Eye of the storm

At least 45 people are now confirmed dead, with over 200 injured, after severe rains accompanied by strong winds lashed Peshawar city and adjacent areas in Charsadda and Nowshera on Sunday night and Monday morning. The unusual weather phenomenon is being called a ‘mini cyclone’ by weather experts. The time at which the storm struck meant many people were inside their homes with most deaths and injuries caused by falling roofs or walls. It is being reported that around 100 children are among the victims. The cyclone was severe in both scale and intensity. But what is perhaps even more terrifying was the failure of authorities to predict it and thereby help people save themselves. Ironically enough, on Sunday evening the Provincial Disaster Management Authority put out a weather forecast even after the storm had hit Peshawar, stating that the weather would be mainly ‘hot and dry’ with ‘gusty winds’ expected in some parts of the province. Even as this bulletin went out, people battled the storm to try and reach hospitals. The over-whelmed Lady Reading Hospital facility was forced to divert people to the Khyber Teaching Hospital while the provincial administration said the lack of warning left it virtually helpless for many hours.
Natural disasters such as cyclones cannot of course be stopped. But modern tools that allow them to be predicted can help limit damage and loss of life. This did not happen in Peshawar. And this is not the first such instance; we have encountered similar failures before. An emergency has now been declared across the province by the provincial government and all hospitals are on alert. We hope this can help prevent further havoc. The Meteorological Office has termed the cyclone the third worst in the country’s history and a damage assessment exercise has now begun. Initial reports say the losses are formidable, both in terms of loss to infrastructure and to agriculture, including livestock. With more rain forecast the priority must be to prevent further deaths and limit human suffering. A rescue operation is also required besides assessment of why we fail time and again to manage natural catastrophes better. This issue comes up each time disaster strikes, but at the time we tend to put the matter aside – until we are forced to look upon yet another scene of havoc, a portion of which could have been prevented. Disaster preparedness must be seen as a priority and the role of the bodies set up for this assessed in the wake of what took place in Peshawar and other parts of KP. These agencies use taxpayers’ money. It is imperative they serve the purpose they were set up for.