Index

Sr. No. Content

1 Introduction
2 Disaster Management Cycle
3 Conclusion

Introduction
A disaster can be caused by humans or nature. Disasters are events that are sometimes
unpredictable. It is important for any government to manage disasters. Government provides
legislation, allocates resources and does rational planning and sustainable development. Disaster
management and planning is a key part of government work.

This guide includes the following:

1. The importance of disaster management plans

2. The role of municipalities in disaster management
3. What does it mean when a place is declared a disaster area?
4. Identifying potential disaster hazards in your area
5. Preventing disasters in your households and communities: What to do
6. How can we prevent fire disasters?

The importance of putting disaster management plans in place

Disasters are events that have a huge impact on humans and/or the environment. Disasters
require government intervention. They are not always unpredictable. Floods take place in valleys
and flood plains, droughts in areas with unstable and low rainfall, and oil spills happen in
shipping lanes. This predictability provides opportunities to plan for, prevent and to lessen the
impact of disasters.

Disasters arise from both natural and human causes, and the responses needed could stretch
community and government capacity to the limit. For example, during 2000 we saw a series of
disasters in South Africa: huge floods devastated the Limpopo Province, Mpumalanga and
neighbouring countries; massive fires and an oil spill threatened Cape Town; and separate floods
hit rural communities in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape. In 2004 Cape Town experienced
a drought disaster attributed to global warming. From April 2004 to January 2005, the province
experiences 376 disasters, mostly fire and flood.
Disasters are inevitable although we do not always know when and where they will happen. But
their worst effects can be partially or completely prevented by preparation, early warning, and
swift, decisive responses.

Disaster management aims to reduce the occurrence of disasters and to reduce the impact of
those that cannot be prevented. The government White paper and Act on Disaster Management
define the roles of Local Authorities as well as Provincial and National government in disaster
management.

The role of municipalities in disaster management

Every municipality must have a disaster management plan as part of its Integrated Development
Plans, according to the Municipal Systems Act.

Structure and Mechanism: This plan must set up the structure and mechanisms for dealing with
disasters and it must anticipate future disasters. Plans must be developed to deal with disasters
that occur regularly - for example flooding of informal settlements and roads.

Protection Services Department: In each municipality, the Protection Services department is

responsible for Disaster Management. The department usually deals with traffic policing, fire
brigades, law enforcement, and sometimes ambulances on an agency basis for provincial
government, The role of Disaster Management is to coordinate the response to disasters and
emergencies, ensuring that resources are applied effectively, whatever it may be. Fire services,
ambulance services, emergency medical services, engineers and traffic services can all become
involved in Disaster Management.

Capacity: When a disaster exceeds the capacity of a local authority, the district, province or
national can become involved, coordinating and facilitating the response and efforts of various
local authorities. Other parties such as the SANDF as well as volunteer organizations such as the
Red Cross, St John's and the National Sea Rescue Institute can also be drawn in if needed.
Disaster Management Activities: Disaster Management Activities include the co-ordination of
disaster response agencies, the compilation and exercising of contingency plans, and Disaster
Management education and training.

Funding: Following the finalisation of the Act, the national government will announce on a
funding mechanism for provinces and municipalities to finance their comprehensive disaster
management plans.

What does it mean when a place is declared a disaster area?

The disaster management policy and legislation makes provision for government to declare
disaster areas, and allow for resources to be allocated for immediate relief, as well as
reconstruction. This includes things like food, blankets and medical supplies as relief and
building materials for reconstruction. The local and provincial governments have to prepare the
submission to the national Department of Provincial and Local Government for this to be done
speedily.

The Disaster Management 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.

Identifying potential disaster hazards in your area

These can include all or some of the following:

• Mass-event situations (concerts, sport, other social gatherings - for example

the 2001 Ellis park disaster during the Pirates-Chiefs game)
 • Storms and storm damage;
• Flooding;
• Fires: Domestic, mountain and veld;
• Oils spills, at sea, on land;
• Transport accidents;
• Hazardous material spills (spilling of chemicals, etc from factories, trucks);

Preventing disasters in your households and communities:

What to do

"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
these relatively less spectacular events which affect them on a regular basis"

Pat Reid, former president of Disaster Management of Southern Africa. (SAPA. 3 January 2004)

Role of organizations and community workers

Here are some of the things development workers can advise communities to prepare and deal
with disasters:

• Know the emergency numbers. Remember that all municipalities have

emergency centers - get these details!
• Report incidents - don't take it for granted that someone else has already
reported it;
• Do not build houses in unsafe areas - for example close to a river-bed (even if
it has been dry for years) or on dolomite invested areas;
• Keep a bucket of sand next to your door so that any small fires can be put out
quickly - sand works on paraffin and electric fires, water does not.
 • Gain knowledge of basic first aid, fire training and CPR;
• Remember that swimming pools, dams and rivers are a danger to children;
• Always follow the rules when: swimming in rivers, dams, pools and the ocean;
camping and making fires;

How can we prevent fire disasters?

A very important way of preventing fire disasters is to have a good disaster plan in place. The
emphasis should be on public education, prevention and containment.

One of the common disasters in poor areas and informal settlements are fires. These fires are
often caused by accidents with paraffin or candles. The Paraffin industry is involved in the
"Ufudo" campaign. Because of the building practices in informal settlements, and the building
materials used in these settlements, everyday tools such as a primus stove, paraffin lamp or
candle can become extremely dangerous if used incorrectly. The "Ufudo" kits provide tools to
make primus stoves, paraffin lamps and candles more stable and less prone to fall over.

The Paraffin Safety Association also promotes safe storage and use of paraffin through safe
bottles and dispensers - any registered dealer can get access to this.

People in informal settlements should be educated about leaving enough space between houses
to prevent the spread of fires and to allow emergency vehicles into the area. Firefighting
volunteers can also be trained.
Conclusion
Disaster management is a process or strategy that is implemented when any type of catastrophic
event takes place. Sometimes referred to as disaster recovery management, the process may be
initiated when anything threatens to disrupt normal operations or puts the lives of human beings
at risk. Governments on all levels as well as many businesses create some sort of disaster plan
that make it possible to overcome the catastrophe and return to normal function as quickly as
possible.

One of the essential elements of disaster management involves defining the types of catastrophes
that could possibly disrupt the day to day operation of a city, town, business, or country.
Identifying those potential disasters makes it possible to create contingency plans, assemble
supplies, and create procedures that can be initiated when and if a given disaster does come to
pass. A truly comprehensive disaster management plan will encompass a wide range of
possibilities that can easily be adapted in the event one disaster sets off a chain reaction of other
types of disasters in its wake.

Because of the need to continue functioning in emergency situations, disaster management plans
are often multi-layered and can address such issues as floods, hurricanes, fires, bombings, and
even mass failures of utilities or the rapid spread of disease. The disaster plan is likely to address
such as important matters as evacuating people from an impacted region, arranging temporary
housing, food, and medical care. It is not unusual for the plan to also work toward containing and
possibly neutralizing the root causes of the disaster if at all possible.

The process of disaster management will often address the issue of ongoing communication.
Since many disasters can cause communication networks to fail, a competent disaster plan will
include the quick setup of alternative communication capabilities that do not rely on the various
switches, towers and hubs that are usually part of telephone and cellular communication
networks. Often making use of short-wave transmissions that are supported with satellite
technology, the communication flow can continue from the area impacted by the disaster to other
points where aid can be extended when and as possible.
As part of the crisis management component of a disaster plan, it is not unusual for some type of
disaster kit to be developed. The kit may include food and clothing for people who are evacuated
from an area that has experienced flooding or extensive damage from a hurricane or tornado.
Kits may also include basic medication to help with headaches, fevers, and other minor ailments.
In some cases, the kits may include items such as sleeping bags or other necessities that will help
displaced persons to cope with the after effects of the disaster.

Creating an effective disaster management plan is often easier said than done. As many nations
have learned, what were thought to be comprehensive emergency plans turned out to be partially
effective at best? In recent years, many government agencies stretching from the local to the
national level have taken steps to revisit the structure of their disaster plans and run computer
simulations to identify weaknesses in the plans, and refine them so they can operate with more
speed and efficiency.