and sometimes wildfires. I've seen videos of the floods and they are terrible. Imagine people's homes and businesses almost swallowed, automobiles being carried away by the floods. The most unfortunate thing is that the government do not lift a finger to resolve these issues.
Natural Disasters Are Preventable To Some Degree
Natural disasters can be somewhat prevented if the government could do the right thing, like building more efficient drainage systems. Here you'd often see streets without drainages of any kind and folks are surprised when the area floods. I think disasters like that can also be prevented if the cities are well planned with proper drainages and the architectural structures well built. Activities like blasting and evacuation should be sanctioned.
One of the causes of natural disasters is the burning of fossil fuels which sends gases to the ozone layer which weakens it. This can result in natural disasters like droughts, wildfires, heat waves, severe storms etc.
Poor farming practices like deforestation, over irrigation, overgrazing can trigger natural disasters like dust storms, land degradation, etc.
Also the government should look into oil and gas mining activities because the drilling into the earth crust can effectively weaken it and cause seismic movements that can trigger natural disasters.
The Role Of Enlightenment
More could be done if people are enlightened about natural disasters. I once read about a girl who recognized the signs of a tsunami from the sea and warned the staff of the resort near the beach. The hotel staff had to evacuate hundreds of vacationers, and it's wasn't long before the tsunami struck. Thus hundreds of lives were saved.People can learn to spot areas that are likely to be flooded and avoid them or detect signs of an iminient natural disaster and take necessary precautions.
Farmers can also be enlightened on abstaining on practices that can weaken the soil structure and trigger natural disasters, like overgrazing, over irrigation, cutting down of trees, etc.
Conclusion
Though natural disasters can't be removed completely i believe they can be prevented to some extent. And this can only hapoen if the government plays their role well. We are lucky here in Africa that natural disasters aren't a constant. And it seens the more the planet ages, the more the frequency of these disasters increase.
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Thanks for reading.