In fact this 1st. International Emergency Response Conference 2012, being held at Karachi, is an assessment of the level of preparedness we are at, within the context of unfortunate occurrences of manmade or natural disasters in South East Asia region, in general and specifically in Pakistan.
During the stages of devising, planning and developing this conference at Sindh Social Development Network an outstanding ignorance in awareness and strangeness to Response and Preparedness was observed, leave alone existence of any plan of action or disaster management skills at grass root level. The first responder is not the local fire tender or search and rescue team, it is always the man or woman alive who has enough strength to help in mishaps.
Pakistan has experienced many painful disasters, manmade or natural, like Floods, Earthquakes and constant geo-political and socio-political conflicts all these years. The ultimate question is ARE WE SAFE? If the smart response without phobia is WE ARE NOT, and then what are we doing at community level, city level or national level?
What Individual and organisational level disaster management activities, we are engaged in, or are we constantly disseminating people with the awareness of geographical and tectonic profile of our country? Can we measure the disaster management capacity at community or organisational level?
If we cannot measure, we cannot progress, and if we cannot assess we may not be able to have a strong visualization of Disaster Management skills. We must also recognize and comprehend the Risk Management and Crisis Management abilities. Disaster Management is a slice of managing a Disaster, the key objective is to prevent disaster in the first place or to minimise its chances of occurrence. Another significant feature is recovery from disaster, which covers post-disaster assessment of damage; recovering through rehabilitation physically and emotionally to begin a new life again.
I am quoting from Pakistan Forum, Dr Zafar Qadir Chairman NDMA acknowledges that his institution lacks proper disaster management frame work because it has been run on an ad hoc basis since its inception. A brave statement: and the first stage of diagnosing the gaps between current and desired management skills. Capacity building needs of individuals and institutions must address a structured system of training in Prevention, Preparedness, Response, Recovery and Mitigation.
The Hyogo Framework for Action was an outcome of the 2005 conference held in Kobe, Japan. The HFA suggests five specific priorities for action:
1: Making disaster risk reduction a priority;
2: Improving risk information and early warning;
3: Building a culture of safety and resilience;
4: Reducing the risks in key sectors;
5: Strengthening preparedness for response
The HFA outlines these five priorities for action, and offers guiding principles and practical means for achieving disaster resilience. Its goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses by 2015 by building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. This means reducing loss of lives and social, economic, and environmental assets when hazards strike. At times of disaster, impacts and losses can be significantly reduced if authorities, individuals and communities in hazard-prone areas are well prepared and ready to act and are equipped with the knowledge and capacities for effective disaster management.
1st International Emergency Response Conference 2012, Karachi is a small step to make masses realize what we need to perform at grass root level. I am thankful to of civil societies, Municipal services Department Karachi, Urban Search and Rescue Academy, Federal Civil Defence School, Awareness Volunteer Organisation, Karachi Disability Network, Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation, parliamentarians, the respected researchers, and Disaster management experts for their active participation.