Disaster relief

When catastrophes strike such as that at Mentawai islands, Indonesia, one wonders if even state-of-the-art security forces are really designed for and amply provisioned to deal with such an eventuality. One would have thought that there must be enough dedicated experts in logistics, on-ground operations and whatnot who habitually move at lightning speed to provide rescue and support services as the need arises.

Disaster relief is now a specialised activity. Nonetheless, the victims -- especially potential ones -- need to learn how to manage themselves well before the professionals and volunteers arrive to assist them.