Root Cause Analysis of Disasters

Research Objectives of Root Cause Analysis

• 1. Descriptive analysis of hazard , exposure, unsafe conditions and subsequent patterns of damage, loss and impact.

a. The triggering event (s) (the hazard component of risk).b. Exposure of social and environmental elements.c. Vulnerability, Resilience, Capacities and Capabilities.

2. Moving from analytical and “systematizing” description to understanding underlying root causes and risk drivers.a. Ideologies driving economic growth at any cost.b. Population growth and distribution.c. Urban and rural land use patterns and processes.d. Environmental degradation and ecosystem service depletion.e. Poverty and income distribution.

Some Risk Drivers…

• • Urbanization

• • Deforestation

• • Population density

• • Coastward migration

• • Increasing economic inequality

• • Land concentration

• • Corruption/ impunity

• • Discrimination-ethnic/racial/religious/gender/class

Case Study: The Social Construction of Vulnerability and Risk in Haiti

Prehistory- the Taino-the original population

The early years : disease, decimation, and disappearance

The Colony-coffee, sugar and slavery

Independence …and Euro-American retribution

19th Century-Debt …and decline in the Pearl of the Antilles

Early-mid 20th Century-US Invasions and Internal Corruption

Recent-Political Instability, Neoliberal Assault, Earthquake & Hurricanes