15 Oct 2013

The logistics and communications officer for National Disaster Management Office (NDMO), Mr Maeletso Pego has expressed concern about delay in assessing disaster victims.

Speaking during the disaster preparedness conference in Palapye on October 16, Mr Pego said some districts were slow in assessing disaster victims resulting in taking time to provide temporary relief in the form of tents and food to the affected people.

He said assessment of disaster victims were often conducted by officers from Social and Community Development, who at times were overwhelmed by work making assessments very slow.

At times, he said transport was a challenge for the community development officers as such making it difficult for them to assess people affected by disaster well on time.

Thus, he urged district officers to provide transport during disaster events and ensure that assessment of disaster victims were fast tracked so that the impact of the disaster could be minimised.

Mr Pego also raised concern over wrong and missing information, saying some districts sent wrong and incomplete information to NDMO. He said if the data was not correct, decisions based on the data would be wrongly made or benefitted the wrong people.

He urged district officers to develop their respective contingency plans adding that the plan would make them understand what to do when faced with a disaster. He said the government took a deliberate decision to construct houses for some disaster victims.

He further heavy rains weaken the traditional poorly constructed structures and ultimately collapse them. On other issues, Mr Pego said storms become a problem during October, November and December.

He said ungazetted settlements such as Tshwaane and Malelebjwa in Tutume sub district were highly affected by floods.

For his part, Disaster Management Coordinator for Botswana Red Cross, Mr Obakeng Sethamo said traditionally people wait for the disaster to strike before and then respond.

Disasters, he said had implications on health, livelihoods, water and food security adding that there was a need to prepare for disasters well on time.He said climate and weather information could help anticipate and prepare for changing risks.

He said it was important to use weather forecasts to build a contingency plan which would make district officers to prepare for disaster in advance.

He said the forecast report released by the Meteorological Services last year helped his organisation to respond in time and provide necessary relief to the victims of the rainstorms that swept some areas in this country.

Therefore, he implored districts to utilise information from the Meteorological Services to make contingency plans. Ends