A disaster is defined as: a progressive or sudden, widespread or localised, natural or human-caused occurrence which causes or threatens to cause:

§ death, injury or disease;
§ damage to property, infrastructure or the environment; or
§ disruption of the life of a community; and
§ a magnitude that exceeds the ability of those affected by the disaster to cope with its effects using only their own resources.

A disaster is a natural or man-made event or in the event of a complex disaster it could be a combination of both.

Disasters can strike at any time but being prepared for them can drastically reduce the vulnerability of the inhabitants, as well as the risk to infrastructure and the impact to the environment.

Conducting vulnerability and capacity risk assessments play a vital role in ensuring that organisations, municipalities, districts, provinces and the national government are clued up with regards to the possible hazards they may face and the severity of expected impacts.

On the back of these assessments a disaster management plan can be put into place. This will include implementing early warning systems and having standard operating procedures to follow for each identified scenario as well as having contingency plans in place to address unexpected hazards.

Wittstock Risk Management Consultancy recently assisted the University of Cape Town(UCT) deal with the making safe phase of the Fire Damage Project after Table Mountain and the University were ravaged by a fire with devastating effects.

Wittstock Risk Management Consultancy can assist organisations and the various spheres of government conduct vulnerability and capacity risk assessments, draft disaster risk management plans and implement the identified interventions and early warning systems in order to expedite disaster risk reduction.