The relationship among Photos, Disasters and other Crises

An underestimated area of interest is that refers to documentary photography focusing on the social aims that a picture can achieve. In particular, the idea to focus on the pictures representing natural disasters and how the people cope with them is overwhelming and timely. Many people all over the world are facing severe disasters, both natural and caused by human actions, or as a result of cascading effects and what is more dramatic is that the impacts on the population are still too dramatic and impressive. I trust the power of the pictures to support not only the individual or community resilience, but also to share social inequalities enhancing social awareness and practical response to crises and disasters. We need to look at the “otherness” and the different situation people are living in the aftermath of a disaster to fully comprehend the marginal situation and the degradation of the blindness, we are being used to. I also think that the practitioners, emergency volunteers as well as civil protection agencies can take advantage from the consideration and the use of pictures in their work both for prevention and preparedness activities. These are also the main missions of IDRA, Itstime Disaster Resilience Action, a permanent research project aimed at enhancing social and institutional awareness on disaster resilience, risk awareness, disaster preparedness and the fundamental role of prevention, a never ending neglected phase of a resilient and efficient risk and crisis management.