The world of global disaster response is currently built almost entirely on best intentions. Partner nations and the organizations that support them attempt to work within a structure that none of them created, but are now all saddled with. It is a predicament of short-term perspectives, uneven donor financing, and ever-changing power structures. These challenges are due to a disaster response model that has been developed over many decades and consists of disparate and well-meaning organizations rushing to global disasters to help in any way they can. Despite these good intentions, the flaw with this model is that it is reactive rather than proactive.
For comparison, it’s helpful to differentiate between how Chile and Haiti each handled the earthquakes they faced in 2010. The differences between these two nations are almost exclusively the result of their economic status, and the maturity of their disaster planning processes.
Haiti was ill-prepared for the earthquake and was the victim of an almost total lack of coordination after the storm. Hundreds of organizations rushing to Port-au-Prince soon found a country almost totally devastated but very welcoming of all assistance from whomever was willing to help.
Chile, on the other hand, after realizing their airport had been damaged, became more judicious in what organizations would be allowed to land immediately after the earthquake. They wanted to retain their own authority on deciding who came to their aid, and how their response efforts would be organized and operated. They recognized their power and authority as a sovereign nation and chose to exercise that power in responding to the devastation, resulting in a significantly more efficient response.
This difference highlights the power that all partner nations possess, whether they choose to exercise it or not. A sovereign is always a sovereign, regardless of economic status or location. That power gives each nation unparalleled authority on how they prepare for and organize a disaster response. Prometheus aims to empower nations to exercise this authority in order to assess their status and take an active role in their own decision-making.
An effective response does not depend on the number of organizations that come to your aid. It begins long before anyone shows up. It begins when each individual government recognizes that it has a vested interest in reinforcing its own legitimacy by choosing who comes to its aid, and when. Given the stark differences between successful responses and poor ones, every nation deserves to have its disaster response plans agreed-upon and in place before any disaster occurs. This means now. The present is your point of power.
