Seychelles Damage, Loss, and Needs Assessment (DaLA ... - GFDRR

CHAPTER 3 conclusion and recommendations
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the entire recovery process, and allow for the devolution
of decision making.
The formulation of guiding principles is an important
part of the recovery planning exercise, and the principles
identified should form the basis for recovery
planning. A detailed planning exercise was not conducted
for this particular DaLA. The principles below
are adapted from other international experiences to
provide a starting point for the discussion on guiding
principles. Arriving at the goal of resilient recovery and
resilient development involves asking a series of fundamental
questions, such as what good recovery from
this disaster means and what longer-term resilience
means for the Seychelles.
The following recommendations are made:
Prior assessment of flood risk and
vulnerability
The first step in the flood risk management process is
developing a comprehensive understanding, analysis,
and assessment of flood risks and vulnerabilities that
will guide flood disaster risk management strategies,
urban development, and land use plans. Maps provide
powerful tools to illustrate vulnerabilities and risks and
assist in decision making. The assessment and maps
should comprise three key elements: (i) the hazard occurrence
probability—the likelihood of experiencing
any natural or technological hazard at a location or in
a region; (ii) the elements at risk—identifying and making
an inventory of people, buildings, or other elements
that would be affected by the hazard if it occurred, and
estimating their economic value where required; and
(iii) the vulnerability of the elements at risk—how damaged
the people, buildings, or other elements would
be if they experienced some level of hazard.
Inclusion of flood risk management
into national regulations, policies, and
investments for flood prevention
Flood risk management needs to be integrated into
government-financed investment programs by adopting
early risk identification (for instance, by applying a
quick and simple risk-screening tool) and following up
throughout the design and implementation process if
necessary.
It is very important that sectoral investments, especially
by the government, integrate preventive risk reduction
measures. This will eventually result in financial benefits.
Development of a risk-based national
flood management strategy
The proposed strategy should be supported by systematic
hazard and risk exposure and vulnerability mapping.
Possible economic loss scenarios will be helpful
for making decisions. Such a strategy could include
the definition of resilience and resistance strategies for
flood risk management. Resistance strategies will aim
at flood prevention, minimizing flood impacts, and enhancing
the recovery from those impacts.
Building codes could also follow risk-based assessment
and “performance-based design,” which determines
acceptable risk levels for different types of structures
on the basis of their desired performance during and
after natural hazards. Risk posed by the failure of nonstructural
components (e.g., the loss of a facility’s serviceability
due to damage to equipment) should also
be considered. Performance-based design would result
in the prioritization and more stringent design of hospitals,
schools, and other critical infrastructure.
Balance between structural and
nonstructural control measures
Since structural risk mitigation alone cannot suffice for
effective flood risk management and is a costly option,
an integrated flood risk management strategy should
be able to balance between disaster risk reduction and
preparedness measures, by defining minimum or optimal
levels of acceptable risk. Strategies should balance
structural and nonstructural measures and consider the
socioeconomic context in which the flood risk management
occurs. Structural measures are often costly and
have the potential to provide short-term protection at
the cost of long-term problems. When floods occur,
they tend to be of greater depth and more damag-