Natural Disaster Management

The repertoire of Indigenous Knowledge that communities in the four study areas – Kenya, Tanzania, Swaziland and South Africa – draw on to deal with natural disasters is very large.  This knowledge serves communities well within the traditional power structures.  The successful application of this knowledge is based on good prognosis, close observation and a thorough understanding of the local environment.

These elaborate power structures ensure that communities are properly guided on the actions to take to prevent or mitigate disasters.  Signs of coming disaster are obvious to everyone and this leads to instinctive response and preparation for coming events without necessarily being instructed as such by elders.

People revere elders in their role of divining climatic conditions and natural disasters.  The culture and belief system of a community also influences its response to disaster.  In most communities disasters were believed to be of supernatural origin and as such the communities affected resigned themselves to the fact that they had no power to stop them once triggered but could only mitigate their effects.