Reclassification of Provincial Disaster as a National Disaster: Impact of Severe Weather Events
I, Dr Mmaphaka Tau, in my capacity as the Head of the National Disaster Management Centre, after consultation with the relevant Provincial Disaster Management Centres, and after reassessing the impact of the severe weather events occurring in various municipal areas in the KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape and other provinces that resulted in the loss of life and damage to property, infrastructure and the environment caused by heavy rain, flooding, strong winds, landslides etc., and after having considered the information and recommendations received from the Provincial Disaster Management Centres, concluded that the magnitude and severity of the disaster that was classified on 13 April 2022 as a provincial disaster is greater than the initial assessment and hereby give notice that on 17 April 2022, in terms of Section 23(3) of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002), I reclassified these occurrences as a national disaster.
Emanating from the reclassification of these occurrences as a national disaster, in terms of section 26, read with section 23 of the Act, the primary responsibility to coordinate and manage the disaster, in terms of existing legislation and contingency arrangements, is designated to the national executive.
I hereby, in terms of Section 15(2)(aA) of the Act, read with section 23(8), call upon organs of state to further strengthen and support existing structures to implement contingency arrangements and to ensure that immediate relief, recovery and reconstruction measures are put in place to enable the national executive to effectively deal with the effects of this disaster.
Also emanating from this reclassification, and the assistance already being provided by organs of state in terms of section 23(8) and sections 15(2)(aA) of the Act, organs of state are required to prepare and submit reports, as required by the National Disaster Management Centre and in the case of a declaration of a state of disaster, report to the respective intergovernmental forums as outlined in section 24(4) – (8) of the Act.
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