Similarly, disaster management is a multi-disciplinary field focused on minimising losses from the vast array of hazards that face South Africa today. Top of page 1.5. There is a significant relationship in the way that disasters and development affect one another. However, these disasters adversely affect households and individuals who feel the consequences most due to loss of income or breadwinner members. Disasters depress the non-formal economy through the direct costs of lost equipment, infrastructure, housing, lives and household utensils.
Disasters also result in indirect costs such as loss of employment and economic losses.
For example, housing projects that encourage the use of home-made bricks designed to withstand high winds or heavy rainfall result in less destruction during the next tropical storm. Development can reduce vulnerability Disasters do highlight high-risk areas where action must be taken before another disaster strikes. For example, the Pietermaritzburg flood disaster of 25 December 1995 highlighted a need for speedy development in Edendale, and it prompted the government to build formal houses in Edendale. Development can increase vulnerability Development can increase the vulnerability of communities, e.g., by creating employment opportunities, you attract scores of people who flock to urban areas to look for jobs and settle on dangerous locations. Disasters set back development Disasters set back years and years of investment in development.