Prevention of Natural Disasters: What to Do to Reduce Disaster Risks

In the last few decades, natural hazards have become more challenging to manage. Thus, all governments must improve disaster management in their countries. In dealing with natural catastrophes, a nation must conduct several managing phases, such as the prevention of natural disasters.

Governments typically combine this aspect with disaster mitigation. They combine both aspects because prevention and mitigation have similar goals. Their objectives are to reduce the potential suffering and destruction caused by natural hazards.

Disaster Prevention: What is it?

Disaster preventions are actions aimed at preventing a natural phenomenon from becoming a disaster. These actions will not stop natural phenomena, such as heavy rains, heavy snowfalls, and heatwaves from happening.

However, disaster prevention can diminish disaster risks and their effects on society, the economy, and the environment in a large area. Governments and authorities must conduct various assessments before planning for preventive measures.

The objective of this assessment is to know potential disasters in particular regions of a country. Moreover, the assessments involve many aspects, such as environmental and socio-economic conditions. 

This assessment also helps stakeholders know the degree of vulnerability of each region to a similar disaster risk. Some regions may be more vulnerable than others because their socio-economic conditions are not favorable. 

Prevention of Natural Disasters: Measures to Reduce Disaster Risks

An excellent collaboration in reducing natural disaster risks between governments, communities, and non-governmental organizations can lower a region’s vulnerability to those hazards. Below are measures typically taken by governments in the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters.

1. Raise Public Awareness

Raising public awareness about potential disasters is crucial in reducing the impact of those hazards. With this awareness, people know which regions are vulnerable to floods, landslides, earthquakes, or other natural catastrophes.

This knowledge helps them to take particular measures, such as preparing emergency kits, purchasing special insurance, and avoiding vulnerable areas when building or buying houses. 

This awareness will also drive them to learn more about the hazard and what to do when it happens. Consequently, they can prevent this hazard from causing significant harm to their lives.

2. Evacuation Drills

Raising public awareness about disaster risks alone is not enough to reduce the number of potential victims. Governments must also conduct evacuation drills to train communities to stay safe during a natural hazard.

They should organize evacuation training regularly. With regular training, communities will be well prepared for the disaster. Therefore, they will not be panicked when a catastrophe occurs. Consequently, there will be fewer injuries and death tolls caused by the hazard.

3. Save the Environment

Climate change caused by pollution has been proven to trigger extreme weather. This condition can trigger frequent and destructive floods, cyclones, heat waves, and other natural hazards.

The most ideal natural disasters prevention measure to mitigate those hazards is pollution reduction. Therefore, governments must promote sustainable governance and support communities practicing eco-friendly living and business practices.

Moreover, it is also important to conduct other measures to save the environment. This is because the natural hazard risks will increase when people do nothing about the damaged environment. 

Consequently, governments and their people must work together to preserve the environment. Reforestation, preserving water resources, and proper land use are ways to prevent natural disaster and to improve the environment.

4. Resilient Constructions 

The prevention of natural disaster must involve resilient constructions. These structures will not harm people when natural catastrophes occur. In addition, they will not collapse during those emergencies. Therefore, governments will not suffer much from financial loss.

To improve the country’s construction, the government must ensure public buildings and houses in the country meet safety standards and are resilient to a potential disaster. The government also must construct structures, such as floodgates and perimeters, to protect people from disasters.

Cell Broadcast Alerts to Reduce Disaster Impact

Aside from the measures above, governments also utilize early warning systems in disaster prevention. These systems will alert communities about an upcoming hazard. They typically distribute the alert a few minutes before a natural disaster happens.

However, for effective and efficient disaster risk reduction, cell broadcast alerts must be included in those systems. Cell broadcast machines are resilient and powerful. They can disseminate alerts to many cellphone users within seconds. Therefore, these people have enough time to save themselves.

Prevention of natural disasters is an essential phase of disaster management. Preventive measures can minimize the effects of a natural hazard in various aspects. One of these preventive efforts is utilizing EWS cell broadcast alerts. To send these alerts, governments need the best cell broadcasters from smsbroadcaster.com.