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What to do when disaster strikes
2005-10-31 07:15:54
By Rayner Ngonji
Have you ever thought how your business would function if the computer systems and software vanished? This happens to someone everyday.
Here are some questions to think about when planning for a disaster - large or small.
A scientist with the University of Dar es Salaam last week hinted that Tanzania might face heavy disasters out of another el nino and la nina weather changes within the next two years.
Professor Ernest Njau, an electronics and meteorology specialist at the university, called for adequate preparations against the incident to minimise the scope of the effects.
According to the professor, the two severe el ninos are expected between 2007 and 2009 and 2010 and 2013.
Tanzania last experienced el nino disasters with massive loss of lives and property in 1998.
His advice could be regarded as just a nuisance and left unattended to by responsible authorities. But experience has it that lack of preparedness usually lands respective countries into massive loss of lives and property.
Japan for example is prone to earthquakes. Her alertness against the situation has often been helping her to have as little impact as possible of any earthquake hit.
That is totally different from situations in developing countries where the situation is usually accompanied by panic and appeal for foreign aid.
If you pose a question to any Tanzanian as to whether he has ever thought of how his business would function if everything at home and at the work place vanished?
By this I mean everything that is needed for meeting the domestic requirements at home and the entire computer system and software at the work place.
None would give you a satisfactory answer. Yet, this happens to someone everyday.
In essence the professor’s advice calls for immediate action to avoid panic and uncontrollable situations when things are out of hand.
The earlier we involve ourselves into a state of preparedness , the better. The Japanese example should serve us a lesson.
Preventing the loss of life and minimizing the damage to property from disasters like floods, earthquakes and hurricanes are responsibilities that need to be shared by all.
One of the commonest approaches to realise this goal is to get your people informed of the impending calamity and get them prepared.
At family level you are supposed to develop a family plan, create a disaster supply kit, think of a place you want to go in case of any unprecedented disaster, secure your home, get a pet plan.
One of the most important decisions you are supposed to make when such situations arise is whether you should evacuate your home or not.
If you are asked to evacuate, you should do so without delay.
But unless you live in a coastal or low-lying area, an area that floods frequently, it is unlikely that emergency managers will ask you to evacuate.
That means that it is important for you and your family to have a plan that makes you as safe as possible in your home.
Disaster prevention includes modifying your home to strengthen it against storms so that you can be as safe as possible.
It also includes having the supplies at hand to take you through the storm.
Your family’s plan should be based on your vulnerability to the impending hazards. You should keep a written plan and share your plan with other friends or families.
There are certain items you need to have regardless of where you ride out a flood or hurricane. The disaster supply kit is a useful tool when you evacuate as well as when you are at home.
Discuss the type of hazards that could affect your family. Know your home’s vulnerability to storm surge, flooding and wind.
Locate a safe room or the safest areas in your home for each flood or hurricane hazard. In certain circumstances the safest areas may not be your home but within your community.
You are aslo supposed to determine escape routes from your home and places to meet. Have an out-of-state friend as a family contact, so all your family members have a single point of contact.
Make a plan now for what to do with your pets if you need to evacuate. Post emergency telephone numbers by your phones and make sure your children know how and when to call the police. Check your insurance coverage - flood damage is not usually covered by home owners insurance.
Stock non-perishable emergency supplies and a Disaster Supply Kit. Use a NOAA weather radio. Remember to replace its battery every 6 months, as you do with your smoke detectors.
rgonji@guardian.co.tz
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