Our thoughts prayers remain with our brothers and sisters in Manicaland following the destruction and loss of life caused by cyclone Idai. At Tech Hub we felt challenged to lend a hand by sharing ideas on how future disasters can be managed through technology and how start-ups can come in to help.
The damage inflicted on the country by cyclone Idai could have been anywhere, but it happened in Manicaland, one of the areas in Zimbabwe with some of the most hostile terrains in the country. The response by both the government and the general public including civil society has been swift and is commendable.
What has all this got to do with start-ups and technology? A lot! Many problems have been created by this disaster which can be addressed by a start-up approach. Here are few of the problems we quickly identified.
– No shelter – a number of houses were destroyed and will need to be rebuilt quickly and at an affordable cost
– Loss of communication – many people got separated from loved ones and are seeking to be reunited. The area where this disaster happened is vast and due to the nature of the flooding many people could still be marooned.
– Poor access to food and water – water sources could have been destroyed and will need to be rehabilitated
– Damage to infrastructure – roads, schools, police posts, communication infrastructure was destroyed and will need to be rebuild
– Domestic animals and wildlife were also affected
– School children who survived will need to go back to school and catch up
– Electricity infrastructure was not spared either and will need to rebuild.
– Many were injured or crippled by the cyclone and will need to be rehabilitated and assisted with walking aids.
– A number of areas cut off from other areas as bridges and roads were taken out.
The list of problems created by Cyclone Idai is long and here we have just focussed on the obvious.
As an organisation that works with technology start-ups, Tech Hub is encouraging start-ups to take up challenges presented by the cyclone to help rebuild the area and economy at large.
To direct some of these efforts by start-up we will highlight some of the technologies being used to innovate around challenges of this nature. The biggest challenge that we have identified is that of communication and coordination. A disaster management platform can help resolve challenges quickly and help direct resources where they are needed the most.
Tracking who is still missing and reuniting those who have been found with those looking for them is also a big challenge that can be tackled by using technology. Zimbabwe has many software developers who can come up with systems to account and track the aid that was mobilised by well-wishers.
Zimbabwe, Malawi and Mozambique are not the first countries to be hit by disasters like this. There are a number of cases elsewhere which have been affected and have successfully used technology to help resolve challenges.
Artificial intelligence can be used to help in disaster recovery. During the cyclone a lot of information was posted on social media and such information can be collected and analysed to reconstruct and help those working on saving lives and sending relief where it is needed. Social media has been used a lot in recent years and is often faster at distributing information. AI can help with the analysis of real-time information, sifting through the information to separate fake news from real facts.
Tools like the AIDR, an open source tool developed with the help of the United Nations can be used to sift through social media posts and help relief efforts by mapping issues as they arise in real time. This is important in saving time and directing limited resources to where they are needed the most.
We were happy to see the deployment of drones as the disaster unfolded. In future drones can be used as first time responders. They can take images and relay information to the disaster management centre. People can be trapped or marooned and drones can be helpful. Used with maps and Geo information systems (GIS), drones can be a very powerful tool in reconstructing the path of the cyclone and help in identifying some important information. Cyclone Idai razed to the ground entire homes and buildings, making it difficult to identify victims during the crucial three-day period.
Shelters are also important as it is not easy to quickly reconstruct homes after such as disaster. Home grown solutions such as grass tents (misasa) could be constructed from ready- made frames using locally available materials. Emergency power systems using solar panels and batteries can also be mobilised and installed.
As we try and come to terms with the cyclone and the loss of life, we must continue to innovate and solve our challenges using the tools available to us. Thankfully some work has been done by others who have open sourced some powerful tools that our government and relief departments can harness at little or no cost.
We would like to contribute our knowledge and call upon start-ups and those with knowledge to lend a hand to help rebuild our nation. If you have idea or an innovation that can help rebuild the devastated areas please send us an email at rbvudzijena@brieftechonline.
