SECTION 8: APPENDICES


APPENDIX 1


Table of Current Funding Mechanisms for Disaster Management

LOCAL PROVINCIAL NATIONAL OTHER
Prevention Risk reduction is supposed to be a standard aspect of planning at all spheres of government: national, provincial and local. It is generally not provided for in national budgets as a separate line item, with the exception of the Department of Agriculture. There is no monitoring and evaluation of plans for disaster risk reduction. NGOs may be involved in promoting public and community awareness of disaster prevention and mitigation.
Capacity to respond Fund upkeep of fire, ambulance and emergency services from budget. Provincial departments fund upkeep of staff and equipment from own budget. Various national departments fund upkeep of staff and equipment from own budgets.
Immediate relief Fund fire, ambulance and emergency services, which respond immediately. Will fund immediate relief such as shelter and food for affected victims, depending on financial and material resources. Provincial government may provide financial support to municipalities, if their resources are inadequate to deal with the emergency or disaster. Provincial branches of some national departments, such as the departments of Welfare and Water Affairs, may respond promptly. The SAPS funds police services, which generally respond promptly. The Department of Defence will respond immediately if their services are requested and there is an immediate threat to life and property. They will recover costs from the requesting party. National government can provide financial assistance to provincial government, upon request, if provincial government resources are inadequate. International emergency and disaster relief organisations may provide services and support. CBOs are much more likely to be involved. Volunteer organisations such as the Red Cross, Mountain Rescue Club and the SPCA may also volunteer services, where appropriate.
Recovery in post-disaster phase Depending on resources, municipalities may provide some post-disaster recovery services. Depending on resources, provinces may provide financial support to local government for the provision of some post-disaster recovery services. Victims affected by disasters and organisations assisting in the relief efforts of certain disasters can apply to one of three national funds administered by the Department of Welfare. Although originally designed to provide immediate relief, they play more of a role in recovery than in immediate relief because funds are disbursed slowly. Funds can be accessed from the National Contingency Reserve for the repair and reconstruction of infrastructure damaged by a disaster. CBOs involved in local development may be involved in post-disaster recovery.

APPENDIX 2: GLOSSARY OF TERMS

CBOs: Community-based organisations.

Contingency planning: The forward planning process, for an event which may or may not occur, in which scenarios and objectives are agreed, managerial and technical actions defined, and potential response systems put in place to prevent, or respond effectively to an emergency situation.

Criteria: A standard, rule, guide or test against which a judgement or decision is based.

Development: A process for improving human well being through reallocation of resources that may involve some modification to the environment. It addresses basic needs, equity and the redistribution of wealth. Its focus is on the quality of life rather than the quantity of economic activity.

Disaster: A natural or human-caused event, occurring with or without warning, causing or threatening death, injury or disease, damage to property, infrastructure or the environment, which exceeds the ability of the affected society to cope using only its own resources.

Disaster management: A collective term encompassing all aspects of planning for and responding to disasters, including both pre and post-disaster activities namely, prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation. It may refer to the management of both the risks and consequences of disasters.

Drought: A condition that occurs over a period of time when rainfall is so low (or unreliable) that natural vegetation and/or farming activities are severely damaged or destroyed.

Early warning: The identification, interpretation and recognition of events that would drawn attention to a potential emergency.

Emergency: A sudden and usually unforeseen event that calls for immediate measures to minimise its adverse consequences.

Epidemic: An outbreak of a contagious disease that spreads rapidly and widely amongst people and/or animals.

Floodplain: An area of land adjacent to a river that is inundated by floods occurring in the river.

Expenditure: Disbursements of funds by government.

Green Paper: A government policy document that is at discussion phase.

Hazards: Threats to life, well being, material goods and/or the environment. They are caused by extreme natural processes or technological developments. When a hazard results in great suffering or collapse, it is usually termed a disaster.

Hazardous substances: Substances that can cause harm or damage to humans, animals and the environment.

Human-made disasters: Disasters or emergency situations that are caused directly or indirectly by identifiable human actions, deliberate or otherwise.

Incident: A relatively minor occurrence or event (that can lead to a public crisis).

Infrastructure: Roads, dams, power stations and wastewater treatment plants to name but a few examples.

Line function: Refers to the departments that implement government policy.

MEC: Member of the Executive Council.

MINMEC: The committee of ministers and members of Executive Councils.

Mitigation: Action taken to reduce the effects of a disaster. The term normally implies that while it may be possible to prevent some disaster effects, other effects will persist and can be modified or reduced, if appropriate steps are taken.

Monitoring: A system of checking and observing to ensure that the correct procedures and practices are being followed.

NGOs: Non-governmental organisations.

Natural disasters: Extreme climatological, hydrological or geological process that pose a threat to persons, property, the environment and the economy.

Preparedness: Measures aimed at impeding the occurrences of disasters and/or preventing such occurrences and its harmful effects.

Private sector: Refers to everything which is privately owned and controlled, such as business, banks and insurance companies, the stock exchange, private schools and clinics.

Public sector: Refers to everything that is publicly owned and controlled. It includes government, state owned companies (e.g., Iscor and Telkom), national agencies such as the South African Police Services, public schools and hospitals.

Rapid-onset disasters: A rapid-onset disaster is often caused by natural events such as earthquakes, floods, storms, fires and volcanic eruptions. Although such events are more sudden, the impact can also be heightened by underlying problems associated with poverty.

Recovery: The rehabilitation and reconstruction activities necessary for a rapid return to normality.

Rehabilitation: Actions taken in the aftermath of a disaster to enable basic services to resume functioning, to assist affected persons in self-help efforts to repair dwellings and community facilities, and to facilitate the revival or economic activities.

Relief: Activities aimed at supporting victims of disaster through provision of shelter, medicine, food, clothing, water, etc.

Response: Activities that are arranged to deal with emergency situations and can involve the evacuation of people, dealing with accidents, extinguishing fires, etc.

Risk reduction: Measures taken to reduce long-term risks associated with human activity or natural events.

Sanitation: Refers to facilities for the disposal of sewage and refuse.

SETAs: Sector Education and Training Authorities established in terms of the Skills Development Act.

Slow-onset disasters: Slow-onset disasters or "creeping emergencies", (so named because they take several months or years to reach a critical phase) result when the ability of people to support themselves and sustain their livelihoods, slowly diminishes over time. Such disasters may also be aggravated by ecological, social, economic or political conditions.

Strategy: Different actions or steps that can be taken to reach the aims of policy.

White Paper: A document that contains official government policy, duly adopted by Parliament or Cabinet.

Vulnerability: The degree to which an individual, family, community or region is at risk of experiencing misfortune following extreme events.

 


How to read the White Paper | Foreword by the Minister of Provincial Affairs and Constitutional Development | Section 1: Introduction | Section 2: Setting the context  | Section 3: The National Disaster Management Centre | Section 4: Funding disaster management | Section 5: A national Disaster Management Act  | Section 6: Training and community awareness | Section 7: Conclusion | Appendices | The drafting team and acknowledgements 

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