Disaster Management Amendment Act 16 of 2015

The Disaster Management Amendment Act 16 of 2015 aims:

• to amend the Disaster Management Act, 2002, so as:
  • to substitute and insert certain definitions;
  • to clarify policy focus on rehabilitation and functioning of disaster management centres;
  • to align the functions of the National Disaster Management Advisory Forum to accommodate the South African National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction;
  • to provide for the South African National Defence Force, South African Police Service and any other organ of state to assist the disaster management structures;
  • to provide for an extended reporting system by organs of state on information regarding occurrences leading to the declarations of disasters, expenditure on response and recovery, actions pertaining to risk reduction and particular problems experienced in dealing with disasters;
  • to strengthen reporting on implementation of policy and legislation relating to disaster risk reduction and management of allocated funding to municipal and provincial intergovernmental forums established in terms of the Intergovernmental Relations Framework Act, 2005;
  • to strengthen the representation of traditional leaders in national, provincial and municipal disaster management advisory forums;
  • to expand the contents of disaster management plans to include the conducting of disaster risk assessments for functional areas and the mapping of risks, areas and communities that are vulnerable to disasters;
  • to provide measures to reduce the risk of disaster through adaptation to climate change and developing of early warning mechanisms;
  • to provide for regulations on disaster management education, training and research matters and declaration and classification of disasters;
• and to provide for matters incidental thereto.

Commencement

1 May 2016 (Government Gazette 39943, Proclamation 24)