Running head: DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGIES IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT 1

Disruptive Technologies in Disaster Management

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Disruptive Technologies in Disaster Management

Millions of people around the globe face disasters such as earthquakes and require of

some form of humanitarian assistance. Faith-based organizations have long history of

humanitarian support and are a fundamental aspect of the international emergence response

community. As Ferris (2005) cited, “government officials are now aware that the world’s

largest NGOs actually provide more aid than do some donor governments” (p. 311).

However, humanitarian organizations face diverse challenges during the four phases of

disaster management, namely, mitigation, preparation, response and recovery. Christian

NGOs involved in humanitarian response should adopt disruptive technologies such as

Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle challenges faced during disaster management and

enhance humanitarian efforts.

Mitigation Phase

Given the adverse effects of most disasters, it is advisable to mitigate the occurrences

or extent of damages where possible. For example, mapping out areas susceptible to

hurricanes and issuing hurricane warnings to alert residents. The biggest hurdles to disaster

mitigation are inefficient planning and insufficient information to predict the occurrence of a

disaster (Baidoo, 2018). Luckily, Internet of things (IoT) offers a channel by which

organizations can monitor for conditions that trigger disasters. For instance, the use of tree

sensors to test for fire out breaks and ground sensors to detect earth movements that may

trigger earthquakes (Minges, 2019). Minges (2019) observed that IoT has been applied in

countries such as Brazil to forecast disasters such as landslides through the use of sensors.

Thus, humanitarian organizations should adopt IoT to predict disaster occurrence and

improve their planning.

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Disaster Preparedness

In some instances, it is impossible to mitigate the occurrence of a disaster. In such

cases, Christian NGOs require adequate preparations such as planning to control the effects

of the disaster. Baidoo (2018) identified inadequate funding, unpredictability of people’s

behaviours during disasters, inappropriate donations and poor coordination of relief efforts as

the main challenges incurred during disaster preparation. NGOs could adopt disruptive

technologies such as AI, Big Data and Block chain to tackle the challenges mentioned above.

Minges (2019) cited that the Block chain distributed ledgers system could enhance

information control to achieve better coordination. Further, social media data could be

evaluated using AI algorithms to understand people’s behaviours prior to and during

pandemics to enact better preparations and control measures (Minges, 2019). Digital

technologies such as mobile money and cryptocurrencies provide Christian NGOs with

effective channels for crowd sourcing (Minges, 2019). As Ferris (2005) observed, there is

stiff competition for government humanitarian funding from private contractors, other

humanitarian organizations and military forces. Adopting disruptive technologies will

enhance disaster preparedness and crowd funding.

Disaster Response

Irrespective of the region, NGOs require immediate response after the aftermath of a

disaster to save as many lives as possible. From his study, Baidoo (2018) highlighted that

60% of humanitarian organizations incurred delays during disaster response. The delays were

mainly caused by inefficient coordination, poor infrastructure and lack of information.

Christian NGOs can utilize technologies such as AI and drones to enhance their response

time. As Minges (2019) observed AI can be used to map out images of objects such roads to

hasten the recovery and response time. Further, in cases where the infrastructure is adversely

damaged, drones can be used to locate survivors and transport relief items and equipment to
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inaccessible areas (Minges, 2019). Notably, all Christian NGOs have a shared mission to save

as many lives as possible. As such, the use of technologies such as drones is vital to improve

response time and recovery.

Disaster Recovery

Christian humanitarian NGOs are involved in restoration efforts after disasters.

However, recovery efforts are inhibited by poor coordination between organizations and

inadequate funding and information (Baidoo, 2018). Emerging technologies such as Big Data

can be utilized to enhance recovery efforts. As Minges (2019) highlighted, Big Data

techniques were used to evaluate the economic impact of Hurricane Odile in Mexico through

an analysis of financial transactions. The author added that the data was used to identify the

most vulnerable groups to develop the most effective recovery plan. Notably, disasters such

as earthquakes cause enormous damages which result in huge economic losses (Baidoo,

2018). As a result, it is fundamental for humanitarian organizations to provide aid during and

after a disaster. Technologies such as Big Data could aid such organizations to evaluate the

impact of a disaster to develop effective restoration plans.

Conclusion

Christian NGOs involved in humanitarian response should adopt disruptive

technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) to tackle challenges faced during disaster

management and enhance humanitarian efforts IoT sensors could enable NGOs to forecast

disasters to implement effective preventive measures. Further, technologies such as AI, Big

Data and Block Chain can improve disaster preparation through provision of reliable

information and resources. As observed above, factors such poor infrastructure inhibit timely

disaster response. Technologies such as AI and drones can be used to offer detailed view of

affected areas and also provide transport of areas that are inaccessible through road. Lastly,
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Big Data techniques can be used to evaluate the impact of disasters and develop more

suitable recovery plans.

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References

Baidoo, J. (2018). Challenges and strategies for rapid response in disaster relief operations in

Ghana. Texila International Journal Of Management, 4(2), 73–81.

https://doi.org/10.21522/tijmg.2015.04.02.art007

Ferris, E. (2005). Faith-based and secular humanitarian organizations. International Review

of the Red Cross, 87, 311–325.

https://www.icrc.org/en/doc/assets/files/other/irrc_858_ferris.pdf.

Michael Minges. (2019). Disruptive technologies and their use in disaster risk reduction and

management (pp. 1–41). https://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Emergency-

Telecommunications/Documents/2019/GET_2019/Disruptive-Technologies.pdf