National Disaster Management Centre has activated the National Contingency Plan for the summer season
"We have entered a period that is prone to various disasters and it is important for the country to have contingency plans in place to mitigate their negative impact", this were the sentiments expressed by the Minister of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA), Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma.
On Wednesday, 18 December 2019, leaders from across the three spheres of government convened to consider possible interventions and responses in case of disasters, looking at the current period until the end of the summer season.
South Africa faces increasing levels of disaster risks and remains exposed to a wide range of hazards, including weather-related hazards in the summer season that can trigger widespread devastation. These hazards include amongst others, above-normal rainfall that can lead to floods; impacts of cyclones such as severe storms, tornadoes and hail storms; veld fires and large informal settlement fires; and others that may not yet be characterised.
These hazards are known to disrupt lives of communities and destroy public critical infrastructure such as buildings, roads, bridges telecommunication, banks and others.
The recovery from these destruction often take months or even years to be completed, while communities are sometimes left without basic services.
In this regard, in preparation for the development of the contingency plan, the NDMC has developed and published a seasonal Hazard Profile which is in line with the issued forecast.
To this effect, in order to ensure preparedness measures for any eventuality, the NDMC in partnership with national sector departments and provinces through the Provincial Disaster Management Centres (PDMCs) has developed a risk-based plan, that also provides an insight on the forecast issued by the South African Weather Service (SAWS) during this season (September 2019 to April 2020).
The activated National Contingency Plan for this season will serve as a framework to guide multidisciplinary and coordinated respons to any possible occurances arising from the extreme weather conditions during the 2019/20 summer season.
The National Contingency Plan focuses on priority hazards such as, but not limited to floods; veldfires; decease outbreak; sinkhole formations and Windstorms (which includes Tornadoes, Hail). The national contingency plan is a culmination of a consolidation of provincial contingency plans as submitted to the NDMC where roles and responsibilities of all role players clearly outlined. It is developed based on the contingency plans from provinces and organs of state. The national contingency plan outlines government's integrated and coordinated responses to disaster threatening incidences and spells out how government will marshal its resources; channel the efforts of voluntary agencies; private role players and solicit assistance from outside of the affected areas if necessary.
Given the need for government to be on high alert during this period, the NDMC will be on standby monitoring, reporting and assessing the situation in order to coordinate and facilitate response by national role players and Provincial Disaster Management Centres (PDMCs). PDMCs are expected to monitor the situation and submit incident reports on a weekly basis or as and when required.
The South African Weather Service (SAWS) will also be submitting weekly and daily weather forecasts and alert notifications to NDMC of any impending severe weather conditions. This information will be shared with relevant role players by NDMC for further dissemination to municipalities and communities.
The NDMC maintains an up to date database of all Disaster Management Focal Points within organs of state to be contacted in cases of any disaster incident.
"We have already experienced a number of incidents across the country which claimed and destroyed property. On behalf of the government, I convey our condolences to those who lost loved ones", said Minister Dlamini Zuma.
'We are confident that government across all spheres is responding decisively and adequately to address the humanitarian needs of those affected by recent inclement weather related incidents", said Minister Dlamini Zuma.
I urge all South Africans and visitors to the country to always be mindful of alerts on hazards issued by authorities through various communication channels and platforms during this season to avoid devastation and loss of life.
Enquiries:
Mlungisi Mtshali
Cell: 082 088 5060
