Potential risks of disasters are hidden underneath the beauty!
The revolution of newly developed types of climate disasters have become nightmares in our daily life. Given the unpredictability, the catastrophic impact from hurricanes, floods, heat waves, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, droughts, and wildfires is mostly unprecedented and continues to bring various disasters around the world.
These events have been constantly breaking records in meteorological history and further causing food crisis. Globally, climate scientists are warning about the dangers of the escalating extreme climate that would be negatively impacting human beings.
The climate crisis is shaping up and in progress on daily basis. However, most people are indifferent about such potential crisis in the making. They think that climate issues such as global warming and the rise of sea level are developing but at a very slower pace. The impacts from climate changes may happen in the future but not imminent , hence it is not something urgent to deal with at present. Such perception on climate changes result in the lack of risk awareness. However, for the aboriginal people, they are profoundly concerned about the change of landscape and the environment as a result of climate changes. In aboriginal culture, as they enter newly migrated places, they will introduce these places to the tribe by naming the new places based on either ecological characteristic or past incidents.
The disasters that have occurred in the past serve as good reminder to the tribe, so that they will take extra caution to the potential disaster crisis. For example, Atayal people name place Hnway (where the water has swept through); Qonaw (where the landslide has occurred), such naming philosophy allows the tribe to assess the situation of the potential coming disaster and understand the restrictions when it comes to future land use. The scale of today’s disasters is unimaginable while the experiences learned from previous disasters are no longer applicable.
In the past, the method of predicting the weather was by observing the changes in the surrounding natural environment. However, to accommodate for economic development, constructions have been under-taken in various locations which have altered the way of living for aboriginal. As a result, the previous weather prediction method is no longer as accurate. In the face of increasingly unpredictable natural disasters, it is critical to take urgent action to not only prepare ahead but be well prepared. There is no excuses to delay such important task.
The Mustard Seed Mission Disaster Prevention and Relief Service Center are working with the churches located in the hometowns to set up grain storage station for disaster prevention for Haiduan and Lanyu of Taitung County, Hongxiang Tribe in Nantou County, and Taigang Tribe in Hsinchu County. Through the dialogue with tribal residents, we can understand the needs of the tribe as they are facing with disasters while assessing the impact of potential disasters. Furthermore, by doing so, they can prepare food and material supplies reserves in advance. Hence, as soon as natural disasters arrive , causing the traffic disruption, the grain storage stations can provide immediate assistance. With the stations available and accessible to the tribes, they can prepare foods and supplies in advance, so that when there is an urgent need, they are equipped with sufficient materials to meet the immediate needs.
Be mindful, the more beautiful and primitive the landscape is, the more unknown risks are hidden. Next time when we enter the tribe to enjoy the beautiful scenery ,landscape, and cultural treasures, we must also be extra careful with the steep mountain walls, clear streams, green and gloomy woods, because when disaster strikes, we can never predict what will come next in seconds. In the era of climate change, as unexpected disasters arrive, we will be facing the challenges of life and death situation, neither you nor I can stay out of it.
Protect the places we love, mitigate the scale of disasters, prepare for disasters and store grains in advance, strengthen our resilience and always be prepared for the next catastrophe. Disaster prevention requires everyone’s attention. We have to be disasters prevention minded and stay constant awareness. Moreover, let’s not slack off, otherwise, in the near future, we will have to pay the price for being overly complacent about this issue.
The Mustard Seed Mission invites you to sponsor community disaster prevention program, let us work together to mitigate the negative impact, help ourselves and help the world.
Support community disaster prevention and relief programs, turn disasters around together, and help yourself and others!
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