DISASTER ASSESSMENT AND PLANNING GUIDE

Disaster Assessment and Planning Guide

Disaster Assessment and Planning Guide

Introduction

Disaster preparedness will not be effective without the participation of the vulnerable communities. The prime component is to involve the vulnerable community in the disaster mitigation process. Building their capacities in coping mechanisms and their involvement creates confidence among them and paves the way for a self-reliant community. Community participation in disaster mitigation requires all the possible resources to make it more sustainable. Disaster mitigation requires not only the participation of the individual within the vulnerable community, but also the involvement of related government institutions, NGDOs and the general public. Hence, disaster mitigation has to be supported with effective management strategies with operational planning, education and training of vulnerable groups and related formal and informal institutions.

Disaster Assessment and Planning Guide

Participation of the community in resource identification, capabilities, coping mechanisms and existing facilities towards vulnerability assessment will be more effective in the planning of a sensible and practical system, which will be more suitable for the needs of the community.

Community participation should be viewed as a social process, in which the vulnerable groups organise themselves for their common needs and problems available, and supplement them when necessary with materials from various sources. However to make community participation more practical, there has to be a need for a concentrated effort in education, trainings and awareness building within the vulnerable groups as well as with related departments and general public.

The strategies for community participation must emphasise the following steps in pre and post disaster mitigation efforts.

Contingency planning

Contingency plan has to be prepared at village level by involving the communities. A village contingency plan is a list of activities that a village agrees to follow to prevent loss of life, livelihoods and property in case of cyclones, tidal surges and floods. The plan has to be prepared by involving the various groups within the village. The plan should envisage the community experience during the different stages of the past disasters, description of the village with social and resource mapping, details of hazards, risk assessment and strategies for minimising the risk through community participation and external support.

The existing community resource in minimising the risk has to be taken into consideration, which will be cost-effective in formulating the contingency plan. Further, the plan should envisage a holistic socio-economic development of the community.

Community preparedness

The concept of awareness has to be generated at the village level. Meetings and awareness programs can be organised to make the villagers aware of the disaster preparedness and management. Under community mobilization, female groups can be formed and can be involved in micro credit activities. Community plantation can be promoted to safeguard the villages. Seed banks can be developed and can be managed at community level. Low areas within the village can be elevated through proper motivation and community participation. Panchayat radios can be repaired and kept in good condition during the disaster months for notifying disaster warnings. Weak community structures and individual assets have to be repaired through community participation under ...