An Analysis of Policy Implementation on Natural Disasters in Sierra Leone: A Case of 2017 Regent Mudslide

Abstract

On 14th August 2017, a mudslide occurred in Sugar Loaf area, causing a huge humanitarian crisis. Over two thousand people were displaced and lost their livelihoods, property, social and infrastructural facilities. The mudslide also affected 116,766 m2 (1,256,858 ft2 ) surface area and more 1,000 people died. While analysts say the 2017 mudslide disaster was man made, issues of over population and overdependence on the environment still exist and were said to be a recipe for disaster. As such, the study sought to investigate the response of the Government of Sierra Leone, in terms of policy implementation in response to the disaster and as part of the national disaster management and prevention strategy. The study also examined government response successes and challenges of the intervention initiatives with a view of assessing the feasibility of government’s adoption of information technology communication in detecting future disasters. The study used the qualitative research design and approaches to data collection. These included in-depth interviews, observation, focus group discussions and document analysis. Triangulation of these approaches was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the responses of the Government of Sierra Leone in the aftermath of the 2017 Mudslide disaster. The qualitative design was adopted because it is essentially subjective in character and seeks to understand human behavior and the reasons that govern the type of behavior. This approach provided insight into government’s response behavior and people’s perceptions towards the government’s response initiatives. The sample comprised 26 families drawn from the 52 displaced families residing in Mile 6 Camp, and 6 key actors involved in environmental disaster management. Other key informants were from the Red Cross, the Office of National Security, the United Methodist Church, and survivors of the 2017 disaster. Findings revealed that the Sierra Leonean government had done a great job in terms of disaster management as compared to previous years. The 2017 mudslide and the 2019 August flooding had to an extent raised some level of awareness among the Sierra Leonean citizens. However, the findings also revealed that there was a lot of work to be done by the Sierra Leonean government in managing natural disasters. This is because Sierra Leone was going to continue to be affected by natural disasters if the government was not going to put in place robust policy and operational natural disaster management systems. Study findings also showed that the country’s disaster preparedness was affected by lack of resources or funds to manage disasters. The government relied heavily on international donor organizations who also had their own interests. The research therefore recommended a form of the “Ujamaa” programme/policy for equal opportunities and programmes in the provinces and rural areas, use of information technology such as geographical information sensors (GIS) to detect disasters.