Yes, being prepared for something unpredictable is weird. How can we exactly be prepared for the disaster? Well, it's true that no one can predict when disasters befall, but we can always reduce the disaster risk. Reducing disaster risk is about reducing the underlying causes of risks which are closely related to vulnerability. For this, we need to look at what is available and accessible to individuals, families and communities and building on those existing capacities, which can be done only through a sustained effort. This sustained effort can be termed as disaster-preparedness plan.During the training, we made a plan for our family on what things we need in case of an emergency, what step should be immediately taken after the disaster, and how we can ensure the safety of maximum people and property. It took us many hours simply to brainstorm about it, but finally when we had the plan in hand, I couldn't help but wonder what difference it could have made if only we had brainstormed this plan before April 25!
We knew our country was prone to earthquakes, but we had perhaps silently convinced ourselves that it wouldn't strike during our lifetime. That's why, when the 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit us that ill-fated day, all we could see around us was chaos and helplessness. No one knew what to do. The government, despite its claims that it worked really hard, wasn't able to make its people happy. Even weeks following the disaster, many earthquake victims continued to suffer in fear and hunger as the disaster took away their homes and loved ones.
Disaster data for the past three decades show the increasing disaster trends, both in the number of events and impacts. UNDP/BCPR study in 2004, ranked Nepal, in terms of relative vulnerability to earthquakes, as the 11th most at risk country in the world, and 30th with respect to floods. Another report of World Bank classifies Nepal as one of the global 'hot-spots' for natural disasters.
Therefore, in order to manage disasters, a concerted as well as integrated national effort is required in the plans. Various government, non-government, and international organizations have been working in the sector of disaster management, but these investments and efforts aren't being effectively managed. With the chaos we witnessed post the disaster, I can confidently say that whatever has been done till now, it's not enough.
Bhawana is a Global Youth Ambassador of Education of United Nation's global education
initiative, and Teach For Nepal Fellow.
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