Disaster management lessons should all be implemented at once

THIS edition of the ZO contains extensive coverage of the devastating woodchip fire that had a tremendous impact on the city earlier this month.

In the midst of the tremendous losses suffered as product and equipment went up in flames, many positives emerged, and – perhaps out of relief that things did not get even worse – there has been plenty of back-patting, and deservedly so.

Apart from those who literally faced the flames on the ground or from the air, there were many behind the scenes who contributed in meaningful ways to ensure support and safety and, as early as possible, a resolution to a tense situation.

These ranged from firefighters to those who prepared food for them; from large corporates, government departments and municipalities, to private businesses and the proverbial man and woman on the street.

It was a text book case of best community co-operation in action.

There are, of course, massive bills to be paid and a huge dent in the woodchip export shipping chain – mammoth financial implications.

And let’s not forget the matter of the Mzingazi Canal pollution which resulted in environmental issues, with test results relating to the deaths of marine creatures still awaited.

For us, the real takeaway will be the lessons learnt; and the necessary analyses of the entire catastrophe must be completed and used as a blueprint for future disaster situations.

It is not a question of fingerpointing and playing the blame game, but the fact of the matter was that the collective response was ‘too little, too late’ when it did arrive.

The reality is that the city – and we don’t necessarily mean the municipality – was caught somewhat unprepared, probably because we had not experienced anything on this scale before.

The blaze broke out at lunchtime on Saturday, and the first fire engines on scene arrived to assist the NCT crews a full 24 hours later, while the first Joint Operations Committee sat for the first time on the Tuesday.

All industries should take inventory of their own risk situations, using the NCT disaster as a model for what went right and what went wrong.

It’s a tough way to learn a lesson, but if the lesson is not heeded and we continue as we did before, the outcome will be the same.

Disaster management meetings should be taken seriously and must be attended by decision-makers and experts in the various fields.

Before the memory of this fire fades, we must implement the lessons learnt.