HOW HAZARD AFFECTS THE MEDCS AND LEDCS

THE UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME MEASURES HUMAN

DEVELOPMENT IN THE WORLD’S COUNTRIES BY TRACKING DOZENS OF DATA
POINTS ACROSS A VAST RANGE OF SECTORS, RANGING FROM GDP PER CAPITA
TO LITERACY RATE, LIFE EXPECTANCY, POLITICAL STABILITY, AND ACCESS TO
ELECTRICITY.

MEDCS STANDS FOR MORE ECONOMICALLY DEVELOPED COUNTRIES. THESE ARE

NATIONS WITH HIGH LEVELS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION, HIGH STANDARDS OF LIVING,
AND WELL-DEVELOPED INFRASTRUCTURE, STRONG ECONOMIES, ADVANCED
HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, HIGH LITERACY RATES, AND ACCESS TO MODERN
TECHNOLOGIES OR ITO YUNG MGA BANSANG MAY “HIGH QUALITY OF LIFE”
THE ARE 69 QUALIFIED MEDCS UNITED STATES, CANADA, GERMANY, JAPAN
TOP COUNTRIES ARE SWITZERLAND, NORWAY AND HONGKONG

LEDCS NAMAN IS YUNG KABALIKTARAN NG MEDCS, OBVIOUSLY. LIMITED ACCESS

TO HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, AND TECHNOLOGY, AS WELL AS POORER
ECONOMIC CONDITIONS
THERE ARE 44 COUNTRIES CLASSIFIED AS LEDCS:
AFRICA (32): ANGOLA, MADAGASCAR, UGANDA AND ZAMBIA:
ASIA (8): AFGHANISTAN, BANGLADESH, CAMBODIA, MYANMAR, NEPAL
CARIBBEAN (1): HAITI
PACIFIC (3)
THE 1ST COUNTRY TO GRADUATE FROM LEDC CATEGORY IS BOTSWANA IN
1994
ALSO MAY MGA RECOMMENDED GRADUATION FROM THE LDC CATEGORY LIKE
BANGLADESH, THE LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC AND NEPAL ARE
SCHEDULED FOR GRADUATION IN 2026 AND CAMBODIA AND SENEGAL ARE
SCHEDULED FOR GRADUATION IN 2029.

1. HEALTH CARE
MEDCS HAVE WELL-FUNDED HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS, ADVANCED MEDICAL
RESOURCES, AND EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION NETWORKS THAT ALLOW
THEM TO QUICKLY DEPLOY AID AFTER A DISASTER.
2011 TŌHOKU EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN JAPAN. QUICKLY
MOBILIZED RESCUE TEAMS, MEDICAL AID, AND RELIEF SUPPLIES. THEY
PROVIDED FIELD HOSPITALS, EMERGENCY SHELTERS, AND TRANSPORTATION
FOR DISPLACED PEOPLE AND THE UNITED STATES AFTER HURRICANE
KATRINA IN 2005.
THIS OVERSEAS AID TAKES TIME TO ARRIVE, WHICH COULD MEAN FAR MORE
CASUALTIES.
THE 2010 HAITI EARTHQUAKE, THE COUNTRY FACED SIGNIFICANT
CHALLENGES IN DELIVERING MEDICAL CARE AND AID DUE TO DAMAGED
INFRASTRUCTURE, RELYING HEAVILY ON INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
LIKE THE UN AND NGOS FOR SUPPORT IN PROVIDING FIELD HOSPITALS AND
EMERGENCY RELIEF.

2. EMERGENCY SERVICES
VOLCANIC OR EARTHQUAKE RISK, SUCH AS JAPAN AND NEW ZEALAND,THERE
ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT EMERGENCY PROCEDURES LIKE REGULAR DRILLS,
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EDUCATION & PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS.
PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS AND PLACES OF WORK MEAN THAT PEOPLE KNOW
WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF A NATURAL DISASTER.
IN THE UK, THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (NHS) HAS CONTINGENCY
PLANS (BACKUP PLAN) FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, AND THE U.S. HAS
FEMA (FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY), WHICH
COORDINATES FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS, PROVIDING IMMEDIATE
AID AFTER EVENTS LIKE HURRICANES AND WILDFIRES.
2. EMERGENCY SERVICES
VOLCANIC OR EARTHQUAKE RISK, SUCH AS JAPAN AND NEW ZEALAND,THERE
ARE WELL THOUGHT OUT EMERGENCY PROCEDURES LIKE REGULAR DRILLS,
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS EDUCATION & PUBLIC EDUCATION CAMPAIGNS.
PRACTICES IN SCHOOLS AND PLACES OF WORK MEAN THAT PEOPLE KNOW
WHAT TO DO IN THE EVENT OF A NATURAL DISASTER.
IN THE UK, THE NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE (NHS) HAS CONTINGENCY
PLANS (BACKUP PLAN) FOR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES, AND THE U.S. HAS
FEMA (FEDERAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY), WHICH
COORDINATES FEDERAL DISASTER RELIEF EFFORTS, PROVIDING IMMEDIATE
AID AFTER EVENTS LIKE HURRICANES AND WILDFIRES.
IN LEDCS, EMERGENCY SERVICES OFTEN FACE CHALLENGES LIKE LIMITED
RESOURCES, INADEQUATE INFRASTRUCTURE, AND SLOW RESPONSE TIMES.
NEPAL, AFTER THE 2015 EARTHQUAKE, FACED SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES
WITH SLOW RESPONSE TIMES, DAMAGED INFRASTRUCTURE, AND LIMITED
MEDICAL RESOURCES. THE COUNTRY RELIED HEAVILY ON INTERNATIONAL
AID, SUCH AS FROM THE UN AND NGOS, TO PROVIDE FOOD, MEDICAL
SUPPLIES, AND RESCUE TEAMS, ESPECIALLY IN REMOTE AREAS.
HAITI, AFTER THE 2010 EARTHQUAKE, THE LACK OF FUNCTIONING
HOSPITALS AND EMERGENCY PERSONNEL MADE IT DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE
IMMEDIATE CARE, LEADING TO HEAVY RELIANCE ON INTERNATIONAL
ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE RED CROSS FOR MEDICAL AID AND RESCUE
OPERATIONS.

3. BUILDING TECHNOLOGY
BUILDING TECHNOLOGY IN MEDCS IS ADVANCED, WITH STRINGENT BUILDING
CODES, EARTHQUAKE-RESISTANT DESIGNS, AND MODERN CONSTRUCTION
TECHNIQUES TO ENSURE SAFETY AND DURABILITY.
COUNTRIES SUCH AS JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES HAVE BEEN AT THE
FORE FRONT OF DEVELOPING BUILDINGS THAT HAVE MORE CHANCE OF
RESISTING AN EARTHQUAKE. MOST HOUSES IN SAN FRANCISCO ARE MADE
OF WOOD, TO MAKE THEM MORE FLEXIBLE AND ALLOW THEM TO MOVE
WITH THE QUAKE.
MANY COUNTRIES IN AREAS PRONE TO NATURAL HAZARDS HAVE BUILDING
CODES TO SAY WHERE THEY CAN AND CANNOT BUILD, AND HOW HIGH THE
BUILDINGS CAN BE. NEW ZEALAND IS A GOOD EXAMPLE OF WHERE THIS
OCCURS.
IN CONTRAST, LEDCS OFTEN FACE LIMITATIONS IN BUILDING TECHNOLOGY DUE
TO LOWER BUDGETS, LESS ACCESS TO ADVANCED MATERIALS, AND LIMITED
INFRASTRUCTURE. AS A RESULT, BUILDINGS IN LEDCS MAY BE MORE
VULNERABLE TO NATURAL DISASTERS.
COUNTRIES LIKE HAITI OR NEPAL, MANY STRUCTURES ARE POORLY
CONSTRUCTED, USING LOW-COST MATERIALS LIKE WOOD, BRICK, OR MUD,
WHICH MAY NOT WITHSTAND EARTHQUAKES, FLOODS, OR STORMS
EFFECTIVELY.

4. SCIENTIFIC PREDICTION
SCIENTISTS WORK THROUGHOUT THE WORLD, TRYING TO PREDICT
EARTHQUAKES AND VOLCANOES. SO FAR THEY HAVE FOUND IT VERY DIFFICULT
TO PREDICT EARTHQUAKES, ALTHOUGH SCIENTISTS MONITORING THE SAN
ANDREAS FAULT IN CALIFORNIA HAVE PLANTED A HUGE NUMBER OF
SEISMOGRAPHS IN THE GROUND TO TRY TO DETECT EVEN THE FAINTEST OF
TREMORS. VOLCANOES GENERALLY ARE EASIER TO PREDICT, ALTHOUGH THE
SPECIFIC TIME OF THE ERUPTION IS NOT SO EASY TO DO. SCIENTISTS CAN
MEASURE CHANGES WITHIN THE MOUNTAIN THAT HELPS THEM TO PREDICT
THAT THE VOLCANO IS GOING TO ERUPT. THIS USUALLY ALLOWS THE LOCAL
AUTHORITIES SUFFICIENT TIME TO EVACUATE PEOPLE FROM THE DANGER AREA
(AS SEEN AT BOTH MT. ST. HELENS AND MT. PINATUBO). HOWEVER THEY STILL
FIND IT VERY DIFFICULT TO ACCURATELY PREDICT THE SIZE OF THE ERUPTION
 YES, MEDCS GENERALLY INVEST MORE IN SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH AND
TECHNOLOGY FOR DISASTER PREDICTION AND EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS. FOR
EXAMPLE, COUNTRIES LIKE JAPAN AND THE UNITED STATES USE ADVANCED
SEISMIC MONITORING, SATELLITE TECHNOLOGY, AND WEATHER PREDICTION
SYSTEMS TO PREDICT EARTHQUAKES, TSUNAMIS, AND HURRICANES, WHICH
HELPS WITH TIMELY EVACUATIONS AND PREPAREDNESS.
IN CONTRAST, LEDCS OFTEN LACK THE FINANCIAL RESOURCES,
INFRASTRUCTURE, AND TECHNOLOGY TO INVEST HEAVILY IN SUCH PREDICTIVE
SYSTEMS. AS A RESULT, THEY MAY NOT HAVE THE SAME LEVEL OF
PREPAREDNESS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS. FOR INSTANCE, IN COUNTRIES LIKE
HAITI OR BANGLADESH, SCIENTIFIC PREDICTION CAPABILITIES ARE MORE
LIMITED, AND THESE NATIONS RELY MORE ON INTERNATIONAL AID AND
EXTERNAL SUPPORT FOR DISASTER RELIEF AND MANAGEMENT.

5. RECOVERY
RECOVERY AFTER A DISASTER IN MEDCS IS GENERALLY FASTER AND MORE
EFFICIENT DUE TO BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL RESOURCES,
AND WELL-ORGANIZED DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS. FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER
THE 2011 EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI IN JAPAN, RECOVERY EFFORTS WERE
SWIFT, WITH GOVERNMENT SUPPORT, ADVANCED TECHNOLOGY, AND STRONG
INFRASTRUCTURE ALLOWING FOR RAPID REBUILDING AND AID DISTRIBUTION.
IN CONTRAST, LEDCS OFTEN FACE SLOWER RECOVERY TIMES DUE TO LIMITED
RESOURCES, DAMAGED INFRASTRUCTURE, AND WEAKER DISASTER RESPONSE
SYSTEMS. AFTER THE 2010 HAITI EARTHQUAKE, FOR INSTANCE, RECOVERY WAS
HINDERED BY A LACK OF PROPER MEDICAL CARE, HOUSING, AND FINANCIAL
RESOURCES, AND THE COUNTRY RELIED HEAVILY ON INTERNATIONAL AID TO
REBUILD, WHICH EXTENDED THE RECOVERY PERIOD.