Role of Community during Disaster

 

A disaster is any unexpected tragedy or natural calamity that results in significant loss of life or property. There can be multiple examples of disasters that can hit a state, however, the current unfortunate disaster that hit Pakistan in 2022 is the flood which was the aftermath of extreme monsoon rains.

Moreover, quite concerning stats were reported in an article by World Weather Attribution, as three times than the average monsoon rainfall were reported which broke all the records of previous years. In the province of Sindh and Balochistan, the rainfall was 7 to 8 times higher than the expected yearly monsoon.

It’s undoubtedly these rains and flood have created havoc in Pakistan and caused the loss of precious lifes, livestock, crops and destruction of infrastructure. In these testing times, the joint effort of government, NGOs and citizens of Pakistan are needed so the situation can be improvised.

During these situations, its essential that community come forward, stay united and should be willing to lend a hand in their area of expertise.

The following practices should be normalized whenever a calamity hits

• The first and crucial step is to send crisis management teams that are trained under government and other emergency institutes to the disaster effected areas.
• The media channels and weather forecasts should warn people and timely inform of the disaster expected to hit the further areas so people can be evacuated from other areas.
• The elderly citizens can contribute generously in terms of money, material and rations to the NGOs helping during these times so the rescue and restoration work can be continued.
• The young citizens can contribute financially & physically by volunteering to work with rescue organizations as well as raising their voice through social media platforms.
• The schools and educated citizens should help raise awareness about the disaster to elementary and high school children, meanwhile telling them the importance of donations and helping them with the ideas and ways where they can contribute.

Lastly, the flood disaster was relatively smaller disaster wrapped up in an even larger disaster which is climate change. Hence, it’s inevitable to start not only raising awareness about it but also take practical steps that are eco-friendly.