#disastermanagement

19 December - I decided to pay a visit in our barangay hall in San Pedro City in order to have a sit-down interview with our barangay kagawad Jairus Ubana. 

The good thing about here is that he is also my co-member in a church-based organization called Joseph Marello Youth wherein I am given the chance to interact with him whenever possible.

San Pedro City Municipal Hall

As I was conversing with him, he emphasized series of hazards or calamities that our barangay faces every now and then. These include natural calamities like typhoon and flooding. Such disastrous events occur every month or once in three months depending on the weather condition. 

The most devastated area as per their barangay reports will be Console 12 and a reason for this is the mere fact that they are a low-lying area which makes them prone to flooding whenever the city is struck by a typhoon. Because of these, its residents suffer weeks or even a month of continuous rehabilitation to recover from their losses brought by the calamity. A lot of families have their houses torn down by typhoons as well as an evident decrease in the economic status of the community is observed. 

Natural disasters – such as hurricanes, cyclones, earthquakes, mudslides, floods, wildfires, volcanic eruptions and weather events like extreme droughts and monsoons – are likely increasing in frequency due to climate change. These events bring with them a host of issues, including humanitarian, public health, environmental and infrastructural problems.

Jairus Ubana along with his fellow government officials in their annual school supplies distribution in public schools in Barangay San Vicente.

The barangay officials are also focusing on disaster preparedness as they deem it to be very important in order to ensure zero casualties and to prevent further damage on personal and communal properties. Different seminars on disaster risk reduction management are being held in various villages in our barangay to expound the knowledge of its residents on precautionary measures and immediate preparations to assure the safety of everyone in the household.

Besides the seminars, they also conduct first-aid training especially for the teenagers and potential volunteers in case calamities occur. 

First-aid training is annually being held to teach people basic life support and ways on how to respond in different situations in need of immediate care. I myself is one of its participants and true enough, I wasn’t just able to learn the whole process but also enjoy every second of it, 

Here is a picture of one of the village courts in the barangay and it also served as an evacuation place before whenever earthquakes occurred in the place.

Its best practices certainly include its monthly clean-up drive to prevent clogging of waterways which is also a leading cause of extreme flooding in the area. It also implements a proper waste segregation to educate people to segregate their trash properly. All recyclable materials are used to build Christmas decors that are placed in the barangay or the municipal hall.

This important initiative, organized by the Disaster Management Centre in collaboration with the World Food Programme, focuses on strengthening disaster resilience, climate preparedness, and sustainable development in Sri Lanka.

📅 Date: 11th June 2026

📍 Venue: Emerald Hall, Courtyard by Marriott Colombo

🕘 Time: 9.00 a.m. onwards

✨ Event Highlights:

• Business Continuity Management Systems (BCMS) Handbook & Curricula for SMEs

• Policy Brief on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sri Lanka

• Consolidated Research Handbook featuring South Asian best practices, indigenous knowledge systems, and locally led DRR solutions

• Panel Discussion: “Roots of Resilience: From Tradition to Transformation”

Mother Nature can be unpredictable! 🌨️ A massive hailstorm and heavy rain recently hit Jaipur, leaving crops damaged and trees uprooted across Jhotwara. But the government is moving fast to fix it.

Minister Col. Rajyavardhan Rathore has stepped in with a clear mission: Immediate Relief and Future Safety.

The Plan of Action: 📋

Survey & Support: Officials are on the ground assessing crop damage to ensure farmers get their compensation quickly. 🌾

Restoring Power: Teams are working double shifts to fix fallen electricity poles and restore power to affected homes. 💡

Clearing the Path: Fallen trees are being cleared from main roads to get traffic moving again. 🚛

Safety First: Col. Rathore has ordered a "Safety Audit" of all electric wires and poles to prepare for the upcoming rainy season.