DISASTER MANAGEMENT AND THE POWER OF SCIENCE

The key to managing future disasters is through the smart utilisation of science

- BY PROF. MICHAEL G. PETTERSON

Cyclone Ditwah and Sri Lanka

(zoom.earth/storms/ditwah-2025)

As Sri Lanka has witnessed through the intense impact of Tropical Cyclone Ditwah, the power of nature is there for all to see, feel, hear, and grieve over.

The hubris of humanity deludes us. We cannot control nature in its most powerful manifestation. The lesson we should learn is to live with nature, listen to nature, and learn from nature. The most effective method of managing disasters, mitigating disasters, or even avoiding disasters is to smartly apply the science that is readily available to all. Smart science utilisation educates all about the magnitude, scale, duration and likely outcomes of natural phenomena. This approach feeds into developing a culture of living with nature, planning our country with nature in mind, training the scientists we need, strengthening scientific and disaster management departments and institutions, joining up decision makers and scientists, and dramatically increasing the scientific awareness of the whole population. This is a surefire way of reducing the devastation of potential disasters. BUT: it's a hard road, a difficult road, and one that requires the sustainability of a safe nation focus, decade after decade. This article focuses briefly on the science of cyclones/storms, rivers, and landslides: the three natural phenomena that bring the most frequent disasters to Sri Lanka.

Worldwide Cyclone Paths

Bay of Bengal Cyclone Paths

Tropical Cyclones