The metro is investing heavily in disaster readiness, combining new equipment, advanced technology, and improved co-ordination to better protect its residents from the growing risk of floods, storms, fire and other emergencies.
Buffalo City’s metro’s disaster management centre (DMC) recently received two specialised bakkies, purchased this year at for R1.8m, said city spokesperson Bongani Fuzile.
Built for rough terrain, these bakkies will help response teams access hard-to-reach communities quickly during disasters, he said.
More money has already been secured in the 2025/2026 and 2026/ 2027 budgets to expand the fleet across the metro’s three regions.
He said they were also bringing in new weather stations with a pilot project to introduce severe weather early warning systems.
Each station combines weather sensors with live data so that the municipality can establish long-term climate trends and be able to issue early alerts to communities at risk.
When they are in place, the metro expects to be on top of its game in handling extreme weather events.
Planning is receiving attention. Fuzile said the city wants to know exactly where to put its disaster resources to work at the right time.
The centre is conducting a vulnerability assessment and from that will write up a “Level 1 and level 2 disaster management plan”.
The city wanted to improve its prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery actions.
Disaster officials were revisiting the city’s 2012 disaster management framework, which first mapped out areas which would be affected by climate change.
Future infrastructure is also apparently coming. The municipality has set aside land for the construction of a brand new disaster management centre that will comply with national minimum standards.
This will put the metro at the forefront of readiness for disasters small and major.
The centre works off the critical social compact of collaboration, working with internal and external advisory committees and groups — different government departments, NGOs, volunteers, and private sector partners. He said they were building a co-ordinated network which had ready-to-go contingency plans.
He said the city had strong working relations with provincial and national disaster management centres and neighbouring municipalities.
It was important to share information and expertise beyond individual local government boundaries.
This collaboration shone through the extreme rain bomb on June 8 to 10 in which 109 people died, many in the Mthatha area.
Shack settlements were devastated, roads were gouged.
He said the city secured its first ever municipal disaster response and recovery grant — R122,6m for repairs and relief for hardest-hit communities.
He said that despite limited staffing of seven, the disaster centre team earned respect for their committed efforts and showing urgency.
The team included management, officers, and administration.
He said the team received great support from NGOs, businesses, and community members, who put in time, resources, and even sourced relief supplies.
Out in the communities, during moments of devastation and trauma, they had made a big difference.
He said the city leadership was determined to build on these collaborations and build true resilience.
The new bakkies, with their emergency response fittings, the new weather stations and drawing up of tangible disaster plans of action showed that the metro was gearing up to be fit and ready for the future.
“Our priority is to safeguard lives and strengthen resilience.
“The projects underway, whether through new vehicles, early warning systems, or the development of long-term disaster plans, demonstrate that Buffalo City is serious about preparedness, response, and recovery,” Fuzile said.
They were charting a path toward greater disaster readiness that relies on innovation, collaboration, and a strong sense of responsibility toward residents.
