“We can’t stop an earthquake from happening, but we must try and predict and reduce susceptibility of humans by managing risks and through targeted interventions,” Dr Andrew Collins, of the Disaster and Development Centre, Northumbria University, once told the writer of the article, Sifelani Tsiko, in June 2011. This was during a disaster risk education outreach programme in Muzarabani.
This rural district suffers from disasters triggered by weather-related hazards such as drought, floods and epidemics such as cholera and malaria. The SADC population is full of anxiety and questions over earthquakes and sharing knowledge and strengthening co-operation in DRR strategies is critical for the region’s future disaster response actions. More research into the region’s earthquake pattern is required to establish concrete links between the quakes and what could be happening under the earth’s surface.