Fifty years on and still counting

Citation

Wilson, H.C. (2003), "Fifty years on and still counting", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 12 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2003.07312aaa.001

Fifty years on and still counting

Fifty years on and still counting

During late November 1952 the UK suffered the worst period of smog over its industrial cities of that century. Daytime visibility was reduced to under 15 metres for a period of five days during which time many people, usually the old and infirm, young children and those with respiratory problems, were being admitted to hospitals in their thousands. The medical services were not at the state of clinical efficiency 50 years ago as they are today. This was a service that was still under-going the period of transition between the previous quasi private/state ownership over to full national ownership. The country was still recovering from the effects of the Second World War with industrial output starting to accelerate and a declining unemployment rate. The reliance on carbon-based fuel as a power source was absolute; a rapid increase in industrial output was paramount. This was a country desperately trying to claw its way back to a stable and profitable economy. The potential effects of the combination of these on the environment and health of the nation were either ignored or not fully understood.

The resultant death toll from this period of intense smog will never be fully finalised. Figures of 1,000, or 4,000, or even 12,000 have been postulated, but are dependent upon the political point that those who quote the figures wish to make.

The debate over the figures still rages 50 years on but, all of these pundits are missing the point, which is that the warning signs were present during the previous winter. The smog of November 1952 was not an isolated event. During January and February of that year, smog had affected many of the major cities in the UK. High levels of smog-related deaths had occurred during those periods, which should have triggered alarm bells but did not.

We are still ignoring alarm bells 50 years on. The horrendous increase in HIV/AIDS, the complacency surrounding pollution – much said but with little action, world-wide changes in weather patterns, melting ice-caps, holes in the ozone layers, failure to address adequately rising greenhouse gas emissions, increasing drought and desertification of large areas of Africa, mass migration of populations, the list just goes on and on.

We are still waiting for the house to burn down before we call in the firefighters. It is to be hoped that when we call on the emergency and rescue services that they are adequately equipped to deal with the situation.

Over the past few months I have spoken to representatives of the emergency planning and disaster management fraternity within the developed nations with regard to central funding. All report reductions over the past three years including this year (2002) despite the increasing terrorist threat and attacks.

My conclusion is that we have learned very little over the past 50 years. Yes, the resources are more high-tech; yes, all developed nations have good disaster response systems; yes, the developing nations are putting similar services in place. But, just as we did in the 1950s, we are still ignoring the warning signs. We, as people, still put economic factors before responsibilities towards others, and more alarmingly, before our own people – even those of our friends and neighbours.

The UK smog of 1952 did not just kill other people, it killed people we knew and loved, and through our protection of those we know and love we also protect others.

Every time we ignore an alarm bell or warning sign people die, and as experienced response personnel we know that death does not discriminate, and that is the message we have to carry to our respective governments.

Henry C. Wilson