Authors: Rosemary Musvipwa [Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in

Journalism and Media Studies, Msc in Journalism and Media Studies] and
Henri-Count Evans [Bachelor of Science Honours Degree in Journalism and
Media Studies, MA Research student in Communication Studies]

Title
The state of disaster risk preparedness and response in Zimbabwe: Lessons
from Tokwe-Mukosi floods.
Disaster preparedness and risk reduction are integral components of sustainable
social innovation and development. The number of disasters experienced since 2002
have been on an increase in Zimbabwe and the countrys capacity to cope has been
very weak and this has negatively affected the livelihoods of many people especially
those in drought and flood prone areas. The countrys disaster preparedness and
response capacity is essentially linked to social and economic susceptibility of the
country as a whole.
Disaster preparedness entails a systems capacity to notice and monitor disaster
inevitability and then put relevant mechanisms to prevent damage through proactive
mechanisms. Disaster response encompasses the capacity of a system to effectively
react to a disaster through resource (both capital and human) allocation and
deployment meant to minimise both human and environmental damage. The
objectives of this study were to firstly examine the state of disaster preparedness
and response mechanisms in place in Zimbabwe and secondly to assess the actual
use and implantation of such mechanisms in cases of disaster outbreak. The study
was qualitative and employed the case study method for in-depth analysis. The
Tokwe-Mukosi floods that took place in 2014 in Masvingo province were used to
assess the Zimbabwean governments disaster preparedness and response profile.
The study revealed that the country has weak budgetary support systems in terms of
funds allocation towards preventive measures, relief efforts and post-disaster
mechanisms to restore normalcy. The communities in flood prone zones have poor
evacuation know-how and lack access to means of communications that can
facilitate easy and efficient evacuation in cases of disasters.