SA needs to improve readiness for natural disasters - Ramaphosa
President
Cyril Ramaphosa's acknowledged the need to strengthen the country's early
warning system to improve our preparedness and response to natural
hazards.
Ramaphosa met with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the business community in KZN yesterdat to discuss plans to rebuild and save jobs - a month after the province's devastating floods.
"Our collective state of readiness for natural disasters has to be drastically improved and disaster risk assessments of all provinces have to be regular and ongoing," he said.
Ramaphosa said the impact of climate change needs to be integrated into all government planning. This includes climate-proofing human settlements, building resilience in the agricultural sector and constructing climate-resilient infrastructure.
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"This disaster proved that we are not as ready as we should be. We need to put together measures, structures and processes, and various initiatives to ensure that we are disaster-ready."
Ramaphosa said the country's economic recovery - depends on how KZN bounces back.
"You spoke very articulately about the infrastructure that's in bad shape and you said infrastructure needs to be replaced and clearly that going to cost quite a lot of money," he told those in attendance.
"We now have to put our heads together."
