Every day another deluge. Pakistan is battling what the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs calls "the worst monsoon-related floods in living memory." Rains have triggered landslides in China that have claimed more than 1,000 lives. In Russia, rain would be welcome: Wild fires have raged for weeks, burning 2 million, destroying 4,000 homes and creating a smoggy hell for Muscovites. In each case, the government response has been criticized for being slow, late or ineffectual. While some of them may seem obvious or banal, there are lessons to be learned in how to respond to such disasters.
First, and most important, when dealing with disasters of this scale, top government officials have to engage. In fact, there's little the top leadership can do, but it can impart urgency and direction. Direct involvement can mobilize resources, spur the bureaucracy and convince the public that their leaders care about their condition. Staying on vacation — as U.S. President George W. Bush first did when Hurricane Katrina devastated the U.S. Gulf Coast — or continuing with one's schedule — as Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari did in his visit to Europe while his country was being devastated — does not reassure. Instead, it sends the message that top officials do not care.
Engaging does not mean either appearing on the scene or micromanaging. The presence of the top government official in the midst of a natural disaster is invariably a distraction. Resources are diverted, time is wasted with protocol and the inevitable image management.