APPROACHES TO DISASTER RISK
REDUCTION
- Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) is a reactive approach to disasters that increasingly focuses on preparedness and response.
- Relevant legislation for mainstreaming DRR lies in including land-use controls and building codes into development activities.
- With DRR there has been a shift in policies from disaster management to disaster risk management.
iv.
DRR is the systematic process of using
administrative decisions, organizational skills, operational skills and
capacities to implement policies, strategies and coping capacities of the
society and community.
v.
DRR can be achieved by:
a.
Institutionalizing local disaster risk reduction
and management office
b.
Establishing an Early Warning System (EWS)
c.
Formulation of communication protocols
d.
Formulation of evacuation procedures at all
levels
e.
Organizing local disaster risk reduction
committees defining functional roles and responsibilities of members and task
units
f.
Establishing Standard Operating Procedures
(SOPs)
g.
Creating awareness in the community through
trainings and seminars.
h.
Integration of Disaster Risk Reduction into Comprehensive
Land Use Plan (CLUP) and land use planning
i.
Integration of hazard, risk and vulnerability
assessment into the development plan
j.
Introduction of ‘cluster approach’ in recovery program
k.
Maintain a good working relationship with
warning agencies and local media
l.
Install warning instruments at selected areas
prone to disasters
m.
Updating hazard profile of all municipalities to
analyse data on human induced disasters for public safety studies
n.
Ensure accurate flow of information before,
during and after disasters through an effective communication system.
vi.
The process of DRR involves analysis of past events
to learn lessons enabling adoption of measures and utilize them in future
thereby successfully reducing risk to disaster.
vii.
However, if lessons learnt from past events are
archived, forgotten and ignored; the vulnerability of the community is
maintained and a repeat occurrence of a disaster with worse consequences can be
easily predicted.
viii.
The following steps are to be followed in
sequence for DRR
a.
Identify, characterize and assess threats
b.
Assess the vulnerability of critical assets to
specific threats
c.
Determine the risks
d.
Identify ways to reduce those risks
e.
Prioritize risk reduction measures based on a
strategy
ix.
Combination of hazard and vulnerability results
in the materialization of a major risk. Whenever a major risk is not managed
efficiently, it results in a disaster
Once risks have been identified and assessed, all techniques to manage
the risk, fall in one or more of these four major categories:
i.
Avoidance (eliminate, withdraw from risk area)
ii.
Reduction (Optimize resources to mitigate effects)
iii.
Sharing (risk transfer or enrollment in
insurance)
iv.
Retention (accept, plan – contingency plans,
evacuation plans, ICS and provision of budget)
Comprehensive DRM involves stakeholders at:
·
All levels of government
·
Private sector
·
Local communities and
·
Civil society for:
o
Implementation of legislative framework
o
Coordination
o
Monitoring mechanism and arrangements
·
Individual disaster risk reduction actions and programs
within the comprehensive DRM and not be treated as discrete, individual
measures.
·
Individual line agencies and local governments
are legally responsible for implementing disaster management
The guiding principles for DRR are:
i.
Institutional and not individual oriented
ii.
Providing a permanent solution
iii.
Preemptive evacuation is better than rescue
DRR aims to achieve a fundamental shift from reactive to proactive
approach towards disasters
The main objective of disaster preparedness is to empower the community
with necessary skills to cope with the negative effects of a disaster.
The state of readiness determines the extent to which potential casualties
and damages can be reduced.
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