The Critical Role Played by Governments in Disaster Risk Reduction
 As we prepare to commemorate International Lightning Safety Day (ILSD-2021), let us remind ourselves of the critical role governments can play in promoting lightning safety.

In the last month, two stories about lightning reminded us of the critical role played by governments in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), specifically, in promoting lightning safety. These are the stories of Khanyiso, a school boy in South Africa, killed by lightning in March, and Sandra Akullu, a village girl in northern Uganda who cannot get married because she is accused of carrying a charm which brought down lightning that killed her stepmother eleven years ago.

According to the story of Khanyiso, the writer thinks that if government had fulfilled its pledge of a school bus for pupils who walk many miles to and from school, the boy would not have been struck by lightning as he was walking home after school. Social services provided by governments vary from region to region, and there are those which are specific to a country. For example, not many African countries would have such a public service as school buses for children. Most of these unique services are best understood using the historical perspective: in South Africa, this service was supposed to address the historical social-economic imbalance brought about by apartheid regimes of the past.

However, the moral of the story is that governments should work to fulfil their promises because they carry many implications. In the case of Khanyiso, provision of a school bus would have provided lightning safety, the writer asserts, even though that was not the original objective.

The story of Sandra Akullo in Uganda reminds us of public safety messaging and the shaping of perceptions in communities. The absence of these messages creates lacunae that can be filled by any wild imagined theory. It is alleged that on a cloudy day, Sandra transported a charm to her stepmother’s house that immediately brought down lightning which killed the stepmother. What an imagination! It was already cloudy and science informs us that lightning is a byproduct of the process of rain formation. This story does not explain how Sandra or her charm created the clouds nor how she survived this 'immediate' strike herself.

 Again, public safety messages to counter such wild imaginations can only be effective if governments are involved. This is because governments, especially in the developing world, are the single biggest influencers of opinions.

At ACLENet, we are ready to work with governments, especially departments responsible for DRR, to deliver appropriate public safety messages.