5. ENSURING THAT A SYSTEM FOR DISASTER MANAGEMENT IS IN PLACE

5.1. Analysing the problem with the current system 5.2. Integrative support mechanisms for disaster management 5.2.1. Better resource management 5.2.2. Early-warning systems and information systems 5.2.3. Communication 5.2.4. The role of the media 5.2.5. Budgeting for disaster management and insurance 5.2.6. Use of financial incentives 5.2.7. Research 5.2.8. Training and education 5.2.9. Planning and setting of standards 5.2.10. International agencies for liaison and cooperation 5.1. Analysing the problem with the current system It is clear that in many cases where disasters are recurrent, the level of disaster planning and management is more advanced. In areas where there is thought to be no risk, the level of preparedness or the taking of preventative measures may not be well established, enforced or revisited. The management of disasters by government departments at various spheres of engagement is almost entirely reactive in nature. It is also clear that the full continuum necessary for disaster management, such as prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and rehabilitation is not an integral component of current disaster management systems. Rather, each disaster is treated as a crisis, and preparations are conducted to deal only with emergency situations. There is a clear distinction between disasters that occur spontaneously, and those that are a result of cumulative effects. Such distinctions require different kinds of planning and management of risk. How do we deal with issues such as Aids, violence, and road traffic accidents? These are not seen as disasters but as individual incidents. However, statistically and cumulatively they impact significantly on our population growth and affect our gross domestic product (the country's total productive output). Should these be considered to be areas of risk and so form part of a new disaster management system? While the current disaster management system may suffer from a lack of new thinking and clear vision, there are other practical problems that the current system is faced with. Some of the main areas of concern are: The lack of coordination and integration of plans, strategies and resources at the national, provincial and local level. Lack of capacity, and knowledge of how to deal with disaster management, in particular with implementing preventative and mitigation measures. No integration of disaster management into development planning. Disaster management also requires a shift of thinking away from the use of only physical and technological measures in dealing with disasters. It must also incorporate and creatively explore the use of sociological and other human science approaches to dealing with disasters as part of long-term strategies. Green Paper on Disater Management Index | Top of page 5.2. Integrative supporting mechanisms for disaster management The section below outlines some of the ways in which disasters can be dealt with as a continuum, rather than a specific event. Within this chapter some key cross-cutting areas of support for dealing with disasters in a comprehensive manner are outlined. Many of these areas outlined here are aimed at enhancing the proactive or preventative side of disaster management. The set of questions that are placed here is an attempt to engage participants to identify gaps and ways in which these different areas can be used to support the various aspects of disaster management - from prevention to response and rehabilitation. 5.2.1. Better resource management During the post-disaster phase (reactive phase) resources are not only taxed to the hilt, but are limited (due to the extensive demands placed on them) and are usually extremely costly. In most instances, only limited funds are readily available. With the pre-disaster phase (proactive phase) resources can and often do get wasted by services that work in an uncoordinated way. Resource management is thus a critical aspect of disaster management and must be effectively applied in two fields: namely, optimal usage of manpower and skills; and, equipment. Resource management can be improved through better coordination by departments. One of the key factors in any contingency or strategic plan to manage an emergency or disaster is operational self-sufficiency. Self-sufficiency implies a capacity to establish units or groups that can continue functions and tasks with minimum dependence on lifeline infrastructure. This is especially important for those times when supply and re-supply of resources may be erratic and disrupted as a consequence of the disaster. Better resource management is needed for the following reasons: The "overload" placed on national resources may impact over a prolonged period after the disaster. "Red tape" and the fact that it is the same departments which will constantly be under financial pressure, may make it difficult for these departments to achieve high levels of effectiveness. Some resource suppliers may encounter difficulty in providing a satisfactory disaster relief role and at the same time maintain an acceptable level of service to other communities/regions not affected by the disaster, which in turn could compound and expand the problems. There is a lack of knowledge on the capabilities and shortcomings of private sector and voluntary services and non-governmental organisations. This tends to lead to hesitancy in calling for assistance and inhibits open cooperation and effective coordination. Points of debate and key questions What are the most effective ways of ensuring that resource management is an integral part of any plan or strategy? What are the main "bottlenecks" to effective resource management at the various levels of disaster management? What are the most effective ways of using the services of non-governmental organisations, community-based organisations and the private sector in resource management? Green Paper on Disater Management Index | Top of page 5.2.2. Use of early-warning systems and information systems Fundamental to any disaster management policy and strategy is the availability of good information. Efficient management of disasters requires such information in order to decide on appropriate action. Good information allows good targeting, and thus ensures that the right people are assisted for the lowest cost. In the past, early warning systems were set up to enable the ongoing detection and monitoring of hazards. They concentrated on physical indicators - of rainfall, crops, flooding, etc. Now that it is accepted that people vary in their vulnerability to the effects of disasters, the mapping and tracking of vulnerability is also required. A good early warning system will require the following characteristics: Forecasting and monitoring of physical indicators from a wide range of sources. Risk mapping and prediction, analysing information on the duration, severity, spatial extent, probability of occurrence and time of occurrence of a hazard(s). Vulnerability mapping and monitoring (both social and environmental). Information on the progress of relief and its effects. Rapid integration of information. Production of early warning in an appropriate form (neither too much nor too little information). Rapid transfer of information to appropriate decision-makers. Preparation of suitable advice for affected parties. Communication to the media and public, especially non-governmental organisations and communities in affected areas, so that they may take action to prepare for and mitigate a disaster, or assist in a suitable response to the data. Most of the information needed for the early-warning system is data already collected by government departments for their own monitoring needs and planning. The strength of the early-warning system comes from the integration of data from different sources, and from the predetermined channels for ensuring that information is in a useful format, and reaches decision-makers promptly. Once established, the early warning system can be inexpensive to run, and can be quite simple. The only new information that needs to be created is the data bases on social and environmental vulnerability. Social vulnerability can be estimated from nutrition statistics and from indicators on poverty and incomes, as well as proximity to hazards (such as riverbanks), etc. This still requires more work (though the Department of Welfare is already examining the poverty issue). The early-warning system can be quite simple. However, with modern computer technology, quite complex data can be handled as well. In addition, advances in telecommunications allow data from remote areas to be quickly incorporated and other data to be sent to them. Small disasters may be evaluated and responded to at a local level. There needs to be further work done to develop appropriate technology and equipment. However, more widespread disasters will certainly require assessment at provincial and perhaps national levels. Thus data need to be moved between levels of government and aggregated (compiled/organised) as appropriate. In addition, some data is better collected nationally (or regionally in the Southern African Development Community - SADC) and must then be passed to other levels in the system. This would apply to satellite data particularly. It is essential that those at grass-roots level be incorporated into the creation of an early-warning systems. Communities often know who is most vulnerable. Existing development forums in rural areas could be asked to collect and monitor early-warning data required for their area. Early-warning systems therefore ideally work best at the local level. Early-warning systems should also be able to integrate information and early warnings mechanisms from regional states. Vulnerability tracking and risk mapping: Risk analysis involves the assessment of the different types of hazards to which an area may be subject. This will inform the kind of decisions that need to be taken about a particular hazard and the institution of plans that an authority can realistically deal with in different phases of a disaster. Vulnerability analysis shows how a hazard will act on different groups. Together, these can be used to guide development interventions that can be taken either to prevent or mitigate against risks. Vulnerability and risk assessment require that there is sufficient capacity and technical expertise to gather and analyse various kinds of information. This information can be set out in the form of planning tools like risk maps. Improving on information systems: A key to having good information systems is to invest in mechanisms and capacity for surveillance, monitoring and evaluation. Given the limited resources in the country, and also the large amount of duplication that takes place, there is still room for rationalisation, and the sharing of resources once responsibilities and management plans are put in place. The creation of "inter-agency" assessment, monitoring and evaluation teams can increase the rate of information-gathering and can possibly accommodate most of the critical needs of the population. In some areas there is a need to place equipment and other resources in under-resourced (probably rural) areas that often lack suitable communication systems: telephones and/or radio. There is a need for a national strategy for the development and dissemination of information required at all levels of decision making which can be dealt with by a national disaster management centre. It is also important that information about where financial and other assistance can be obtained is made available to support planning decisions. Key players in early-warning systems: Major players in integrated early warning will include the following: For information on hazards: The Weather Bureau (climate forecasts, satellite information). The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (flood warnings, dam and river levels, water supplies). Department of Agriculture (crop forecasts, staple food availability, forage availability, water for irrigation and livestock). For information on vulnerability Department of Health (nutrition surveillance, health indicators). Department of Welfare (poverty surveillance). Department of Public Works (location and extent of relief works). National Department of Agriculture (situations of farm workers, relief work). Many others want to be included from time to time, e.g., Forestry (fire hazards), and Wildlife (during drought). Points of debate and key questions What are the main sources of information that are required or need to be developed in the different sectors? How best can various types of information be integrated? Where are the main weaknesses in information gathering and dissemination? Are there well-developed procedures for information dissemination at the national, provincial and local levels? Should there be one national early-warning system, is this possible, or should there be a separate early-warning system for each of the sectors, and if so how best can information from them be linked? What are the key elements of an early-warning system, and what is the best way to structure these? What role can the private sector play in the development of an early-warning system? 5.2.3. Communication Communication of information to the correct people and in time for decisions to be made is the key to giving operational effectiveness to disaster plans and strategies. South Africa lacks a coherent national communication strategy to deal with either "creeping" or the sudden occurrence of disasters. Prior to the general election in 1993, the South African government promulgated an Act for the installation of a national emergency number system, the 107 emergency telephone number. All emergency calls on this number would be linked to a 107 reporting centre. However, progress in this area has been hampered due to the local government elections in 1995. The elections introduced a major restructuring of local government structures and boundaries. In addition, little priority was given by provincial and local governments to ensuring that sufficient financial resources were allocated to establish these centres as other issues took priority. Only a few municipalities have established 107 emergency number systems. The 107 number system may work well in areas that have electricity and telephone infrastructure - mainly urban areas. Rural areas, or settlements without these systems, can be paralysed for days with no ability to communicate with the outside world. However, the national emergency alarm radio system which was previously used mainly for defence purposes was expanded for use during the 1994 national elections and then in 1995-96 for the local government elections. The national emergency alarm radio system, which is nationally based, was used to cover rural and deep rural areas which had no communication networks and telephone infrastructure. The main purpose of the national emergency alarm radio system was to provide direct radio access to emergency service providers by anybody in possession of a national emergency alarm radio system. The national emergency alarm radio system was found to be very effective as it could operate independently of an external power supply, and was less vulnerable to environmental conditions, sabotage and theft compared to a land-line system. After the elections the use of the system has been neglected, and there is no adequate funding to ensure that the system is reinstalled, and made further use of for disaster management purposes. There is a great potential to combine the national emergency alarm radio (a radio system) and 107 systems (a land-line system) to develop a national system of communication for disaster management, and other uses. Infrastructure is in place. A communication strategy will have to undertake the following measures: Reinforce and upgrade existing systems. Install new systems where they do not exist. Give special attention to rural areas and informal settlements. Improve communication between agencies and between urban and rural centres - a national disaster radio frequency for public radio broadcasts is being considered for this purpose. Points of debate and key questions Who should be responsible for a national system of communication? Should this be decentralised to the provinces and local government? Who should take responsibility for the national emergency alarm radio system? Are there other communication systems that can be combined with national emergency alarm radio and the 107 systems? What should be the main elements of a national communication strategy? How should they deal with slow onset and sudden onset disasters? Who should fund a communication system, and how? 5.2.4. The role of the media The media comprise an important and powerful instrument that can be used for changing perceptions and public awareness concerning disaster. In particular, we need to move away from a "relief culture" to one which better understands the need to adapt to climatic and other variabilities. All sectors of society need to adopt risk aversion strategies. The role and power of the media, in particular with disaster management issues, must not be under estimated. The various forms of communication can be successfully used: To promote the function. To communicate warnings. To prepare communities. To report accurately what has happened (during and after a catastrophe). National strategies and contingency plans must involve the media both in creating awareness around risk reduction and managing in situations of disaster. Points of debate and key questions What are the key roles that the media can play? How can these roles be used in taking preventative measures, in mitigating against disasters and in responding to a crisis? Which forms of media should be considered as the best vehicle for risk reduction and disaster management? How can media be used with an early-warning system? 5.2.5. Budgeting for Disaster Management and Insurance (Click to continue chapter 5) Green Paper on Disater Management Index | Top of page General | 1. Introduction | 2. Key principles for a Disaster Management policy | 3. Different approaches to Disaster Management | 4. Current situation in managing diasaters | 5. Ensuring that a system for Disaster Management is in place | 6. Intergovernmental and civil society co-operation and co-ordination | 7. Glossary | Contents