Disaster or Crisis?

Disasters and crises, the definitions are known for being a bit blurry. A large part of differentiating between the two comes to perception. What do you consider a crisis? A disaster?

In Somerset, England flooding has ravaged the landscape. Homes, businesses, entire livelihoods swept away or flooded. It has been almost a month since the flood and many villages are still cut off by water or without power. Prince Charles recently titled it a disaster. While there is not staggering death toll the economic impact has been substantial.

Many people are outraged at how long it has taken for The Environment Agency to respond. Even Prince Charles himself felt sorry for the condition people were living in... a month later... in 21st century Britain. Some have even described it as "third-world".

For years the Environment Agency has dredged the rivers in the area, protecting it from extreme flooding. This year however, the funds were put elsewhere. An academia from the Royal Academy of Engineering even went as far as to say that "retreat has to be considered" when it comes to living in these areas that "we may not be defensible and we cannot afford to defend them".

The media has taken an interesting turn though. More and more articles are moving away from the locals and the physical impact and toward the politics of the recovery. The Prime Minister only stepped in after Prince Charles made a public appearance in Somerset to see the damage. even now some are saying that the PM is only reacting because he knows he must or else be seen poorly in the public eye. The flooding has become a hot topic political issue sure to rear it's head in the coming elections.

The effects of the flooding could have been much worse but they also could have been less. Did the government's mismanagement of the situation turn a flood crisis into a disaster? Is this a disaster? How would a structuralist see the flooding? A behaviorist?

Sources and further reading:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-26059451
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-26028216
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/weather/10613389/UK-floods-We-can-protect-towns-or-country-not-both-says-Environment-Agency-boss.html