Disaster Management

Disaster Management

Disaster management agencies get orientation in Incident Command System software.

The increase in the frequency of disasters and their associated damages in the region is part of a worldwide trend, which results from growing vulnerability, and may reflect changing climate patterns. These trends make it all the more necessary for the region to break the cycle of destruction and reconstruction and address the root causes of vulnerability, rather than merely treating its symptoms when disasters happen. A closer analysis of what transforms a natural event into a human and economic disaster reveals that the fundamental problems of development that the region faces are the very same problems that contribute to its vulnerability to the catastrophic effects of natural hazards. The principal causes of vulnerability in the region include rapid and uncontrolled urbanization, the degradation of the region's environment resulting from the mismanagement of natural resources, inefficient public policies, and lagging and misguided investments in infrastructure. Development and disaster-related policies have largely focused on emergency response, leaving a serious lack of investment in natural hazard prevention and mitigation.

The current informational needs for disaster management in the CARICOM region reflect this shift of attention towards addressing vulnerability, and include: more complete records on past events, a more comprehensive coverage of hazards maps, and better information on the distribution of population along the coasts for measuring vulnerability to high-impact climate events.

In the CARICOM region, the leading institution for the coordination of disaster management activities is the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency (CDERA). One of CDERA's primary functions is the securing, collating, and analyzing of comprehensive and reliable information on disasters and high-impact weather events affecting the region, as well as the channeling of this information to interested governmental and non-governmental organizations. CDERA developed the Comprehensive Approach for Disaster Management in the Caribbean project, which established a guiding strategic framework for disaster management in the Caribbean; one of its components lays the groundwork for the acquisition and dissemination of information on climate hazards in the region and vulnerability to the same.

CDERA has several projects currently underway to improve the available information related to disaster response and management. These include the standardization of data to be used in GIS applications for disaster management; the development of an events database covering risk analysis and providing documentation of previous events; the development of a database of resource people with expertise in issues such as risk analysis and history of previous events; and a warehousing database including training information.

Additionally, CDERA is involved in several efforts regarding mitigation approaches towards disaster management. Through a joint partnership with the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) implemented an agreement by which the OAS executed the Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (CDMP), from 1994-1999. The objective of the CDMP was to establish sustainable public/private sector mechanisms for disaster mitigation which measurably lessen the loss of life, reduce physical and economic damage, and shorten the disaster recovery period. Among other activities, CDMP has developed spatial information in the form of maps of hazard-prone and environmentally fragile areas, and has facilitated the use of mapping information in public awareness and decision-making.

Similarly, the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) has recently established a Disaster Mitigation Facility (DMFC) for the Caribbean, partially funded by USAID. The DMFC aims to partner with borrowing member countries to promote the integration of disaster mitigation into development planning. The DMFC will place emphasis on developing guidelines for natural hazard impact assessment and provide training for the member countries.

The World Bank is working with the OECS on the mitigation of adverse effects of natural disasters through institutional strengthening and infrastructure support through its Emergency Recovery and Disaster Management and its Catastrophe Risk Management and Insurance Reform projects.

Other agencies involved in this field who contribute to the management of information for disaster management in the Caribbean include: UNDP, which coordinates the Eastern Caribbean Donor Group, involved in preparations for the hurricane season and response to hurricane damage; FAO, which has provided GIS assistance in gauging impact of hazards on agriculture; PAHO, involved with health-related issues resulting from high-weather impacts, including the structural vulnerability of medical facilities; and ECLAC, a UN regional commission that plays an important role in determining the economic impacts of disasters.

Vulnerability assessment is fundamental to damage and loss reduction. Hazards and risk mapping has been initiated and developed under CDMP and CPACC. CDERA and OAS are implementing the Caribbean Hazard Mitigation Capacity Building Program (CHAMP), a three-year program to assist countries in the Caribbean region. CHAMP will include amongst its activities the support for a variety of hazard mapping and vulnerability assessment activities in the Caribbean, the promotion of the wider use of hazard information in development decisions, and the development and implementation of safer building training and certificates.

There remains the need to expand mapping coverage to all areas in the region, and to make sure that the information is actually used in the physical planning process. CDERA has proposed activities that include extending hazard mapping (storm surge, floodplains, and landslides) to all territories in the region. These relate directly to availability of such information for physical planning at the national level.

Developed by Northumbria University, the Gender and Disaster Network is an educational project initiated by women and men interested in gender relations in disaster contexts. It emerged during the July 1997 Natural Hazards Research and Applications Center workshop in Denver, Colorado. Understanding that communication technology is not fully accessible and that there are many languages and contexts, this site intends to utilize the Internet in the support of a global network of researchers and practitioners. http://online.northumbria.ac.uk/geography_research/gdn/

As part of the RADIX network, a web-based resource has been developed to examine how disaster management may influence cooperation between countries. The concept of Disaster Diplomacy can be expanded to examine the role of disaster in international affairs and international relations as well as applying the principles and results to internal political situations. Such ideas and proposals are found in the case studies, implementation, and proposals sections of this website. As Disaster Diplomacy embraces a wider definition, it is guided by the Radix discussion involving the links amongst disasters, human rights, democratisation, and sustainable development. http://www.disasterdiplomacy.org

RADIX (Radical Interpretations of Disasters) is meant as a home for discussion, working papers, opinion pieces, resources, links that can help to develop radical interpretations of and radical solutions for all disasters in all parts of planet earth. http://online.northumbria.ac.uk/geography_research/radix/index.htm

The Geneva Mandate on Disaster Reduction, which was adopted at the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) Programme Forum (July 1999), reaffirms the necessity for disaster reduction and risk management to become essential elements of government policies. In this respect, the IDNDR experience, the Yokohama Strategy (1994) and the Strategy "A Safer World in the 21st Century: Disaster and Risk Reduction" (1999) provide the basis for future endeavours with regard to disaster reduction. Building on these precedents, the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) strives towards enabling all societies to become resilient to the effects of natural hazards and related technological and environmental disasters, in order to reduce human, economic and social losses http://www.unisdr.org/

Natural Disasters and Sustainable Development: understanding the links between development, environment and natural disasters. This background document is being prepared as an evolving document in a contribution to the process leading to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, September 2002). It is prepared by the UN Inter-Agency Secretariat of the ISDR in collaboration with UNDP, UNEP, UNHCS, UN/DESA and UN/OCHA.

The Environmental Vulnerability Index (EVI) Web. This website intends to develop an operational global environmental vulnerability index which provides a way of characterizing the vulnerability of natural systems (at the level of a region, state, province or island). The common basis on which the index is developed allows comparisons among countries and through time. http://cobalt.sopac.org.fj/Projects/Evi/Index.htm

ECHO (European Community Humanitarian Office) has developed a disaster-prevention and preparedness policy known by the acronym "DIPECHO" (Disaster Preparedness ECHO). The aim is to improve the way in which ECHO-financed activities are matched to priority needs, within a framework which is more consistent with existing disaster-prevention and response systems. DIPECHO uses a regional approach. It takes account of the geography of the areas exposed to risk (internal or cross-border) within the regions. Financing is also considered for inter-regional cooperation, depending on the priority placed on it. To see a summary of DIPECHO projects go to http://www.disaster-info.net/dipecho/projects.html.

[Home] [Menu] [Summary] [Pilot Network] [Documents] [Indicators] [Events Calendar] [Training Materials] [Press Releases] [Suggest Links] [Contact Us]