IMPERATIVES OF LOCAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT STRUCTURES

By Innocent Adikwu

Disasters happen suddenly, most of the time without warning. The community is thrown into
confusion; lives and property are in grave danger. Response to the emergency must commence
immediately or it may be too late to save lives and property.

Disaster response is a natural reaction. There is usually an unnatural solidarity resulting in a frenzy of
activity, though often inefficient, in the task of rescuing persons who are trapped. Old rivalries and
conflicts are suspended temporarily and the community is united in their effort to rescue victims of the
disaster.

But the need to do something creates an urgent demand for leadership. Frequently, the public is so
bewildered and overawed by the devastation that only a good leadership can mobilize them to act
coherently. Leadership in such a situation can only come from local emergency managers.

TOTAL AREA
Nigeria has a total area of 923,768 square kilometers. The vast size means that effective disaster
response plan for the country cannot work without local participation. How else can you cope with a
situation that can happen suddenly, anywhere and must be attended to spontaneously?

EXAMPLE OF LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGENT

On January 15, 2009, US Airways flight 1549 took off from LaGuardia Airport in New York. It was
soon struck by a swarm of Canadian Geese causing the engines to fail. 155 passengers and crew were
on board.

The pilot, Captain Chesley Sullenberger, 57, a former fighter pilot managed to ditch the plane in
Hudson River barely six minutes after departing from the airport. The controlled ditching of the
airplane was a heroic act by the pilot, but the emergency management aspect soon unfolded. The need
for the rescue operation has arisen suddenly. The plane is on water and sinking in icy cold water and all
the 155 people would drown notwithstanding the heroic performance of the pilot.

Within four minutes – only four minutes, the first ferry Thomas Jefferson had arrived at the scene to
evacuate the passengers. Within 20 minutes numerous ferries and rescue boats had surrounded the
aircraft. Vessels and helicopters from New York City Fire Department, New York City Police, New
Jersey State Police, Nassau County Police and private organizations were on hand. All 155 passengers
and crew were successfully evacuated, thanks to the robust local emergency management capability.

IKEJA CANTONMENT EXPLOSIONS

Let us compare this with some local incidents. The Ikeja Cantonment Ammunition Dump explosions,
as a result of which over one thousand people perished, is one disaster we should not forget in a hurry.
Those who died were victims of collective panic during which a group pattern of orderly behavior is
replaced by a group pattern of panic, causing people to flee from a relatively mild danger into much
greater danger. The explosions were terrifying but it was not shrapnel from the bombs that killed the
people. It was the deep toxic water of Oke Afa cannal in which they drowned as they attempted to
cross over to safety that caused the heavy casualty.

There were safer options, which if local managers were on ground would have mitigated the Oke-Afa
disaster. Because there were no emergency managers to take charge, individual's fear and his

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evaluation of the danger, augmented by the signals he received from others which tended to indicate
that flight was the only conceivable course of action, people trampled one another in vain efforts to
reach safety.

OGUNPA FLOOD
Ibadan, like any other community, is not immune to disaster. The city has experienced devastating fire
incidents, deadly road accidents, communal disturbances and of course the Ogunpa flood of August
1980 in which over 100 people lost their lives. Over 5000 houses were destroyed and 50,000 residents
were rendered homeless by that flood.

There was almost a pattern to the occurrence of Ogunpa flood, but action was not taken to avert the
danger until after the deadly one in 1980. Record shows that the river overtopped its banks causing
severe flooding in 1956, 1960, 1963, 1978 and then 1980. The channelization of the river and
resettlement after the deadly incident in 1980 were proactive measures taken by the government to
prevent future flooding. It is a good example of disaster risk reduction practice in which hazard and
vulnerability compel the government to undertake projects that prevent and or mitigate disasters. But,
sadly, because there is no effective state emergency management agency here, the water channel that
kept Ibadan safe from flooding since 1980 was systematically being filled up and blocked with refuse
and illegal structures and other impediments to water flow. Thank God the government of Oyo State
acted in time by taking necessary measures to avert another disaster.

Disaster management is a developmental issue. In the planning stages of programs and projects, all you
need to do is to integrate features that protect lives and property. This will prevent or mitigate the
colossal losses associated with disasters. A single disaster could throw the government into financial
crisis. Disaster management is, in this regard, financial prudence.

JESSE OIL PIPELINE EXPLOSION

Remember Jesse oil pipeline explosion? It occurred on October 18, 1998 and 1082 deaths were
attributed to the blast. It remains the most deadly explosion resulting from pipeline vandalism to date.
The country could not extinguish the fire that started on October 18 until October 23 when a fire
fighting company from the United States of America did with nitrogen-rich foam. Not a very good
testimonial, if you ask me.

Innocent Adikwu, Media Consultant, NEMA

 

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