BULAWAYO,14 Oct (Southern Eye-Live)-Department of Civil Protection Chief Director Nathan Nkomo says disaster resilience must start at household level, urging families and communities across all provinces to prepare for any eventuality ahead of the rainy season.
Nkomo was speaking in a video shared by ActionAid Zimbabwe to mark the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, running under the theme resilience.
He said each household must take responsibility as the basic unit of any community and society.
"Now each household, every community must now then prepare for any eventuality," Nkomo said.
"The theme for this year, resilience, it starts at household level which is the nucleus of any community, which is the nucleus of any state, which is the nucleus of any society. So if we can have a resilient household, it means we have a resilient community. It means we have a resilient country."
Nkomo said disaster risk management (DRM) is a multi-sectoral issue that requires all provinces to pay attention to advice given by authorities and technical departments.
He commended the Second Republic for ensuring every province has a community radio station, saying this has improved dissemination of disaster information in vernacular languages.
"I'm sure the government of Zimbabwe through the Second Republic has seen it fit and given us the wisdom that every province must have a community radio station. The reason why we are having a community radio station is to make sure that whatever focus that is given by any authorities, it is communicated in a vernacular language," he said.
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He said while dissemination of early warning information is important, communities must apply the information at household level.
"But at the end of the day, it is not only the dissemination of that report. It is the application of the information that is given at a household level," Nkomo said.
He said the department looks at resilience before, during and after a disaster, focusing on mitigation and building back better to ensure communities do not continue to suffer after every disaster.
"So we will look at resilience before a disaster strikes, during the disaster and after the disaster," he said.
"Because in disaster risk management we talk about building better. The communities must not continue to suffer just because of a disaster. There must be mitigation and finally the projects which are done to bring back life to normalcy."
ActionAid Zimbabwe is commemorating this year's International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction under the theme Youth Demanding Accountability.
