Lifestyle
Disaster Management : The Best Approach
Disasters have harmfully affected humans since the origin of our existence and in response, we have made several efforts to reduce our exposure to them. Most times we tend to misuse the word “Disaster” and “Hazard”. Disaster is an unforeseen event causing great loss, upset or unpleasantness of whatever kind. It can be defined as an unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent changes to the natural environment. Hazard in a simple term is a lurking danger.
Hazards if not discovered on time has an adverse effect on the people, organization or the environment. I read a story of a man who got burnt for answering his phone while cooking dinner. I had a news of some fuel tanker that burnt down a fuel station simply because an addicted chain smoker was smoking cigarette beside a tanker filled with combustible gas. These are instances of hazards which if properly guided we can avert to prevent the disaster from occurring.
There are two major Approaches or Concepts Disaster Management such as;
- The Vulture concept: here the agency waits for disaster to occur before they take actions
- The Eagle concept: The agency employs forecasting and early warning on the hazards to prevent and mitigate large-scale humanitarian displacements and catastrophes (Ndace 2008).
Some of the developed countries in Europe apply the Eagle concept towards managing series of disaster befalling their country while Some developing and under developed countries in Africa apply the Vulture concept. The most effective approach towards disaster management is the Eagle concept as it leads to better management which is why the developed countries have the power to contend most of the human induced disasters as well as the natural disasters.
Common examples of these disasters include;
- Slipping or falling
- Fire out breaks
- Terrorism/kidnapping and taking hostage
- Bio hazards through aerosol or food supply
- Overcrowding
- Panic and hysteria
However, when you have disabled people at the scene, they are at greater risk if they can not hear or see the warning signs or unable to leave the premises quickly. In large workplaces, drawing of the emergency precautions systems may be helpful. For example;
- The location of the main electrical supply switch
- The main gas shut-off valve
- The escape routes
- The position of the fire detection and firefighting equipment
- Emergency lighting system
Also, provision should be made for alerting people with hearing impairment if alarms systems are audio only. Eg. Flashing light on smoke detectors or specialized alarms installed in the rooms should be made available to people in this category. Auxiliary aids could be available for emergencies such as wheelchairs and where there are staircases and ramps, there should be appropriately situated handrails.
In terms of the control, we have Hierarchy of Controls for Disaster Management;
- Physically remove the hazards
- Replace the hazards
- Isolate people from the hazard
- Change the way people work
- Protect the people with personal protective equipment
The National Disaster Management Framework (NDMF) in 2010 recognized 3 broad stakeholders in disaster response groups namely;
- Primary responders which includes community-based institutions or groups, faith-based organizations (FBOs), Grassroot Volunteers, etc.
- Secondary responders which includes the Military, the Police, the Fire service, the para-military organizations, the Red cross and NEMA.
- The tertiary responders include Humanitarian and Development agencies.
The incidence of disaster as much as their impacts has been rather threatening in recent years on the developing nations has been more debilitating owing principally to their high vulnerability to such occurrences as well as the inadequacies of the emergency management infrastructure and practices in such contexts. Unfortunately, the issue of disaster management in Nigeria has not been properly situated and prioritized. The efforts of the various Nigeria government in respect of disaster management has been characteristically inefficient owing to the fact that such endeavors have not been organically blended into the national development security strategy.
In conclusion, the National Emergency Management Agency’s (NEMA) aspiration in respect to the above subject matter have been hampered by inadequacies such as;
- Funding
- Lack of capacity in terms of trained personnel,
- Equipment and Logistics
- Weak Executives capacity and supports
Therefore, the need to create disaster management awareness in our various countries cannot be over emphasized. This is because disaster management goes beyond lips service which requires everyone to employ concerted effort for the overall interest of the citizen.
News
Gunmen Attack Anambra Police Station, Kill Four Officers
Unknown gunmen in the early hours of Wednesday attacked a police station located in Atani, the headquarters of Ogbaru Local Government Area of Anambra State.
It was gathered that the gunmen launched the attack on the police facility around 1:30 am on Wednesday.
A further report had it that four police officers were killed in the attack.
Since the emergence of Charles Soludo as the Governor of Anambra State there had been series of attacks on police and government facilities in the state.
Meanwhile, the spokesman of the state police command, DSP Toochukwu Ikenga, has confirmed the development.
He said, “The hoodlums came around 1 a.m., and unlucky for us, four police operatives paid the supreme price.”
“The Commissioner of Police, CP Echeng Echeng on hearing of the attack immediately mobilized men of the command from various units to the area.
“The hoodlums were still there when the CP personally led men of the command to the affected area, and the timely arrival saved the day and the hoodlums were successfully repelled, and the facility was saved.
“We have commenced intelligence already, and we hope to unravel the persons behind the attack.”
Security
Troops repel attack, eliminate scores of terrorists/bandits in Sokoto — Official
Security
Arms proliferation: Navy urges FG to build walls across borders
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