NCOP Disaster Management Conference Report - Towards Proactive Disaster Management

Report Prepared by Darwin Franks and Nicky Van Zyl

Enquiries: Darwin Franks (NCOP Researcher)

On 18 and 19 May 2000, the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) hosted an International Conference on Disaster Management at the Parliament Buildings in Cape Town. The Conference came as a direct follow up to the visits by a cluster of NCOP Committees to provinces affected by the March 2000 floods.

The Conference was aimed at achieving the following objectives:

• To review the White Paper on Local Government with a view to facilitating its implementation
• To engage Provinces in the process of defining their role in disaster management
• To provide all spheres of Government, as well as Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), with an opportunity to gain directly from the experience of international disaster management practitioners
• To encourage national debate on disaster management in anticipation of forthcoming legislation from the Department of Provincial and Local Government

In his keynote address to the Conference, the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism spoke to the following issues:

1. The Focus of the White Paper on Disaster Management

• The Minister noted the fact that, unlike previous policies, the White Paper on Disaster Management was clearly focused on preventing human, economic and property losses and avoiding environmental degradation. It was thus in line with the UN’s International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

1. The Move Towards Regional and International Co-operation

• The Minister emphasised the importance of regional co-operation in disaster management as a means of ensuring a reduction of the impact of cross-border disasters.
• He noted the fact that there was general agreement on the need for establishing a Regional Disaster Management Centre to enhance disaster response co-ordination within the SADC region.
• He also noted that contact with the international disaster management community was vitally important to strengthening South African disaster management institutions.

1. People living on Flood Plains

• The Minister outlined the difficulties faced by government in resettling people living on flood plains, but cited the Cabinet resolution (taken on 16 February 2000) to give attention to those citizens settling in flood risk areas, as evidence of the Government’s commitment to resolving the matter.

Ms Jacobus presented the report of the cluster of NCOP Committees that visited three of the provinces affected by the March 2000 floods. That report is presented here in summarised form:

1. Damage Caused by the Floods

1. Loss of Life

• 131 people are estimated to have lost their lives due to the floods. This excludes deaths attributed to water-related illnesses or diseases such as malaria.

1. Financial Implications

• R2, 992 billion will have to be set aside for reconstructing the infrastructure.

1. Disruption of Social Services

• Health services were severely affected. Clinics and some hospitals were flooded, which made them inaccessible to communities and also affected service delivery of these institutions.

1. Destruction of Infrastructure

• All provinces experienced damage to infrastructure. This included the complete or partial destruction of bridges and roads making it almost impossible for communities to go about their daily lives. Pensioners could not collect their monies, workers could not commute to and from their respective workplaces and schoolchildren could not attend school.
• Water pipes and pumps were destroyed, creating serious health hazards. The electricity supply was also affected with severe implications for business and private households.

1. Impact on Economic Sector and Properties

• Floods resulted in the destruction of both private and commercial properties. Various houses were completely destroyed, in some instances due to the material they were constructed from and in other cases due to their location.
• The agricultural sector was also affected through the destruction of crops and livestock, with small and emerging farmers being the most affected.
• In Mpumalanga the infrastructural damage to the Kruger National Park had an effect on the inflow of internal and external tourists. The impact of these floods on transportation also had an effect on the economic sector, since commodities could not be transported to various areas.

1. State of Disaster Management in Affected Provinces

• Prior to the floods, no disaster management plans were in place in the affected provinces. Joint operational structures consisting of partnerships between Government, the private sector and NGOs were only established after the disaster.
• There was also limited means of communication, and information management, as well as a lack of training and awareness programmes.

1. Common Observations from Various Delegations

• Flood disasters had the biggest impact in poor areas where there were inadequate services and infrastructure.
• The location of these areas often made them vulnerable to disasters.
• These areas do not have modern technology such as speedy and effective means of communication, and thus, communication or prior warning by the Weather Bureau is made difficult, if not impossible.
• Due to water pressure some roads and bridges collapsed. If a comparison is to be drawn between infrastructure in these rural areas and that of neighbouring towns, one can only come to the conclusion that there was a definite discrepancy in terms of the quality of these roads and bridges.
• The lack of proactive disaster management strategies increases the risk of loss of life and the damage to property.
• A lack of a clear understanding of the roles of the three spheres of government (i.e. local, provincial and national governments) during disaster situations.
• Communities do not understand the significance of the declaration of a disaster area.

1. Recommendations by the Cluster of Committees

• The establishment of permanent disaster management centres in areas known to be prone to disasters.
• The establishment of appropriate means of communication, especially in rural areas.
• The need for proper town planning and guidelines for rural development.
• Review of the tendering process and the granting of tenders for infrastructural development.
• The need to study the relief, recovery and reconstruction strategies of other countries.
• The development of a life-skills training programme for communities that will include preparedness training.

Mr Estié focused on the following issues in his address to the Conference:

1. The Role of the SA Weather Bureau in Disaster Management

• Mr Estié stated that the role of the Weather Bureau in disaster management was to –
• Issue forecasts of severe weather events, as well as
• Issue warnings of impending severe weather events.

1. Early Warnings to Communities

• He identified radio, television, and the Internet as the most effective means through which the Weather Bureau disseminates information and issues early warnings to communities. He noted, however, that the effectiveness of these systems were hampered by the fact that many people did not know how to react to the warnings.
• Mr Estié also brought to the attention of the Conference, several emergency warning services that have been developed in association with the National Disaster Management Centre. These include:
• Placing warnings on cellphone platforms which individuals can then dial up to, to download the warning message; and
• Directly alerting registered emergency services.
• Mr Estié noted that the approach of the Weather Bureau was towards Community-Based Warning Systems, and outlined a few of the benefits associated with such a system, namely -
• Rapid and secure dissemination of information in an emergency;
• Communities and the general public understand the content of the warnings so much easier.

1. Funding for the Weather Bureau

• Mr Estié called for more resources (both financial and human) to be made available to the Weather Bureau. He noted the fact that it would cost the Weather Bureau between 7 and 10 million Rand to effect the necessary updates to its technological systems.

In speaking to the Conference about his country’s experiences in disaster management, Mr Haddow concentrated on the following topics:

1. FEMA’s Approach to Disaster Management

• According to Mr Haddow, the key elements of FEMA’s approach to disaster management were its focus on prevention, and the fact that it adopted an all hazards approach – i.e. natural, human-made and socio-political hazards were all within its sphere of duty.
• Furthermore, FEMA focused its activities and programmes on the needs of disaster victims.

1. FEMA’s Organisational Structure

1. Overall Structure

• Mr Haddow pointed out that FEMA has its headquarters in Washington DC. There are also 10 other regional offices, 2 training institutes (the Emergency Management Institute and the Fire Academy), and a number of disaster field offices from which FEMA co-ordinates response and recovery activities during disasters.

1. Leadership

• He noted that FEMA’s Director was appointed by, and directly accountable to, the President of the United States.

1. Staff

• Mr Haddow also noted that FEMA has 2100 full time employees, and 4000 temporary employees who assist in delivering programmes to disaster victims.
• Certain staff officers are directly accountable to the Director of FEMA, among them: the Congressional Affairs Officer, the Intergovernmental Officer, the Public Affairs Officer, the Policy Making Officer, and the Financial Management Officer.

1. Directorates

• Mr Haddow indicated that FEMA is composed of 7 functionally aligned directorates.
• The core business of the Mitigation Directorate is prevention and mitigation activities.
• The Response & Recovery Directorate focuses on response and recovery activities.
• The Preparedness Directorate is responsible for providing training to emergency managers at state and local level, and working with those same groups to exercise their plans.
• The Federal Insurance Administration manages, amongst other things, the national flood insurance programme.
• The US Fire Administration is responsible for promoting research and development into fire safety, training fire officials, and collecting data on fires.
• Operations Support handles all the logistical support to emergency managers in the field, while
• The Information Technology Services Directorate handles all the communications equipment.

1. Budget

• Mr Haddow noted that the FEMA was given an annual budget of $900 million by the US Congress, $300 million of which goes into the Disaster Relief Fund. $175 million is set aside to build capacity in state emergency management agencies.

1. Response to Disasters

• Mr Haddow pointed out that the US Government’s response to disasters is governed by the Federal Response Plan (FRP). He noted that all federal agencies and NGOs involved in emergency response were signatories to this plan.
• In terms of the FRP, if a disaster occurs at local level and it overwhelms the resources of the local authority, the local authority applies to the state governor for state resources. If the state cannot deal with the disaster, the governor will then put forward a request to the President for a presidential declaration. FEMA processes the request, and makes a recommendation to the President as to whether it should be approved or not. If the request is approved, the President issues a declaration that makes money available for the programmes run by FEMA and other federal agencies.
• The initial response to a disaster thus comes from state and local government and organisations such as the Salvation Army. Once a declaration is made, FEMA co-ordinates the response by making resources available to the state and local emergency managers.
• Mr Haddow emphasised the fact that resource agreements were put in place beforehand so that when FEMA makes a request from government for a particular resource, everyone involved knows exactly how it is being paid for. The resources are thus usually available within hours of the disaster occurring.

1. Mitigation Activities

• Mr Haddow outlined specific mitigation activities that FEMA was involved in, including –
• The Hazard Mitigation Grant Programme, in terms of which a community that has been struck by a disaster is allocated some money to rebuild in a way that will protect it from future disasters. (For example, people living in a flood plain will be moved to higher ground, and their land bought from them. The property will then be given back to the community on condition that it will never be built on again.)
• Project Impact, which aims to make every community in America disaster resistant by encouraging them to build partnerships with elected officials, public servants, businesses and NGOs, and then together to assess their risks, decide what they can do about those risks and prioritise their actions appropriately;
• Funding and promoting technical research and design projects that are aimed at improving the resistance of communities to disasters.

1. National Flood Insurance Programme

• Mr Haddow explained that the US Government offered insurance to communities at risk of damage due to floods through the National Flood Insurance Programme (NFIP).
• Communities had to join the NFIP to benefit. In so doing, those communities agreed to pass certain ordinances that would ensure that future development and building would be done outside the flood plain area.
• FEMA has been running a marketing campaign called Cover America to get more communities to sign on to the NFIP.

1. Essentials for an Emergency Management System

• Mr Haddow highlighted four factors, which, in the US experience, proved to be essential for an effective emergency management system:
• Strong leadership in the emergency management structures
• Political support for those structures
• Co-ordination and communication amongst the various structures, and
• A service orientation – i.e. delivering programmes that serve the needs of communities.

In his address to the Conference, Minister Kasrils spoke to the following issues:

1. The Responsibilities of Various Departments in Managing Disasters

1. Department of Water Affairs and Forestry

• Minister Kasrils identified his Department’s responsibilities as being the management of floods and fires.

1. Flood Management

• Minister Kasrils pointed out that, with regard to flood management, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry was the lead agency. He noted, however, that at present his Department was only able to play a limited role in effecting sustainable flood management. In order to address this, his Department has proposed the establishment of a Floods Working Group whose responsibility it will be to strengthen and further develop the National Flood Management Policy.

1. Fire Management

• The Minister noted that his Department was also considering the introduction of a National Fire Reaction System to enable a more co-ordinated approach to fire fighting. This system would consist of a competent National Fire Reaction Team comprised of expert strategic fire fighting advisers, as well as aerial fire fighting capacity, and fully trained and equipped ground support. This team would be available all year round for dealing with fire disasters anywhere in South Africa and the SADC region. The capacity for such a team is already existent within the forestry sector.
• The National Veld and Forest Fire Act, which was recently promulgated, could also bring about substantial changes to the prevention and combating of fires through the establishment of fire protection associations. These associations would decentralise the governance of fire management issues to the lowest practical level.

1. Department of Agriculture

• Minister Kasrils pinpointed the Department of Agriculture as the lead agency as far as drought management was concerned. He noted, however, that Water Affairs and Forestry also had a huge role to play in drought management.

2. Flood Warnings

• The Minister acknowledged the fact that there were serious deficiencies in the Department’s flow monitoring systems. However, he noted that advances in flow monitoring technology were making the systems more accurate, reliable and affordable.
• The Minister also made the point that early warnings were rendered ineffective by the public’s lack of knowledge on how to react to such warnings.

2. Provision of Water Services in Rural Areas

• The Minister recounted his Departments efforts to restore water services to areas affected by the flood. He informed the Conference that an estimated 70% of those affected in Mpumalanga were again receiving water services. In the Northern Province around 2 million of those affected were already being provided for by the permanent service delivery system, although not at all service levels.

The presentation by the Deputy Minister of Defence centred on the following key points:

0. The Role of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in Disaster Management

• The Deputy Minister emphasised the supportive role of the SANDF in managing disasters. The kind of support offered by the SANDF ranged from responding to disasters and providing humanitarian relief, to playing a role in the reconstruction of affected areas, as well as providing training in counter-disaster activities.

0. Regional Co-operation

• The Deputy Minister supported the concept of a Regional Disaster Management Centre, stating that such a regional centre would assist not only in joint planning, joint training, prevention and management, but also in post-disaster reconstruction.

Mr Jones focussed his discussion on the Australian disaster management experience by mainly speaking to the following themes:

0. Dealing With All the Possible Combinations of Hazards

• Mr Jones drew a distinction between natural, technological, biological and socio-political hazards, and emphasised the point that in real life situations, these hazards will often occur in combination.
• For this reason, he advocated an approach of dealing with hazards that would allow Government to respond to it in all its various forms and combinations.

0. Accurately Defining the Responsibilities of Disaster/Emergency Managers

• Mr Jones made the point that prevention, preparedness and mitigation were outside the purview of disaster/emergency managers. They were in fact the responsibility of government institutions.

0. Measuring the Success of Disaster Management

• Mr Jones emphasised the point that the true measure of success of any disaster management strategies and activities was whether the community was "safe" or not. He suggested that this too was the responsibility of Government.
• According to Mr Jones, the focus of disaster management strategies should thus be "community risk management". Emergency or disaster management is what one does when one fails to mitigate hazards.

In presenting his country’s experiences in the area of disaster management, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh focussed on the following areas:

0. Institutional Arrangements in Bangladesh

• The High Commissioner gave an overview of the structures that the Bangladesh Government had put in place to maximise their efficiency in managing disasters, namely -
• A Disaster Management Bureau;
• A Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief;
• 64 disaster management councils and committees in national districts, 500 in Thanas, and 4 500 at union level; as well as,
• An Emergency Operations Centre, established for information exchange during emergency periods.
• The High Commissioner also noted that the Government of Bangladesh had designed a guidebook called the "Standing Orders on Disaster", which outlines the activities of every department or agency involved in disaster management, in order to maintain proper co-ordination amongst them.

0. Projects of the Disaster Management Bureau

• The High Commissioner outlined several projects initiated by the Disaster Management Bureau, including:
• A clear and comprehensive national policy on disaster management, and a national disaster management plan (currently in draft form);
• An extensive public education campaign that aims to raise awareness at all levels of society through training, briefing, audio-visual material, information kits and a special collaboration with the Text Book Board of Bangladesh;
• Establishing national disaster management training centres and providing operational guidelines to disaster managers in the form of disaster management handbooks;
• Establishing disaster shelters in the most disaster-prone districts, Thanas and unions, and enhancing the capacity of local communities in disaster prone areas to cope with and recover from disasters.

0. Enhancing Capacity of Forecasting Agencies

• According to the High Commissioner, his government has given priority to the improvement of early warning systems in the country by enhancing the capability of the Storm Warning Centre (SWC) of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) and the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC).

In her address to the Conference, Deputy Minister Nzimande spoke to the following issues:

0. The Emergency Reconstruction Committee

• The Deputy Minister noted that Cabinet had responded to the recent flood disasters by establishing an Emergency Reconstruction Committee to co-ordinate the reconstruction of affected communities.

0. The Command Centre

• The Deputy Minister also noted the creation of a Command Centre at national level whose central task it was to collate information on the damage caused by disasters (for the purpose of assessment and response).
• Furthermore, Deputy Minister Nzimande noted that the Command Centre had its own institutional framework, with a technical team to drive critical short-term reconstruction work.

0. The SA National Roads Agency Ltd (SANRAL)

• The Deputy Minister pointed out that the SANRAL had already begun reconstruction of some of the roads under their jurisdiction.
• SANRAL was also asked to verify the claims sent in by the respective provinces as regards the damage incurred by them due to the floods.

0. Response to Floods by the Department of Public Works

• Deputy Minister Nzimande noted that the Department of Public Works was responding to the damage caused by the floods through its National Public Works Programme.
• She also indicated that the floods in the Northern Province, Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal had affected a number of Community-based Public Works Programme Projects that were being implemented at the time. The Department have identified the affected projects and have allocated funds to save these projects.
• Through its Community-based Public Works Programme, the Department has developed an emergency relief programme, called "Work for Food", in order for devastated communities to earn sufficient money to buy food and at least survive the year 2000 winter.

REPORT ON THE RISK MANAGEMENT COMMISSION

Facilitator: Ms B J Sonjica Rappoteur: Ms D Mogwe

Scribe: Mr L Buys

0. Risk Reduction