Disaster Management

Disaster Management Overview

The Cape Winelands Disaster Management Centre is responsible for the co-ordination of multi-disciplinary and multi-sectoral risk reduction through integrated institutional capacity for Disaster Risk Management, Disaster Risk Assessment, Response and Recovery. This includes the municipal areas of Breede Valley, Drakenstein, Langeberg, Stellenbosch and Witzenberg Local Municipalities.

Our Disaster Management Centre strives to effectively plan for and minimize the impact of disasters on the community, infrastructure and environment through:

Developing sufficient capacity within the Disaster Management Division and improve communication with a large variety of stakeholders.
Managing risk to the environment by conducting continuous risk analysis at municipalities, develop and implement standards and procedures.
Responding to all disasters and provide sufficient support during incidents
Implementing systems to mitigate risks through training, awareness, and communication.

The functions of Disaster Management includes:

Risk Assessment: A process to determine the nature and extent of risk by analysing potential hazards and evaluating existing conditions of vulnerability that could pose a potential threat or harm to people, property, livelihoods and the environment on which they depend.

Planning: this includes the development of Disaster Management Plans, Standard Operating Procedures, Seasonal Preparedness Plans, and Contingency Plans.

Risk Reduction: this includes:

Prevention: how to avoid the adverse impacts of a hazard – this includes awareness and education programmes.
Mitigation: this can include structural or non-structural measures undertaken to limit the adverse impacts of a hazard- this include policies or physical structures.
Preparedness: activities and measures taken in advance to ensure effective response to the impacts of hazards including the issuing of early warnings, evacuation of people etc.
Response: the provision of assistance during or immediately after a disaster. This can be short-term such as the provision of relief items e.g. food parcels, blankets or protracted duration such as setting up of temporary shelters.
Recovery: decisions and actions taken after a disaster with a view to restoring the situation to normality or improving the pre-disaster conditions.