An early warning framework for disaster management in Uganda

Abstract

The purpose of this project was to propose a framework for minimizing risks associated with disaster management to suit the Ugandan context. Well-functioning of such a framework is needed to deliver accurate information dependably and on-time. It should also be people centered to empower communities’ preparedness against natural hazards. Recent series of disasters in Buduuda, Eastern Uganda and Kasese in the west have posed an added concern on the importance of emergency early warning alerts. To propose a comprehensive disaster early warning framework, effectiveness of the existing infrastructure and disaster warning dissemination system has been evaluated for its applicability to most natural disasters. The review of the existing disaster early warning frameworks was conducted to refine the problem. A survey of the local people in Landslide prone area of Buduuda was carried out, and the findings were useful in understanding the current state of practice of disaster management, understanding user needs and requirements, and deciding on the components of the framework to be implemented. The existing literature leverages on high internet speed connections, highly available data repositories and reliable authentication & authorization mechanisms. This creates a challenge in resource limited environments. The proposed framework consists of four main parts, data collection, data processing, information dissemination and data management. It uses SMS and Radio broadcast to directly warn people in remote areas like Buduuda where there is a high level of mobile phone penetration together with an increasing use of radio receivers.