Disaster Mitigation:

Effectiveness of Community
Participation Approach
International Conference on Disaster
Management and Environment, Melaka,
Malaysia
Siddhartha Dave, India
 Key Disaster Terms
Hazard
A hazard is a natural or manmade phenomenon which
may cause physical damage, economic loss or
threaten human life and well being if it occurs in an
area of human settlement, agricultural or industrial
activity.
Disaster
Disaster is an event (happening with or without
warning) causing or threatening death, injury or
disease; damage to property, infrastructure or the
environment; or disruption to the community, which
exceeds the ability of the affected society to cope
using only its own resources.
 Key Disaster Terms
Risk
Risk is defined as the expected losses (lives lost, persons
injured, damage to property, economic activities or
livelihoods disrupted) to a community when a hazard event
occurs.
Vulnerability
Vulnerability is defined as the degree of loss to a given
element at risk (or set of elements) resulting from a given
hazard at a given severity level.
Resilience
Resilience is the degree to which a victim’s own tangible and
intangible resources and access to external resources
facilitate the recovery from the physical and social impacts
of a disaster.
 DISASTERS - DEFINING CRITERIA
• CAUSE: disaster can result from a natural
(flood) or unnatural (transport accident) hazard.
• FREQUENCY AND RISK: some disasters
occur more often and therefore present a
greater risk than others. In Gujarat drought and
cyclone are more frequent than the earthquake.
• DURATION OF IMPACT: some disasters are
of limited duration, while others last for long
periods. A tornado may last a few minutes, but
a drought may go on for years.
 DISASTERS - DEFINING CRITERIA
( Contd.)
• SPEED OF ONSET: The occurrence of some disasters is
sudden, while others have a warning period of hours or days.
There may be little warning of a flash flood, whereas drought
considered as a slow onset disaster has a longer warning time.
• SCOPE OF IMPACT: Some disasters affect a relatively small
area, and others affect whole countries. While Landslide is a
localized event, the impact of earthquake can be felt across the
political boundary of a district/state/country.
• PREDICTABILITY: some disasters follow certain patterns,
others don’t (e.g. floods are usually confined to known
floodplains, but toxic gas emissions have no boundaries).
• DESTRUCTIVE POTENTIAL: the destructive potential of a
disaster can vary with the hazard type as well as depends on
the frequency, scale and severity of the hazard.
 Can we prevent ourselves from
hazards?
• While most disasters cannot be avoided,
there are things people can do to lessen
the loss of life and property damage.
• Are Disasters Natural or Man (Human)
Made?
Rare Pictures of Sandstorm in Iran
Understanding
Disaster
Mitigation
 Elements of Disaster
Management and Mitigation
• Preparedness
• Response
– Emergency
Rescue & Relief
– Relief
• Recovery
– Restoration
– Rehabilitation
– Reconstruction
– Retrofitting
• Mitigation
• Prevention
 Preparedness
• Disaster preparedness means “the measures, which
enable governments, organizations, communities
and individuals to respond rapidly and effectively
to disaster situations.”

• Preparedness measures include:

• Forecasting and testing of warning systems.
• Evacuation plans during a disaster alert period.
• Education of officials, the population at risk and
intervention teams.
• Policies, standards, organizational arrangements and
operational plans to be applied following a disaster.
• Stockpiling supplies and earmarking funds.
 Response
• “Disaster Response constitutes the measures
taken immediately prior to and following disaster
impact with a view to saving life, protecting
property and to dealing with the immediate
disruption, damage and other effects caused by
the disaster.”
• Typical measures include:
 Search & Rescue
 Evacuation
 Survey and Assessment
 Provision of emergency food, shelter, medical
assistance etc.
 Recovery
• Recovery is the process by which the community is assisted in
returning to normal level of functioning following a disaster. The
recovery process can be long, taking 5 to 10 years or even
more.
• The three main categories of activity under the recovery phase
are:
• Restoration: measures to reestablishing essential services
(power, communication, and transportation) disrupted by the
disaster.
• Rehabilitation: “any activity the object of which is to restore
normalcy in conditions caused by a disaster (Gujarat State
Disaster Management Act)”. For example, the measures to
assist the physical and psychological rehabilitation of affected
people or community.
• Reconstruction, “the repair and construction of a property
undertaken after disaster (Gujarat State Disaster Management
Act)”. One example of reconstruction measure is replacement
of buildings and infrastructure, which have been destroyed in
the disaster.
 Disaster Reduction
• Disaster reduction involves measures designed to avoid
(prevent) or limit (mitigate and prepare for) the adverse
impact of disasters.

• Prevention means “measures … to avoid the occurrence of

a disaster (Gujarat State Disaster Management Act,). An
example of disaster prevention is the decision not to allow
communities to build houses in vulnerable or disaster prone
areas.

• Mitigation means “measures aimed at reducing the impact

or effects of a disaster (Gujarat State Disaster Management
Act,)”. Examples of mitigation are:
• Retrofitting of buildings
• Installation of flood control dams,
• Training and legislation
 Disaster Management-
Expand & Contract Model (A New Perspective on CBDP)
Community Based Disaster
Preparedness
 Community Based Disaster Preparedness

• What ? Response Mechanism.

• Why? To minimize loss.
• When? Throughout the year.
• Where? Villages/Hamlets/GPs/ Blocks.
• Who? Villagers/NGOs/CBOs/Govt.Officials.
• How? With the involvement of the
Community.
 Why Community ?
• First responder
• Familiar with local coping mechanism
• Could be better prepared through Pressure
groups and advocacy
• Sharing disaster preparedness costs
• Early warning dissemination
 Expected Outcomes
• Mutually agreed plan of action / set of
procedures to be followed by the community
after the receipt of warning.

• Action Leads to minimize loss (life, livelihood,

live stock and Assets)

• Self reliant / confident community

 Components of CBDP
Co-operation
Group Formation

Participation

Distribution of
task
Community
Mitigation Plan Preparedness
Plan
Fund raising

Resource/Vul.
Mapping.
Simp.&real.
Storage & Planning
Stock Pilling.
 Approach
• Vulnerability & resource Mapping
• Networking of CBOs/NGOs
• Formation and capacity building of DMC at
various levels
• Capacity building of the CBOs/ Govt.staff/PRIs
and others in Disaster Management
• Development of Contingency Plans at various
levels
• Formation and training of task forces/mock drills
• Control rooms/Ham radio/mounds
 Risk Reduction through;
• Early receipt and dissemination of warning
• Emergency kits at villages
• Identification and plan of action for risk groups
• Trained task forces at all levels
• Contingency plans
• Stock pilling of emergency materials
 The Process
Stage-I
• Identification and Stage-II
capacity building of • Orientation of the
NGOs/CBOs PRI members.

• Orientation of the • Orientation of the

Block staff/Line depts. village volunteers
on CBDP
 Cont…
Stage-III Stage-IV
• Involvement of • Formation of DM
women SHG s committees at all
levels

• Involvement of field • Formation and

level Govt. training of task forces
functionaries
.
 Cont…
Stage-V Stage-VI
• Contingency Planning • Creation and training
of HAM clubs
• Mock Drills • Control rooms at GP
and Blocks
• Construction of
Mound
 Cont…

Stake Holders Responsibility

PO, CBDP, Block staff, NGOs.
Facilitate the training
CBOs

PRI Member. Ensures representation of villagers

Women SHG Members Ensures participation of women

Local clubs/
Sensitization meeting & other logistic
village Volunteers support

AWW/School Teachers Awareness Generation/Campaign

Thanks