Natural Disasters, Social Structure and Change in Traditional Societies

While research on the ways traditional societies cope with natural disasters is slight, it has contained some unacceptable diagnoses, eg: (1) disaster tends to undermine the persistence of social structure; (2) during the recovery period, there is little evidence of community cooperation; (3) people are resistant to constructive action; & (4) traditionally structured societies find it hard to cope with severe ecological problems. These assessments can have a pernicious effect on disaster management. Cases of traditional response to man-made disasters are examined, specifically instances of flooding following the construction of hydroelectric projects along the Nile, Zambezi, & Volta rivers. D. Dunseath.