SADC seeks better response to disasters

THE southern African region’s capabilities to deal with natural and other disasters is currently under the spotlight in Windhoek as both the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Red Cross prepare their responses to any such event.

On Monday, Deputy Prime Minister Libertina Amathila called for the region to establish an effective, long-term disaster preparedness, management and response system. She said the region lacked technically skilled disaster-relief officers to implement contingency plans and a high staff turnover at national level often disrupted relief efforts.”More needs to be done to help facilitating the creation and strengthening of capacity at the national and regional levels of preparedness, mitigation and reconstruction,” Amathila told a SADC pre-season disaster management meeting which ended in Windhoek yesterday.Over the last two days, they have been assessing their individual countries’ capabilities of dealing with disasters, both at home and in the region.Southern Africa is a disaster-prone region by virtue of its geographical location and cyclones, droughts, famine, landslides and floods are all possible from time to time.Amathila urged delegates at the SADC meeting to also consider HIV-AIDS as a disaster the region has to grapple with, highlighting the huge number of orphans that must be cared for by society and the drain the disease has become on national budgets.”I take the view that this pandemic is indeed a natural disaster.This is because of the millions of people that it has affected in one way or the other, the national economies and the social dimensions it has touched,” said Amathila.She expressed the view that the SADC protocol on disaster management would help eliminate the duplication of efforts, delays in response, wasteful deployment of resources and sporadic relief interventions.Amathila also drew their attention to communities’ involvement in disaster management and response, saying that it was imperative that they were directly involved in disasters which affect them.”Communities must be active participants and decision makers in the process of improving national and regional preparedness.I am well aware that this is a difficult task, but we will find ways, I am sure, to convince communities to play their part,” Amathila said.Amathila also spoke to delegates attending the Red Cross’s response training on regional disasters, which started in Windhoek on Monday.She said policy makers and administrators often did not give adequate attention to long-term planning strategies to minimise the impact of natural disasters.”Moreover, the interventions made by governments and organisations in disaster management and mitigation are reactive and not proactive.Too often, we are caught with our hands down when disaster strikes us,” Amathila told relief workers.Citing the Hurricane Katrina disaster that struck New Orleans in the United States of America, Amathila said adequate resources alone did not necessarily translate into being able to respond in times of crisis.”Once can have adequate resources, yet the response may not be adequate in meeting the needs of affected citizens, if inter-governmental and inter-agency co-ordination and implementation are inert and in disarray,” said Amathila.Amathila told the Red Cross gathering that not only was long-term strategic planning needed to effectively respond to disaster, but also to manage aid and assist victims in Namibia.She said the region lacked technically skilled disaster-relief officers to implement contingency plans and a high staff turnover at national level often disrupted relief efforts.”More needs to be done to help facilitating the creation and strengthening of capacity at the national and regional levels of preparedness, mitigation and reconstruction,” Amathila told a SADC pre-season disaster management meeting which ended in Windhoek yesterday.Over the last two days, they have been assessing their individual countries’ capabilities of dealing with disasters, both at home and in the region.Southern Africa is a disaster-prone region by virtue of its geographical location and cyclones, droughts, famine, landslides and floods are all possible from time to time.Amathila urged delegates at the SADC meeting to also consider HIV-AIDS as a disaster the region has to grapple with, highlighting the huge number of orphans that must be cared for by society and the drain the disease has become on national budgets.”I take the view that this pandemic is indeed a natural disaster.This is because of the millions of people that it has affected in one way or the other, the national economies and the social dimensions it has touched,” said Amathila.She expressed the view that the SADC protocol on disaster management would help eliminate the duplication of efforts, delays in response, wasteful deployment of resources and sporadic relief interventions.Amathila also drew their attention to communities’ involvement in disaster management and response, saying that it was imperative that they were directly involved in disasters which affect them.”Communities must be active participants and decision makers in the process of improving national and regional preparedness.I am well aware that this is a difficult task, but we will find ways, I am sure, to convince communities to play their part,” Amathila said.Amathila also spoke to delegates attending the Red Cross’s response training on regional disasters, which started in Windhoek on Monday.She said policy makers and administrators often did not give adequate attention to long-term planning strategies to minimise the impact of natural disasters.”Moreover, the interventions made by governments and organisations in disaster management and mitigation are reactive and not proactive.Too often, we are caught with our hands down when disaster strikes us,” Amathila told relief workers.Citing the Hurricane Katrina disaster that struck New Orleans in the United States of America, Amathila said adequate resources alone did not necessarily translate into being able to respond in times of crisis.”Once can have adequate resources, yet the response may not be adequate in meeting the needs of affected citizens, if inter-governmental and inter-agency co-ordination and implementation are inert and in disarray,” said Amathila.Amathila told the Red Cross gathering that not only was long-term strategic planning needed to effectively respond to disaster, but also to manage aid and assist victims in Namibia.