Colombia: A Country Under Constant Threat of Disasters
Abstract
Colombia's internal conflict has left many victims over the last five decades. Both disasters and violence have caused human suffering and material losses. However, natural and manmade disasters can affect the Colombian people and economy more than armed conflict. Various kinds of disasters strike every nation in the world, and although these events do not occur with uniformity of distribution, developing nations suffer the greatest impact of nature's fury. As a developing country, and because of its geographical, climatic, and geological conditions, Colombia faces a wide variety of natural threats, and when coupled with its social vulnerability and population dynamics, the risk to the nation is significant. Analyzing the effects on the population and national economy, and evaluating the government response to, these effects from the four largest disasters Colombia has faced in the last five decades provides insights into Colombia's readiness to deal with disasters today. Reviewing how the Colombia's Disaster Response system evolved from Comites Nacionales de Emergencia (National Emergencies Committee) to Sistema Nacional de Gestion del Riesgo de Desastres SNGRD (Colombian National Disaster Risk Management System) provides evidence the Government of Colombia has been reactive, not proactive when responding to disasters. The Colombian Military Forces have actively participated when natural disasters have hit the country, and the Colombian National Army is the service branch that has evolved most in responding to and preventing disasters. Holistically examining disasters as a series of complex situations currently taking place in Colombia shows how natural and manmade disasters can threaten Colombians and their livelihoods, and, depending on the disasters' intensity, can even compromise the social and economic stability of the country.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 22, 2014
- Accession Number
- ADA612204
Entities
People
- Jorge R. Vargas
Organizations
- United States Army Command and General Staff College