Assessing the Relevance of Emerging Technologies in Disaster Mitigation and Relief Efforts

Southern Africa, which is the site of the study, has been subjected to several floods in recent years. While there have been some considerable efforts in forecasting these disasters in the Southern African context, transmitting the message to vulnerable people has been something of a challenge. This study seeks to determine the extent to which technology can be used in disaster mitigation as well as relief efforts after a disaster, with a specific focus on Zimbabwe and Mozambique. Additionally, arranging for the movement of the people to safer ground has proved to be a challenge. Among the research questions which the study seeks to answer are the following: (a) What are the current technologies that are used in disaster preparedness and mitigation? (b) To what extent have these technologies proved effective in their application? (c) Are these technologies applicable to developing countries suffering from natural disasters? Considering that in some areas technology has been used in mitigation during disasters, as well as post-disaster efforts, this study seeks to ascertain whether or not the application of technology which has been used elsewhere can be replicated in Southern Africa. Considering that in most cases in the aftermath of floods, there are outbreaks of pests and diseases which make the need for technological solutions even more indispensable. Among the technologies employed in these circumstances are machine learning algorithms for predicting floods with reasonable accuracy, and drones for carrying medicine to people stranded on high ground. Additionally, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has also made inroads in developing inundation models that can accurately predict the rise in water levels in a particular area and also assess the “water behaviour”, to avoid flash flooding.