The Disaster Risk Management Centre demonstrated how drones can be utilised as part of early warning systems for high risk areas, in the event of a disaster.
The City’s Disaster Risk Management Centre hosted a two-day capacity building workshop for residents of an informal settlement in Kensington, to mark International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
The exercise was hosted in collaboration with DMS NPC and QP Drone Tech.
Participants were educated on different types of disasters, and mitigation measures, as well as compiling a list of hazards applicable to their environment, and what could be done to mitigate the risks associated with these particular hazards.
The DRMC also focused on early warning systems that could be implemented in the event of a disaster.
‘In an emergency, you need to get the right message out to as many people as quickly as possible to save lives and safeguard property. Globally, an example of early warning systems are the ones in place in the event of a tsunami, to allow time for evacuation and reduce the risk to public safety. Here in the city, our communication around adverse weather forecasts, and what residents can do to reduce the impacts, is quite well established. It is very important for local communities too to have a means of communicating important messages or risks effectively, and while loud-hailing has long been part of the City’s arsenal, the introduction of drone technology in this particular workshop was very exciting, both for disaster risk reduction in general, but also for the participants who had the opportunity to interact with the tech,’ said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith.
The DRMC conducts at least 25 Community Based Risk Assessment workshops per annum.
The 18th Avenue Informal Settlement was identified to be part of the programme, as the area is prone to localised flooding in winter.