Why disaster management should now be the govt's top priority

Cyclone Ditwah has passed. But the damage it has caused is irreversible. With over 400 recorded deaths and more people still marked as missing, the Cyclone had affected over a million people in the country.

- 

Following the 2004 tsunami, people became aware of the extent of a natural disaster. In fact the name tsunami itself was unheard of for a majority of people in the country. It was following the tsunami that policymakers started taking disaster management more seriously. Subsequently, the Disaster Management Act No. 13 of 2005 was enacted as the primary legislation in Sri Lanka for managing disasters, establishing the National Council for Disaster Management (NCDM) and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC). Its purpose is to protect lives and the environment through the establishment of a framework for disaster planning, preparedness, and response, including the declaration of a state of disaster and the provision of compensation.

The Disaster Management Council is a high-level inter-ministerial body that provides direction and policy guidance for disaster risk management in the country. Its activities include dissemination of early warnings, emergency response and coordination of relief activities, planning and preparedness and mitigation and post-disaster activities.