Challenges in managing technological disasters in Cameroon: Case study of Cameroon's worst train Crash—the Eséka train disaster

A Concise Appraisal of Cameroon’s Hazard Risk Profile: Multi-Hazard Inventories, Causes, Consequences and Implications for Disaster Management

“…Only data that the researcher could access from diversified sources was used since Cameroon does not have a repository of contemporary hazards occurring within the national territory. Indeed, many small-scale hazards in rural communities are not reported or documented [18,26]. The availability of such local data could have enhanced the hazard profiling.…”

“…Cameroons' economic and population growth has also given rise to technological hazards, and social/intentional hazards while regular civil strife/unrest in the Anglophone regions are rooted in the country's colonial and political history [16]. Indeed, social, economic, health, environmental, cultural, and demographic factors make Cameroonians highly vulnerable to disaster risks [17,18]. Due to its geology, geography (climate, relief, topography etc.)…”

“…Cam nomic and population growth has also given rise to technological hazards, an tentional hazards while regular civil strife/unrest in the Anglophone regions a the country's colonial and political history [16]. Indeed, social, economic, heal mental, cultural, and demographic factors make Cameroonians highly vulner aster risks [17,18]. Concerns regarding the increasingly interconnected, complex, and cascading nature of different hazards, including their potential consequences on human, financial, natural, social, and physical capital [20] are relevant to Cameroon's DRP.…”

“…Concerns regarding the increasingly interconnected, complex, and cascading nature of different hazards, including their potential consequences on human, financial, natural, social, and physical capital [20] are relevant to Cameroon's DRP. This is substantiated by empirical evidence from several studies underlining the growing disaster risks in the country, and the inability of the disaster risk management system to effectively mitigate and respond to the residual and emerging risks [8,9,18,19,[21][22][23][24][25][26]. The implication is that these hazards are easily transformed into disasters and complex emergencies, leading to fatalities, destruction of property, population displacement and damages to the predominantly agrarian livelihood of the vulnerable and poor populations [9,21,23,27].…”

“…The provision of regular clean portable drinking water to many local communities and well-equipped health centers and clinics would be helpful to curb these health risks. For instance, COVID-19 exposed the fragile state of Cameroon's health system and the country's low resilience to the pandemic [18] with related governance issues in the management of the crisis [119]. Being proactive in sustaining the health care system is critical in tackling these hazards including unprecedented pandemics like COVID-19.…”