Date: 29/07/2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: Launch of Western Cape Disaster Management System
EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY THE WESTERN CAPE PREMIER, MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, SPEAKING AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE NEW PROVINCIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, Observatory, 29 July 2003
PROVINCE LAUNCHES NEW HIGH-TECH DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Our Provincial Cabinet spent the last week speaking at a series of community Imbizos across the Western Cape. During these meetings we met with communities around the province who shared with us their concerns and the issues, which they consider most important for their safety and their prosperity.
During our Imbizo in Laingsburg we were once again reminded of the terrible and longstanding damage to communities, which can be caused by disasters like floods. In addition to the loss of life and the damage to property in the area affected, events like these also affect the province and by implication the wider South African community. In the case of the Laingsburg flood, bridges on the N1 were washed away with serious and far-reaching consequences for the agricultural economy of areas hundreds of kilometres away from Laingsburg itself. Tourism was affected, there were job losses, and the rail service was disrupted preventing goods from being shipped to other parts of South Africa.
More recently, and fortunately on a relatively smaller scale, the flooding earlier this year in the areas around Robertson and Montagu was another reminder of how vulnerable our progress in development and service delivery can be, to both natural and man-made emergencies and disasters.
Although our province, compared to other areas of Southern Africa like parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, has been fortunate enough to avoid the worst consequences of regular disasters, we have our fair share of annual emergencies. Bush fires, flooding, droughts, oil spills, train wrecks, and mountain rescues have all been recent challenges for the people and communities of the Western Cape. Incidents like these place a firm responsibility on both local and provincial government - and I am pleased that, through initiatives like the one we are launching today, a first for South Africa, we are building our capacity to anticipate and address these issues.
You have already heard about the R1 million study completed by the Universities of the Free State and Cape Town. The 178 different risk incidents catalogued in their study have now been combined with the R1,3 million disaster information management system developed for our province by Africon. All of these risks, should they occur, will initially be managed by the local municipality, and tracked on our provincial system once all the municipalities have been linked. The system will immediately alert our Provincial Disaster Management team to incidents, which have developed or may develop into emergencies beyond the ability of the local authority to handle. Ultimately this will allow us to track resources like vehicles and medical teams dispatched to the area of the emergency, to take calls and send further resources, to log the impact of the disaster and produce situation reports for national disaster management. In short, this new system will speed up our reaction times, help us allocate the most appropriate resources in the shortest time, keep track of who has done what and when, and allow us to make rapid decisions when delays could costs lives.
I would like to thank and congratulate Minister Cobus Dowry and his Department of Local Government for having taken this important initiative and also all of the different role-players who have helped make this first phase of the Disaster Information Management System a reality - it will play a significant role in helping us to predict and provide a World Class response to Western Cape emergencies and disasters. Our Provincial Government is also particularly pleased by the level of interest shown in this system by the other provinces - we hope that our experiences will be of value in other parts of South Africa as well.
One of the real success stories of the Western Cape has been the level of cooperation and coordination between provincial and local disaster management and emergency services authorities. We saw this clearly demonstrated in the reaction to the Muldersvlei train accident and the flooding in the Southern Cape this year. The new system will help us to take this cooperative relationship to new levels, and to deliver an even better service to the people of our province. It therefore gives me great pleasure to officially launch the new Provincial Disaster Information Management System.
Enquiries: Riaan Aucamp on 083-778-9923
Issued by Western Cape Provincial Government
29 July 2003
Source: Western Cape Provincial Government
Title: Van Schalkwyk: Launch of Western Cape Disaster Management System
EXTRACT FROM SPEECH BY THE WESTERN CAPE PREMIER, MARTHINUS VAN SCHALKWYK, SPEAKING AT THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF THE NEW PROVINCIAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM, Observatory, 29 July 2003
PROVINCE LAUNCHES NEW HIGH-TECH DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
Our Provincial Cabinet spent the last week speaking at a series of community Imbizos across the Western Cape. During these meetings we met with communities around the province who shared with us their concerns and the issues, which they consider most important for their safety and their prosperity.
During our Imbizo in Laingsburg we were once again reminded of the terrible and longstanding damage to communities, which can be caused by disasters like floods. In addition to the loss of life and the damage to property in the area affected, events like these also affect the province and by implication the wider South African community. In the case of the Laingsburg flood, bridges on the N1 were washed away with serious and far-reaching consequences for the agricultural economy of areas hundreds of kilometres away from Laingsburg itself. Tourism was affected, there were job losses, and the rail service was disrupted preventing goods from being shipped to other parts of South Africa.
More recently, and fortunately on a relatively smaller scale, the flooding earlier this year in the areas around Robertson and Montagu was another reminder of how vulnerable our progress in development and service delivery can be, to both natural and man-made emergencies and disasters.
Although our province, compared to other areas of Southern Africa like parts of Mozambique and Zimbabwe, has been fortunate enough to avoid the worst consequences of regular disasters, we have our fair share of annual emergencies. Bush fires, flooding, droughts, oil spills, train wrecks, and mountain rescues have all been recent challenges for the people and communities of the Western Cape. Incidents like these place a firm responsibility on both local and provincial government - and I am pleased that, through initiatives like the one we are launching today, a first for South Africa, we are building our capacity to anticipate and address these issues.
You have already heard about the R1 million study completed by the Universities of the Free State and Cape Town. The 178 different risk incidents catalogued in their study have now been combined with the R1,3 million disaster information management system developed for our province by Africon. All of these risks, should they occur, will initially be managed by the local municipality, and tracked on our provincial system once all the municipalities have been linked. The system will immediately alert our Provincial Disaster Management team to incidents, which have developed or may develop into emergencies beyond the ability of the local authority to handle. Ultimately this will allow us to track resources like vehicles and medical teams dispatched to the area of the emergency, to take calls and send further resources, to log the impact of the disaster and produce situation reports for national disaster management. In short, this new system will speed up our reaction times, help us allocate the most appropriate resources in the shortest time, keep track of who has done what and when, and allow us to make rapid decisions when delays could costs lives.
I would like to thank and congratulate Minister Cobus Dowry and his Department of Local Government for having taken this important initiative and also all of the different role-players who have helped make this first phase of the Disaster Information Management System a reality - it will play a significant role in helping us to predict and provide a World Class response to Western Cape emergencies and disasters. Our Provincial Government is also particularly pleased by the level of interest shown in this system by the other provinces - we hope that our experiences will be of value in other parts of South Africa as well.
One of the real success stories of the Western Cape has been the level of cooperation and coordination between provincial and local disaster management and emergency services authorities. We saw this clearly demonstrated in the reaction to the Muldersvlei train accident and the flooding in the Southern Cape this year. The new system will help us to take this cooperative relationship to new levels, and to deliver an even better service to the people of our province. It therefore gives me great pleasure to officially launch the new Provincial Disaster Information Management System.
Enquiries: Riaan Aucamp on 083-778-9923
Issued by Western Cape Provincial Government
29 July 2003
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