Disaster Management Centre
Eden District Municipality Disaster Management Centre
throughout the district and no formal joint operation command facility existed. Establishing the centre cost approximately R16 million and a further +/- R10 million operational cost for first four years. Most of the capital items were on a lease to own basis. Its current operational cost is approximately R4 million per annum.
The Eden District Municipality Disaster Management Centre (DMC) is situated in George on the Garden Route coastline in the Western Cape
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he Eden District Municipality Disaster Management Centre (DMC) was original established in December 2008 and is situated in George on the Garden Route coastline in the Western Cape. Eden’s Disaster Management operates on a budget of budget R5 087 070 for the 2015/2016 year period and has a population of 574 265 (2011 census). We met with the Head of Centre, Gerhard Otto and his team during a recent visit to George.
Otto provided a foundation and background to the Eden District Municipality’s Disaster Management Centre. The establishment of a proper functioning emergency and disaster management centre has been in the planning since 2004 but it was only after the 2006/2007 floods that Eden’s executive management realised the importance of a centralised coordination platform for the district. Before the establishment of the centre communications were fragmented
Head of centre is Gerhard Otto
Wouter Jacobs
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Disaster Management
Organisational structure and staff The Eden DMC is housed in the Emergency Services Section of the Community Services Department with Clive Africa as the executive director. The section is managed by Gerhard Otto, manager for emergency services, which is divided into two sub components namely Fire Services and the Eden Disaster Management Centre. The Disaster Management Centre is essentially split in two main functional areas, the emergency call centre and the disaster management section. The call centre is staffed by emergency services personnel, private ambulance staff, Eden District Municipality call centre staff as well as volunteers. The call centre operational command is executed by two supervisors, Stella Bouwer (Tippie) and Quinton Piek.
Tippie Bouwer Volume 1
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