In The Struggle Between Man and Nature, Man's Best Plan To Be Prepared
The sun beats down on you as you lay on your sunlounger in some foreign paradise. Children play on the shoreline whilst their parents chat casually with other holiday makers on the loungers next to them. You can't understand what they're saying, the beach is filled with families from across the globe all intent on relaxing and enjoying their hard earned holiday, but that's just fine for you as not understanding them makes the chatter all the easier to ignore.
You're insignificant and unimportant, perhaps one of thousands almost on this coastline. It's just as you'd wanted when you booked the get away at the travel agent, they'd highly recommended it for peace and quiet. The waves gently wash up the sandy shore and you drift lazily and slowly off to sleep...
You rouse slightly, a child shouts something from the beech so loud that you've been woken. Their parents should teach them better, people are relaxing! The child's family close to you chatters hurriedly. What in the blazes is all the racket about you can't help but wonder. As you bolt upright you hold your hand to your eyes, your vision takes time to settle from having been in the sun so long and as it does your breath escapes you. In the distance is a wall of pure blue, sparkling here or there in the sun, and it seems almost to be frozen in the air. The shore line has disappeared, the sand stretching now out to the base of the floating expanse of water, causing an eerie quiet. Screams from up and down the beach pierce the silence as people begin to flee up the sand banks only to pause in bewilderment at the top unsure of where to go. You continue to look on in horror as the spectacle grows in size as it nears. You wonder how, just how, your going to survive this. You think, "I wish I was back in the office"...
Natures Fury
A Tsunami. An unimaginable display of nature's power and one of the many increasing dangers in these times of global climate change.
On December 26th 2004, Boxing Day, there was an undersea earthquake at 00:58:53AM (UTC/GMT). Its epicentre was off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia, causing many devastating Tsunamis along the coastlines of many of the countries bordering the Indian Ocean. The quake was caused by subduction, two of the Earth's tectonic plates colliding and with one sliding 'under' the other. It was the second largest earthquake ever recorded on a seismograph measuring in at approximately 9.2 on the Richter scale.
The resulting death toll was in the hundreds of thousands. Waves of up to 30 metres high fell against the resorts and beaches washing away hundreds of properties and thousands of people. It is estimated that 230,000+ people died as a result of the earthquake and resultant tsunamis. The relief effort, still continuing today, is estimated to take 5 - 10 years to complete and likely to be the costliest in human history. (1)
Unprepared and Unrelenting
In Phuket, Thailand, There was no plan for evacuation. There was no early warning system in place nor system to alert people once the threat had been recognised. Even something as basic as a siren was found nowhere on the beaches. Upon realising their fate people rushed away from the impending danger but were unsure of where to proceed from there. Obviously uphill would be the first answer or failing that a person may have known to seek refuge in a 'substantial building' such as a Hospital (proceeding to the third level or above to ensure likely safety). However, a maze of streets and foreign language direction signs, or a wall of pathless jungle woodland if you was lucky to be on holiday in a secluded resort, presented a serious hindrance to seeking safety. (1a)
It is fair to say that had signs guiding people what to do in a tsunami emergency been in place, with routes of escape to safe buildings and land masses high above sea level maintained and correctly signed, many more people could have been saved.
This concept has not been lost on those rebuilding their lives still many years on. On Pulo Breuh, an island of the tip of Indonesia, 12,000 people, half the islands population, perished in the cataclysmic event. In the village of Ulee Paya, using a grant from the British Red Cross, the inhabitants have made good an old 'off the beaten track' road. It was used by many of the villagers during the tsunami to escape the floods. It has now been prepared clearly signed in order for the villagers to have a safe evacuation method. (2)
This is likely to be the case across many areas devastated by the tsunami. But as in the case above many signs installed will be in the local language with symbols perhaps best understood by that countries local population. But what of foreign visitors? Few people learn little if any of the local language when travelling abroad. In event of an emergency will the signs now displayed be of use to all or only those privileged to be able to read the language?
A World working together
It has long been identified by the World Tourism Organisation that the use of differing flags and signs on beaches around the worlds presents a danger to the beaches international users and the use of poorly designed signs a risk to all. In light of this ongoing danger and as poignantly highlighted by the tragic events of December 2004 a comprehensive range of signs has been developed for use on beaches and other water areas as the first part of the ISO 20712 series of standards on Water Safety.
The standard comprises the following.
Water safety signs and beach safety flags - ISO/FDIS 20712
Part 1: Specifications for water safety signs used in workplaces and public areas
Part 2: Specifications for beach safety flags -- Colour, shape, meaning and performance
Part 3: Guidance for use
As a function of Part 1 a range of signs has been developed to give direction to safety in the event of a Tsunami occuring. Two themes of sign are available, evacuation to a land mass of sufficient height above sea level or evacuation to a substantial building able to provide refuge, with variations for the different arrow direction possibilities.
The whole range has been tested using the procedures of ISO 9816-1:2007 Graphical Symbols - Test Methods - Part 1 : Methods for testing comprehensibility.
This means the signs have been produced to a standard internationally recognised as being easy to understand and interpret, usually not requiring further text to explain the meaning allowing people of all nations to be clearly instructed in safety. (3)
Resting On Laurels
With the relief effort having long been underway it can only be hoped that in areas where signs have already been purchased and displayed that the benefits of this new ISO are truly understood causing a re-purchase of the new ISO compliant signs by those in charge of life safety.
For those areas still re-developing, again, it has to be hoped, as with many ISO publications regardless of circumstance, that knowledge of the standards existence has reached key buyers and purchasers. Their commitment to safety is hopefully such that they will want to purchase signs to an internationally recognised standard ensuring quality.
In the particular case of the Tsunami affected resorts and coastlines, it is important to give further consideration as to the possible risks such unique emergencies can present. With ISO standard signing in place can any more be done to secure the safety of tourists and civilians alike? A resting on laurels prior to the Tsunami meant the many locations were entirely unprepared for when an emergency situation occurred.
Broadening the horizons
An interesting thought is what would have happened had the Tsunami occurred at night? Striking at approximately 10:AM GMT / UTC it would have been a glorious sunny morning. Have precautions been taken against such an occurrence? Newly installed signs would also need to be well lit to be of any use at night. They would require connecting to an external power source and a system of monitoring and maintenance. What then once a wave has struck? Will the power infrastructure be such that it will be unaffected by the Tsunamis furious strike? Unlikely.
Here, as previous, we have a potential disaster waiting to happen but it is unlikely anything will be done. A lack of planning and consideration with a focus only on re-action, not pro-action, being employed. The simple use of innovative technology, such as photoluminescence signage, would quickly negate many of the risks mentioned. Signs conspicuous by day or night, self-powered and can with graphics to the new ISO standard.
By employing a pro-active mentality we can continue to truly analyse the risks involved. Lets assume it is night still with poor visibility. Our self-powered photoluminescent signs continue to illuminate the general direction for evacuation. But streets can look the same and errors in judgement can be made on which routes to take. As is becoming increasingly popular in Britain what could be utilised is a Way Guidance System. A series of floor markers and indicators giving confidence to the evacuee that they are quickly reaching safety and following the correct path by giving additional instruction. Edge markers can be used to highlight dangers on the route that by day may be highly visible but at night become dangerous hazards such as signposts (how ironic!). In our example, where power supply is a concern, this can all be done once again with photoluminescent material.
Bright future?
A re-active approach to safety is the greatest threat to people's lives across the world. Implementing safety to ISO standards is commendable and demonstrates a commitment to safety but it should not be viewed as a minimum compliant level guaranteeing safety. It should be looked at as a benchmark. The many great disasters of our time have often been due to someone having implemented the minimum of safety precautions rationalising the choice as "it will never happen to me". Invariably disaster ensues. Lets hope that the inception of this new ISO standard gives the many responsible parties for the numerous locations across the globe where the standard is relevant a reason to consider safety further. To go beyond simply re-acting and begin pro-acting. People's lives depend.
"No, no...we don't need anymore life boats, this here ship is Unsinkable!"
Health & Safety manager for the Titanic... (Maybe)(4)
(1) http://www.wikipedia.org/
(1a) http://www.tatnews.org/tat_news/2547.asp
(2) http://www.redcross.org.uk/standard.asp?id=85098
(3) ISO Focus Sep 2007
(4) Parody of following ."Your uncle here tells me you proposed 64 lifeboats and he had to pull your arm to get you down to 32. Now, I will remind you just as I reminded him these are my ships. And, according to our contract, I have final say on the design. I'll not have so many little boats, as you call them, cluttering up my decks and putting fear into my passengers."
-J. Bruce Ismay, Director of the White Star Line, Operators of the Titanic
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