Heavy floods that cut off roads, bridges and communities across the North West Province have exposed gaps in disaster preparedness, emergency response capacity and long-term planning, according to Prof. Christo Coetzee.

While the province has disaster management plans in place across most district and local municipalities, many of these plans are outdated and difficult to implement because of limited resources, says Prof. Coetzee, an associate professor at the African Centre for Disaster Studies at the North-West University’s (NWU’s) Potchefstroom Campus.

“A major challenge is how often these disaster management or disaster preparedness plans are updated.”

He says some municipalities are still relying on plans that no longer reflect current risks, changing weather patterns or the growing exposure of communities to disasters.

“Municipalities can identify hazards and communities that may be affected by disasters, and even plan for them,” he says. “However, the lack of funds and human resources means they can’t operationalise programmes or activities related to their plans before or during disaster events.”

Identifying at-risk communities is challenging

Flooding in several parts of the province has left communities isolated, while damaged infrastructure has complicated rescue efforts.

According to Prof. Coetzee, one of the biggest challenges during floods is identifying communities that are trapped or at risk.

“It is very challenging to identify all the communities that are cut off and in imminent danger,” he says. “The damage done by flooding to communication infrastructure means some communities can’t even connect with emergency services to indicate where they are.”

He warns that emergency response teams are also forced into dangerous situations when residents ignore evacuation instructions.

Communities must heed evacuation orders

“Communities can sometimes be reluctant to follow evacuation orders, meaning rescue teams have to go into areas to save lives when the situation escalates,” Prof. Coetzee says. “Communities must follow evacuation orders when they receive them.”

The province’s response capacity is also under strain because of limited equipment and ageing infrastructure.

“Municipalities don’t have adequate human and physical resources such as fire trucks and helicopters to reach a multitude of communities,” he says. “Emergency response capacity in the province is easily strained due to the lack of maintenance of existing capacity and the lack of investment in new capacity.” With the South African Weather Service warning of more disruptive rainfall, Prof. Coetzee urges residents and motorists to limit movement and prioritise safety.

“Stay put as far as possible for the next couple of days whilst the storm passes,” he says. “Only travel or move around for emergency purposes.”

If evacuation becomes necessary, communities living in flood-prone areas should contact local disaster management teams, fire departments or police services.

Where investment is most needed

Looking beyond the current floods, Prof. Coetzee says municipalities and provincial authorities need to invest in both infrastructure and community preparedness to improve resilience against climate-related disasters.

“There should be increased investment in both technical and community-based adaptation measures.”

Prof. Coetzee says long-term measures should include improved stormwater systems, early warning systems, updated disaster risk assessments, community awareness programmes and disaster response training.

“Equal investment is needed in physical infrastructure and in building disaster response capacity within communities.”

Prof. Christo Coetzee.