By Catherine Davison
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Across the globe, coronavirus health threats are adding new volatility to disaster preparedness planning. Since the pandemic was declared in March, at least three major storms have threatened parts of Asia and the Pacific: Amphan in India and Bangladesh, Typhoon Vongfong in the Philippines, and Cyclone Harold in the Pacific.
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The storms have also revealed emerging problems: vulnerable groups often ignored at the best of times are still overlooked, recovery and rebuilding may also take longer as economies struggle, and damage to regional healthcare hubs could escalate disease dangers – and coronavirus risks – by cutting off access for underserved communities.
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“Pre-positioning is key during disasters under normal circumstances, but particularly under the COVID situation where the country is on shutdown and it’s harder to procure things,” said Azmat Ulla, head of the IFRC’s Bangladesh office.
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Both climate change and the coronavirus pandemic are adding new risks to disasters. Frontline countries “need to learn to start managing uncertainty”, said the NDMA’s Kamal Kishore.