Whenever an earthquake hits a given area, various efforts are instigated for the recovery process. Most of the efforts initiated are positive while others are negative. Success of this process is dependent on the logistics put in place by the individuals involved. Some efforts tend to bring about a risk factor for the entire activity. The risks involved are both qualitative and quantitative.

Quantitative Risks

Among the quantitative risks involved in the logistics is the number of stakeholders involved in the rescue process. On many occasions, different groups are involved in the rescue mission. These groups are from different origins, and are under different management. This creates a logistic risk since every group has its own distinct recovery program. The groups have received different training hence will tend to execute their duties differently. This leads to duplication of efforts, which results to waste of time despite there being a large number of people in the rescue mission (Khan, 2013). Involving more than one group in a recovery mission is a risk, since it slows down operations hence resulting to more deaths that could have been prevented.

Letting members of the public to be involved in the rescue mission is also a quantitative risk. Members of the public do not have any special training to combat such occurrences. The number of individuals in the area of disaster also tends to be extremely high. This brings about confusion and hindrance in execution of one’s duties. It also results to death of the people offering assistance in the process. This is due to lack of training hence cannot manage the situation.

The quantity of goods provided during the recovery process can also be a risk. This emanates when these good are not sufficient.  It would result to loss of some survivors if the insufficient goods are vital for survival. On many occasions, the logistics does not concentrate on this aspect since more efforts are directed on saving casualties. Sometimes the goods might be excess, and there is no place to dispose them like it happened in China during the 2004 earthquake (Khan, 2013).

Failure of the relevant engineers to conduct a favorable assessment of the damage that has been done by the earthquake is also a risk. There are quantitative figures that are available in assessing the extent of the earthquake so as to identify the amount of damage done. If this is done poorly, more lives will be lost since the logistics plan will not be adequate. Every plan is executed depending on the nature of the damage.

Qualitative Risks

They include the quality of goods provided during the recovery process. Most of these goods come from people’s donations. They might not be up to the desired standard hence causing major health problems to the rescued casualties. It would be unfortunate for an individual to survive an earthquake, then succumb to poor quality goods.

Using inadequate equipments during the rescue mission is also a major risk. This applies to the mode of transport used during the process. On most occasions, road transport is the primary mode used. Once a vehicle has navigated through the area after some difficulties, some of the materials removed as it passed tend to find their way back, since every individual has a different objective. This enhances delay while taking casualties to safety areas (Khan, 2013). Using air transport would be more advisable in order to save survivors with critical injuries. However, this requires efficiency in the logistics planning since it has its own challenges.

The response time involved is also a risk. When individuals are trapped, more caution is exercised in order to get them out safely. This caution brings about less aggression. This means that individuals trying to save the casualties take more time before they can rescue them. If these people are bleeding as a result of the disaster, they might end up dead before the individuals involved in the rescue mission reach to them. This is a safety mechanism in a rescue process, but it also carriers the risk of losing people due to time involved.

Inadequate training also results to a qualitative risk during a recovery process. This is due to the number of activities taking place at once. The personnel involved needs to be fully prepared, and have the ability of multi-tasking. All these facets are gained during the training period. If the team involved is not properly trained, there is a risk of jeopardizing the whole process.

After the recovery process, there is a risk of the victims being traumatized by the whole experience. The effect of this occurrence is dependent on the nature of counseling that is going to be offered to the survivors. If the program developed is not effective, negative effects will malign the victims. Some might end up committing suicide due to loss of their loved ones. Psychological problems might also arise in the process. Individuals spearheading the recovery process should not let the counseling program initiated to be a risk to their efforts. As a result, this needs care and diligence (Khan, 2013).

Reference

Khan, M. A. (2013). Earthquake-Resistant Structures Design, Build and Retrofit.. Oxford:            Elsevier Science.

 
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