| Summary: | Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited === Pakistan and Turkey are located in natural disaster-prone regions. The frequency of occurrence is high with varying magnitudes. These natural disasters often lead to a multitude of losses. The overall impact of natural disasters on these countries is significant, and for specific disaster-hit areas, it becomes enormous. The Van earthquake in Turkey in 2011 and the floods of Pakistan in 2010 are two exemplary cases, showing all the catastrophic effects of a large-scale natural disaster. Systems are in place for disaster management at the national level both in Turkey and Pakistan; however, the response often falls short in terms of speed and quality, thereby failing to provide requisite immediate relief to those affected. To some extent, the response strategies in the Van earthquake and floods in Pakistan could not meet the ideal emergency response criteria for the national management of these particular disasters. The purpose of this project is to study the efficacy of natural disaster management systems in Pakistan and Turkey in the cases of the Pakistan floods and Van earthquake. We take the relatively mature and developed system followed in the U.S. during and after Hurricane Irene as a baseline for the assessments and comparisons. Results and comparisons will help identify the shortcomings in natural disaster-management systems of Pakistan, Turkey, and the U.S., and will provide insight for a more effective disaster management system.
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