The citizens of Meqheleng are still reeling from the tornado that struck on 2 October 2011. Some are still trying to piece together meaning to work out reasons for this disaster…
Recently the Free State experienced some unprecedented disaster incidents, never known to prevail in the province, and in the country. The Ficksburg, Meqheleng tornado, the floods earlier in the year in various parts of the province, brought home a glaring reality of the impact of climate change and the importance of heeding the United Nations’ call for implementation of various disaster reduction and mitigation strategies.
The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) conference on 3-4 November 2011 to be hosted by the Ministry for Cooperative Governance, Traditional Affairs and Human Settlements led by MEC MG Qabathe, will focus on creating awareness of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction pioneered by the United Nations.
A few weeks to the COP17 conference on climate change in Durban, this conference seeks to create awareness of the impact of climate change and the consequences thereof; further highlight human contribution to climate change and how reversing these could reduce the frequency and intensity of disasters and perhaps even reverse the extent of climate change and save the planet. Key to the conference’s message is that we need to be prepared for and plan for disaster incidents through measures that can be taken for disaster reduction.
The conference to be opened by MEC Qabathe, will discuss various topics towards the development of the provincial action on disaster management and risk reduction as per the goals of the United Nations strategy on risk reduction; and to align these with the Free State provincial growth and Development Strategy, the provincial departments’ Strategic Plans and Municipal Integrated Development Plans. The conference seeks to place Disaster Risk reduction at the centre of, and as an integral part of all development initiatives in the province.
Topics to be discussed include sustainable development, status of disaster management, recent disasters experienced and likely to be prevalent in the province - floods and veld fires- climate change, weather patterns nationally and internationally and the anticipated impact of these as recently experienced in the Ficksburg and Duduza tornados.
Speakers will range from representatives from the South African Weather Services, National and Provincial Disaster Management Centres, Mangaung Metro Municipality, the provincial Department of Human Settlements which will talk about integrated sustainable human settlements. Further discussions will be held in separate commissions towards developing resolutions that will be used for the formulation of a provincial strategy and action plan for disaster reduction.
Some of the Conference Objectives are:
- To achieve resilient, sustainable urban and rural communities, with a growing number of local governments that are taking action to reduce the risks associated with disasters.
- To empower local governments with stronger national (and international) policies to invest in risk reduction at local level, as part of urban, rural and regional development plans.
- To raise political profile of risk reduction for local governments, with stronger synergy between local and national (as well as international) policies.
- To support the Hyogo Framework implementation by Local Governments.
Enquiries:
Senne Bogatsu
Cell: 082 774 1014
