Call For Action: Bridging Gaps In Disaster Awareness And Preparedness
The first step is accepting crises as part of modern life and addressing them with a pragmatic mindset highlighted Anshu Gupta
Against a backdrop of economic disruptions, climate change, and systemic vulnerabilities, the conversation highlighted the critical need for scalable strategies and cross-sector collaboration. Opening the dialogue, one point that was discussed was how can existing changemakers and organisations not only sustain their impact but also scale and strengthen it to address the magnitude of future crises? The discussion largely focused on the broader challenges of disaster response and preparedness.
In a discussion titled "Recovery: Responding to Crisis and Preparing for the Future," Anshu Gupta, founder of Goonj and Gram Swabhimaan, engaged with Dr Annurag Batra, Editor-in-Chief and Chairman, BW Businessworld and Founder, exchange4media to explore ways to galvanise communities and rethink disaster preparedness.
Dr Annurag Batra posed a crucial question to set the tone for the dialogue, What is the call to action for those already making an impact? How can they scale their efforts or deepen their influence?
Anshu Gupta responded by emphasising the inevitability of crises and the necessity of resilience. He pointed out that despite growing efforts to tackle environmental and disaster-related challenges, the frequency and intensity of these events continue to rise. According to Gupta, the first step is accepting these crises as part of modern life and addressing them with a pragmatic mindset.
Gupta highlighted a glaring issue in disaster education, using an example from schools. He observed that many institutions still teach children outdated safety measures, such as taking cover under a table during an earthquake. While this advice may have been effective in the past, today’s tables are often made of plastic and offer no real protection. This disconnect, he explained, reflects a broader challenge: a failure to modernise our understanding of and responses to disasters.
He urged leaders to prioritise disaster awareness and preparedness, calling for it to become a core component of leadership agendas. Gupta underscored the far-reaching impact of disasters, noting that millions of lives are affected every day, and stressed that these issues cannot be relegated to the sidelines.
Dr Batra agreed, reinforcing the importance of leadership in addressing these gaps and advocating for forward-thinking solutions. Both speakers called on educators, policymakers, and community leaders to collaborate in equipping individuals with practical knowledge and tools to handle crises effectively.
The discussion concluded with a shared vision of a more resilient society. Gupta and Batra stressed the need to not only respond to disasters but to anticipate them and empower communities with updated, actionable strategies.
Gupta left with a poignant reminder: this is an issue demanding sustained attention, innovation, and collective effort. In a world where disasters are increasingly inevitable, scaling and deepening preparedness is no longer an option—it is a necessity.
