Abu Dhabi: Initial assessment of the risks facing Abu Dhabi show that road accidents, fires and workers’ protests are the top threats to the capital.
However, these ratings may change as more data is collected by the National Emergency Crisis and Disaster Management Authority (NCEMA) under a dabatase set to be completed by 2018, Ahmad Awad Al Katheri, head of prevention at the Authority, told Gulf News.
The official was speaking at the sixth Business Continuity and Emergency Response Forum which kicked off on Monday in the capital.
“The UAE has excellent capabilities in dealing with crises. The only issue is that our geographical location as a country being so close to Northern Iran where a number of risks are prevalent, places us in a position that might be seen by international organisations as a disadvantage. However, our internal capacities and skill sets in dealing with possible threats makes up for whatever vulnerabilities we may be perceived as having,” he said.
However, the UAE does have a few weak points in the realm of community engagement in Early Warning Systems (EWS), a Ministry of Interior expert believes.
Dr Abdullah Ali Ahmad Al Hamoudi, Head of Occupational Health, Safety Emergency Management and Public Safety at Abu Dhabi Police, said that risk knowledge and monitoring are present in the UAE but need to be developed.
“The role of communities within the EWS is not clearly defined. Also, members of the community are uninformed and unaware of federal plans and, as a result, they do not know the procedures in the event of the arrival of early warning,” Al Hamoudi’s thesis explained.
“Some might think that technology is sufficient in replacing community engagement when making early warnings but devices are of no use if people are not interested in them. There needs to be feedback to understand what the most effective way to engage the community is and grab their attention in case of a crisis or emergency,” he told Gulf News.
Currently, the Ministry of Interior has deployed Variable Message Signs on some of Abu Dhabi city’s main roads that inform motorists when there is congestion, fog or a closed lane ahead.
“However, my research among Abu Dhabi and Fujairah residents, a sample of 1,065, has concluded that the majority of individuals (77.5 per cent) would prefer to receive any warning messages via SMS than other media,” he said.
Al Hamoudi believes that EWS should help people prepare ahead of disasters and crises by allowing them to take the necessary precautions.
“The members of the community need to accept early warning messages and interpret them well, to handle the situation and respond. Early warning messages should be taken very seriously,’ the researcher wrote.
