Disasters, Conflicts and Migration
|
Natural Hazards |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Type |
Occurs |
Comments / Details |
|
Drought |
Yes |
Periodic droughts, especially during years with El Nino weather phenomenon. |
|
Earthquakes |
No |
Unlikely |
|
Epidemics |
Yes |
High population density in informal settlements, low health care regime in such areas. Limited early alert and prevention mechanisms. |
|
Extreme Temperatures |
Yes |
High temperatures common in the arid northern regions. |
|
Flooding |
Yes |
Localised flooding in low-lying areas, often occupied by informal settlements. |
|
Insect Infestation |
No |
|
|
Mudslides |
No |
|
|
Volcanic Eruptions |
No |
|
|
High Waves / Surges |
Yes |
Seasonal occurence along the south-western coastline during winter months (June to August). |
|
Wildfires |
Yes |
Two fire seasons, during dry summer months (December to February) in the Western Cape, during dry winter months (June to August) rest of the country. |
|
High Winds |
Yes |
During winter months (June to August) in the Western Cape, during November in the Western Cape (locally known as the South-Easter / Cape Doctor) average wind speed 160 km/h. |
|
Other Comments |
N/A |
|
|
Man-Made Issues |
||
|
Civil Strife |
Yes |
Civil unrest may occur as result of benefits negotiation disputes between employers and labour unions (approx. April for para-statals), service delivery protest against government structures, or other socio-economic issues. |
|
International Conflict |
No |
|
|
Internally Displaced Persons |
No |
|
|
Refugees Present |
Yes |
Refugees from many African countries, 273,488 (documented) refugees and asylum seekers, of whom 84% come from sub-Saharan Africa. |
|
Landmines / UXO Present |
No |
|
|
Other Comments |
Road transport susceptible to disruption due to prevalence of foreign truck driver labour and xenophobic violence. |
|
For a more detailed database on disasters by country, please see the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters.
Seasonal Effects on Logistics Capacities
|
Seasonal Effects on Transport |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Transport Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
|
Primary Road Transport |
N/A |
|
|
Secondary Road Transport |
N/A |
|
|
Rail Transport |
N/A |
|
|
Air Transport |
N/A |
|
|
Waterway Transport |
N/A |
|
Some seasonal impact to primary and secondary transport may occur during citrus export season in Durban and Port Elizabeth, during deciduous and avocado export season in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The impact may be greatly attributed to delays in truck turnaround at terminals as result of terminal congestion. Further impact may also occur during late November to December and possibly early January due to demands for festive season supply deadline and some operators closing or scaling down for end of breaks.
|
Seasonal Effects on Storage and Handling |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Activity Type |
Time Frame |
Comments / Details |
|
Storage |
N/A |
|
|
Handling |
N/A |
|
|
Other |
N/A |
|
Capacity and Contacts for In-Country Emergency Response
Government
South Africa faces increasing levels of disaster risk. It is exposed to a wide range of weather hazards, including drought, cyclones and severe storms that can trigger widespread hardship and devastation. As such sustained, committed and concerted efforts with regard to disaster risk management reform by the government and a wide range of stakeholders were reflected in the promulgation of the Disaster Management Act, 2002 (Act No. 57 of 2002) on 15 January 2003. The Act provides for, an integrated and coordinated disaster risk management policy that focuses on preventing or reducing the risk of disasters, mitigating the severity of disasters, preparedness, rapid and effective response to disasters, and post-disaster recovery, the establishment of national, provincial and municipal disaster management centers, disaster risk management volunteers, matters relating to these issues.
The National Disaster Management Centre (NDMC) is responsible for establishing effective institutional arrangements for the development and approval of integrated disaster risk management policy. One way of achieving this is through intergovernmental structures. In this regard, the Act calls for the establishment of an Intergovernmental Committee on Disaster Management (ICDM) consisting of various ministry as well as various levels of government (national, provincial, district municipalities).
Ministries considered core to any disaster impact and response: Departments of Agriculture and Land Affairs, Defence, Education, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Foreign Affairs, Health, Home Affairs, Housing, Minerals and Energy, National Treasury, Provincial and Local Government, Public Works, Safety and Security, Social Development, The Presidency, Transport, Water Affairs and Forestry.
Funding and resources (including military personnel and assets) may be called upon during and post disaster from government via the NDMC and structures according to the Act of 2002 and its framework.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following links: http://www.ndmc.gov.za/Pages/Home-Page.aspx and 4.1 Government Contact List.
Humanitarian Community
Medécins Sans Frontières has a regional base of operations in South Africa servicing projects within the country and neighbouring countries, their main warehousing site is based in Cape Town from where supplies to support projects are distributed to field sites where supplies for the short to medium term are held. The Red Cross Society has a national base of operations in Pretoria along with their main 3PL contracted depot of mainly disaster relief (clothes, blankets etc.) and some non-perishable food items. Regional / field offices operates their own limited storage facilities on either owned or leased compounds.
Gift of the Givers has a base of operations and head office in Pietermaritzburg, with offices in various provinces in the country. Registered as a NGO with department of social development, they undertake post-disaster relief operations along with government structures, as well as their own independently funded and coordinated relief operations. Various agencies of the United Nations are also present in the country most based in Johannesburg and Pretoria, supporting projects around the county and the region.
For more information on humanitarian agency contact details, please see the following link: 4.2 Humanitarian Agency Contact List.
