Disasters, both natural and human-made, are inevitable and we do not always know when and where they will happen. But their worst effects can be partially or completely prevented by preparation, early warning and swift responses.
The tremors that were felt in Doha after a severe earthquake on the western coastline of Iran on Tuesday afternoon should serve as a wake-up call to authorities in Qatar to update their plans for preparing and responding to disasters.
The shockwaves of the Iranian quake forced residents of many highrise buildings in Doha to rush out. And lack of preparedness in facing a situation like that was evident in the way it was handled.
But it is a good sign that some senior officials are already aware of the importance of crisis-response operations.
The tremors that sparked panic in Doha on Tuesday were a “good lesson” for everybody to become aware of safety protocols and highlighted the need for better training of staff in highrise buildings, Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRC) secretary general Saleh Ali M al-Muhanadi admitted to this newspaper in an interview on the sidelines of the concluding session of a disaster management training camp.
As he pointed out, Tuesday’s tremors highlighted the fact that most highrise buildings in Doha have not taken the trouble to mark out an assembly or meeting point for people to gather quickly in the event of a disaster. Even where the building operators have marked out assembly points, most people do not know where they are.
All residents of buildings must know about the location of assembly points nearby. Periodical drills must be conducted for this. In fact such exercises should be made mandatory for all skyscrapers in Qatar.
The response of people on Tuesday also pointed to a couple of other problems.
Most people, al-Muhanadi noted, were standing between highrises, exposing themselves to a greater danger. Also, many people used lifts while rushing out. Stairs would make a safer way to get out of buildings during earthquakes.
Managers and operators of highrise buildings in Doha must learn from Tuesday’s experience and must train their staff and carry out periodical evacuation drills. “Every building is supposed to have a system that guides you to the right way,” al-Muhanadi pointed out. It should also have somebody in charge of security and preparedness.
Iran, which sits on major fault lines, has suffered several devastating earthquakes in recent years, including a 6.6 magnitude quake in 2003 which flattened the southeastern city of Bam and killed more than 25,000 people. In August more than 300 people were killed when two quakes struck the northwest. This means countries in the Arab Gulf region must prepare for such aftershocks in future too.
Organisations and charity groups based in Qatar are already doing sterling work in relief operations abroad, winning praise from various quarters. Qatar should now set an example in devising crisis response operations.