Southern African regional conference on disaster management

The 2013 Southern African Regional conference on Disaster Management (SACDM) presents an integrated approach to Disaster Management. It offers innovative and important avenue for Policy Makers; Local Government including Central Government, Regional, Municipal, Town and Village Council, District and Provincial Leaders; Disaster Management Committee Members and Officials; Town Planners; Engineers; Infrastructure planners and Constructors; Healthy Professionals; Directors, Executives and Decision Makers representing the Central Governments; Education leaders and others from all industries in all Southern Africa to debate, discuss, share views and exchange experiences that should advance modern strategies essential for integrated multi-sectoral and multi-disciplinary process of planning and implementation of measures aimed at disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery and rehabilitation in Southern Africa.

Southern Africa, in general, is a region prone to different types of natural disasters and multiple-vulnerabilities ranging from high levels of draughts and floods to other factors such as the compound proportions of multidimensional poverty, spread of HIV/AIDS; the degradation of the environment, seismic activity, climate change, food shortages; technological and other human induced hazards and slow economic growth. Over the recent years, Southern African countries have been experiencing different types of disasters including floods, bush fire, road and industrial accidents. The frequency and magnitude of these disaster/hazards differs from country to country. Except for a few of these hazards/disaster types, almost all of them occur in at least more than one Southern African countries.