In a bid to provide an environment which will create safe and secure conditions for all Gauteng residents and facilitate better quality of living conditions. Gauteng Department of Local Government and Housing has constituted a disaster management programme. The objective of the program is to create a proactive emergency management system for Gauteng communities.
The department has a responsibility to co-ordinate and lead in the disaster management and fire brigade services, in order to make sure the municipalities have common standards and norms on how to deal with disaster and fire in their communities. This approach is fundamental in the broad transformation of the provision and approach to the delivery of these services by municipalities and enables a proactive response to the emergency situations.
The introduction of the new disaster management legislation enhanced the ability of the department to initiate development of instruments and approaches to enable communities and broad municipalities to operate better. The department focused on planning, analysis and development of strategic approaches in preparation for effective implementation of the new disaster management legislation.
These included:
* Strategic Policy framework
* Establishment of the provincial Disaster management Centre
* Risk and vulnerability assessment
Furthermore, the programme serves as a discipline of dealing with and avoiding risks. It is a discipline that involves preparing for disaster before it occurs, as well as supporting, and rebuilding society after natural or human-made disasters have occurred.
Issued by: Department of Local Government and Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government
10 June 2009
Source: Department of Local Government and Housing, Gauteng Provincial Government (http://www.housing.gpg.gov.za/)
