As a South African team hastens to assist tens of thousands of Iranians reeling from an earthquake, what could South African citizens expect the government’s response to be in the event of a major catastrophe at home?
”In South Africa, it is not necessarily the ‘classic’, comparatively rare events which receive massive media coverage that we should be focusing on, but rather on building alert, informed, self-reliant and resilient communities who have the capacity to withstand, cope and recover from [the] relatively less spectacular events which affect them on a regular basis,” says Pat Reid, former president of Disaster Management of Southern Africa.
Reid, now an independent disaster management consultant, says South Africa has enacted good legislation that represents a major shift in the mindset of how the management of disaster risks is approached.
She says the government has recognised the close relationship between disasters and development, and it is no coincidence that the Municipal Systems Act, for example, identifies disaster management plans as core components of municipal integrated development plans.
”The Disaster Management Act, 2002, provides for the participation of a wide range of stakeholders … to engage in ensuring that disaster risk reduction — mitigation and prevention — are the primary focus of disaster management planning.”
Reid says the wording of the Act is clear and unambiguous and provides for an enabling legislative framework within which to work.
”The act focuses on speeding up response and cutting red tape to ensure that disasters are dealt with efficiently and effectively … by giving clear guidelines for the classification of disasters and the declaration of states of disaster,” she says.
The Act also calls for the establishment of disaster management centres, which act as conduits for information and in particular for monitoring and disseminating early warnings.
These actions are coupled to community awareness and preparedness programmes to ensure the development of ”risk avoidance” behaviour among the public.
Planning in terms of risk reduction — as well as response and recovery — is based on accurate assessments of risk and vulnerability. From this, risk profiles are developed, allowing for prioritisation of projects.
Reid says that until June 1994 South Africa did not have a national policy for dealing with disasters, but the devastating floods that occurred in the Cape Flats in that year had spurred the government into action.
”Internationally, over the past two decades there was increasing recognition that through better planning, and by placing a greater emphasis on the introduction of developmental strategies to improve the resilience of communities, the risk of disaster could be reduced or even eliminated entirely.”
Reid says the new Act provides great challenges, especially in changing the mindset to a proactive approach and in inculcating the understanding that disaster management is ”everybody’s business”.
Toffee Mokgethi of the National Disaster Management Centre says the new disaster management legislation will possibly come into effect in early 2004.
”Due to practicalities and the state of readiness of the municipalities and provinces, it is envisaged that the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 will come into operation early next year,” she says.
President Thabo Mbeki will have to approve the date the legislation will come into effect, says Mokgethi.
Asked what steps are being taken to get support for the community and volunteer participation, as mentioned in the Act, Mokgethi says capacity building and education awareness programmes are in place.
”This entails the training of volunteers to effectively and efficiently deal with pre-, during- and post-disaster incidents. Also, the National Disaster Management Centre has established partnerships with community-based and other organisations,” she says.
Mokgethi says the national government is working on a funding mechanism for provinces and municipalities to finance their comprehensive disaster management plans. — Sapa