Editorial: Get People Involved in Disaster Preparedness

The Sikkim State Disaster Management Authority has set up district level units and revived the Civil Defence teams in the State. Next up, it plans to conduct training and awareness programmes for these units. This is welcome news for a State, which, although not untouched by natural disasters, had suffered them only as localized events until the 18 September 2011 earthquake rolled through the entire state and unraveled all disaster preparedness plans its token efforts on that front had drafted. The immediate days after the earthquake were of confusion and panic, a condition made worse by the collapse of communication networks. A detailed checklist on things to do and a clear chain of command on how a coordinated response should be mounted in the event of such a situation arising again should figure among the first undertakings. The district authorities, police deployments and civil society organizations have a proven track record of handling localized disasters with reasonable effectiveness, what the State is in desperate need of is a preparedness and mitigation plans when disasters leave a wider footprint and the regular channels of communication and connectivity are disrupted. A ready-reckoner on alternatives needs to be in place in advance to expedite response time and every professional required for such emergency situations should know where to report in such an eventuality. The Disaster Management Authority should also work closely with the local residents and build their plans with inputs from them instead of talking down to the ‘stakeholders’ as is the norm with government officers. The residents will be able to flag potential ‘disasters’ better with their collective memories of having lived in particular areas for generations and their involvement is important even for reaching the affected areas when the road network [the first casualty in the case most disasters in Sikkim] is no longer available and the helicopter option not always feasible. While the general templates for disaster preparedness plans can be prepared with expert inputs at workshops and government offices, the finer details have to be customized down to the village level and nuanced for region-specific ground realities, threats and mitigation possibilities. This requires working with the people against the general tendency among officers and “service providers” of “working for” the people. Efforts to get the people involved will have to be earnest and once their confidence has been won, Sikkim could have a fighting chance at gifting itself the most practical and effective of disaster preparedness and mitigation plans.