Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment in Disasters

Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment Guidelines, Version 4.2 December 2003
Use and Structure of the REA
The Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact in Disasters (REA)
provide a means to define and prioritize potential environmental impacts
in disaster situations. The Guidelines is composed of five main parts and
ten supporting Annexes. The main parts include an Introduction to the
REA, and modules on Organization and Community Level
Assessments, Consolidation and Analysis of assessment results and
Green Review of Relief Procurement. The Annexes include
information sources, forms used in the assessment and information
useful in managing the REA process.
Good planning and preparation are important to a rapid execution of the
REA. It is strongly recommended that the Guidelines Introduction be
fully reviewed before an assessment. At least the Organization Level
Assessment and Consolidation and Analysis modules should be
used in any disaster impact assessment, while completion of the
Community Level Assessment is strongly recommended. The Green
Review module can be used independently of the other modules.
The Guidelines for Rapid Environmental Impact in Disasters provides a
comprehensive description of the REA process together with
background information on key tasks needed to complete the
assessment. A separate Quick Guide to the REA process is also
available. The Quick Guide includes the rating forms and instructions
found in the Guidelines but only a minimal amount of additional
information on the REA process.
A Guidelines-based rapid environmental impact assessment can be
conducted as a stand-alone exercise or as part of, and using information
collected during, other standard disaster impact assessments. When
done as part of another type of assessment the REA process should not
result in any significant increase in workload in the field or during
analysis.
iii