Mr. James Berg
July 5, 1977
Page
2
®
Californians
continue to build homes
on
seismic
faults or live in areas highly prone to floods
and mudslides.
@
Residents in western Washington and central
Colorado rebuilt their homes on flood plains.
6
Coal miners
®
Kansans,
continue
to work in mines
have a history of collapsing.
Oklahomans,
and Texans
that
rebuild farms,
and hones in areas frequently hit by tornados.
Floods, tornados, earthquakes and mine cave-ins are visible and
real hazards.
People can see the effects almost immediately after
they occur.
Radioactive contamination produces slow changes in
metabolism, cell growth and respiratory areas of humans.
There
are exceptions
to
the nature of
the effects,
of
course.
Neverthe-
less, the Marshall Islanders, like many underdeveloped societies,
need to experience and visualize a risk before norms and mores can
be built into
their culture.
That hasn't happened
and unti
effective procedures are developed to realistically communicate
the risks, I anticipate communication and educational problems to
persist.
In itself communicating technology to an underdeveloped cultural
groups is a complicated and delicate process; perhaps more thought
and planning should be devoted to communicating the nature of
onergy-related technologies to groups of this kind.
In addition
to this immediate problem, an assortinent of related issues comes
to mind as follows:
potential conflicts and adjustment problems
of inhabitants generated by the rehabitation process; consequences
of possible radioactive contamination; and agency commitment to
monitor and assess rehabitation.
The soil on Enewetak is low in nutrients making agriculture a
nonviable form of subsistence.
A retrun to fishing 1s almost a
necessity.
Yet,
as pointed out below,
few Know or
remember
the skills required.
The period of transition for the Enewetakese
Will indeed be troublesome.
I think the Enewetakese and Bikinians
know
this
and are
somewhat confused about
the
consequences
of
their desire to return.
I'm certain they have been told that they
should reclaim their homeland from the federal government since
it was theirs in the beginning.
«
The experiences of thirty years ago suggest some inconsistencies.
For example, families who never experienced iife on the atoll will
experience
similar kinds of
adjustment problems
as
their parents