Technology and Disaster Management Technological improvements have seen the face of disaster management in the recent past change significantly from the times when disasters use to strike unawares, the response was uncoordinated, recovery was unprofessionally doe and generally the damages left behind after disasters, be they natural or man made, were of colossal measures. The role of communication in disaster management is the focus of this particular section of the paper, the areas where communication comes in handy to help in disaster management will be highlighted below.

The most significant section of any disaster management is the mitigation of the disaster. If there is anything that can be done to stop a disaster from happening or a natural disaster from affecting a population, then that is deemed the most valuable step. The sensing technologies can be used in mitigating disaster for instance the stream gauging systems to tell the possibility of flooding by river runoff, the earthquake sensors to warn of an approaching earthquake and the use of the data collected by the satellite to map out the vulnerable areas to an approaching cyclone and typhoons. These are data that can be made available through the satellite images and other sensors communicating with a central station.

In the process of disaster preparedness, the use of communication technology cannot be overlooked. There is need to have the first responders communicate with the communities that are likely to be affected and enlighten them on the way they should respond, the safe exit routes, the supplies they will need and even the precautions they need to take in the process. Disasters like terrorist attacks need a lot of education before hand and communication technology is very instrumental in both educating the public on the same and alerting them of any possible terror attacks or other disasters and how to conduct themselves. People who are in vulnerable areas for instance in the case of flooding and mudslides can be warned in advance through...

Authorities can also be made aware of the possible disasters and advised accordingly on what to communicate to the people within their jurisdictions. In the case of any hazardous material exposure, the only reliable tool that can help track its prevalence is the communication technology through which people can call in or send short messages or even emails to give their reports on the same.
The communication technology cannot be overlooked in the response and recovery after a disaster has happened. Once a disaster strikes, there will be need for communication between the first responders and the affected community. With the data collected from the ground of the extent of the damage experienced and the number of people affected, the extent of the effect and the location of the affected, the communication technologies of varying levels can be employed to pass the information to the authorities, institutions and political leaders for immediate action in order to help the people in distress. There can be the use of communication technology to account for the people who area affected by the disaster and the demographic distribution of the affected for better targeted assistance to be sent to them. From the communication systems with feedback mechanisms like the short text on phone, the number of people missing can be accounted for faster in the case of a disaster. In as much as countries and organization may give forth assistance to the affected countries, without the communication technology it would be impossible to ensure the help reached the most needy places and due to the fact that many transport systems may be disrupted by the disasters, communication remains the only means to knowing where the relief is most needed. Once the relief food and other supplies as solicited for, it is through the communication channels like mails and text that the levels of supplies remaining in a given region can be determined. Communication technology can also help the relevant government agencies to examine…