| HATTIESBURG -- Inhabitants
of Third World nations may be better suited to cope with a natural
disaster in some ways than their industrialized counterparts,
say scientists at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Two geographers who spent their summer studying how hurricanes
affect the people of the Miskito Coast in Central America say
similar patterns emerge between cultures after a catastrophe.
However, because their lifestyles are not as dependent on modern
amenities, agrarian cultures tend to better handle inconveniences
that could prove life-threatening in the industrialized world.
“You see the same patterns both here and there,” said geography
professor Dr. David Cochran, referring to the people affected
in the Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina and those of the remote
Miskito Coast area in Honduras and Nicaragua. “People will often
look to religion after a disaster, and some may think it happened
as a result of their being ‘bad.’ As humans, we try to find
the logic in a hurricane or make order out of what amounts to
a random statistical occurrence.”
But while primitive societies may be more dependent on volunteerism
and international aid for long-term recovery, in the period
immediately after a disaster, their ability to live off the
land helps them survive where industrialized nations often suffer.
“What are just amenities there are considered essentials here,
like ice and air conditioning. If those things had continued
to be deprived to Americans post-Katrina, people could have
started dying. In the Miskito Coast, at the very worst the people
could hop in their boats and catch fish in the rivers to survive,”
Cochran said.
Dr. Cochran and Dr. Carl “Andy” Reese began a two-year, $107,
576 grant project this summer funded by the National Science
Foundation.
Combining their areas of expertise -- physical and cultural
geography -- the duo is first producing a long-term record of
hurricanes in the region, dating back thousands of years. The
team will then construct an oral history and mental maps of
the most recent hurricanes, drawn from the local inhabitants’
personal accounts and memories collected this summer.
“This research will have direct relevance at the local, national
and international levels and will assist with public education,
awareness and institutional planning for future events,” Cochran
said.
Reese began the process by taking sediment cores from the coastal
lakes on the Miskito Coast. These sediment samples will allow
him to read the “paleohurricane record” from the area.
“As hurricanes make landfall, their winds and corresponding
storm surge carry sand from the beach and deposit it in the
interior lagoons,” Reese said. “In the sediment core, you can
find these over-washed sand layers, which will give you a good
idea of the frequency of hurricanes over the past centuries.
The question is if you find a sand layer that is three inches
thick, how do you determine the magnitude of the hurricane and
the impact it had on the people?”
That’s where Cochran and the local inhabitants come in. Using
the indigenous population as guides, Cochran visited coastal
settlements and took oral histories from witnesses who survived
hurricanes in the last three decades. Their input is helping
Reese and Cochran interpret the magnitude of these meteorological
phenomena.
“For example, we know the size of Hurricane FeFe in 1973, which
was a Category 3. If it left a five-inch sand layer, we can
talk to residents and find out how a hurricane of this magnitude
affected the people and how far inland it penetrated and what
it did to property and crops,” Reese said. “This will establish
a modern analog for hurricane magnitude.”
Cochran, who speaks fluent Spanish, conducted town-hall style
meetings with the local inhabitants to record their versions
of history. “Although some of these hurricanes happened 25 years
ago, it affected their livelihoods, so they remember specifics
very well,” Cochran said.
“My research is more the human side -- how does it affect daily
life, what do they think and do during these hurricanes,” he
continued. “This region is very isolated and the economy is
land-based. Most of the people make a living by hunting and
fishing, but there are also rich people with commercial ties
who have boats that cost tens of thousands of dollars. I’m interested
in finding out who benefits and who suffers from a hurricane?”
Reese and Cochran are hoping their findings can enlighten not
only the scientific community, but also those in harm’s way.
Central America’s coastal areas are regularly devastated by
hurricanes. In 1998, for example, Hurricane Mitch killed more
than 10,000 and caused about 10 billion in damage to Honduras,
Nicaragua and neighboring Caribbean countries.
“By providing information on hurricane risks and traditional
response mechanisms, this study will directly help inhabitants
in their efforts to manage and plan for future environmental
disasters in this isolated region of Central America,” Reese
said.
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi, founded in 1910, is
a comprehensive doctoral and research-extensive university fulfilling
its mission of being a leading university in engaging and empowering
individuals to transform lives and communities. In a tradition
of leadership for student development, Southern Miss is educating
a 21st century work force providing intellectual capital, cultural
enrichment and innovation to Mississippi and the world. Southern
Miss is located in Hattiesburg, Miss., with an additional campus
and teaching and research sites on the Mississippi Gulf Coast;
further information is found at www.usm.edu.
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Last updated:
01/06/06 |
