Making Cities Resilient Report 2012

isk sensitive and including development and capacity-building issues—including livelihoods, gender,
information management and institutional strengthening—in reconstruction (92).
Cairns is unusual in that it has a District Community Recovery Committee in which civil society and all
levels of government are represented, with responsibility for taking a long-term approach to recovery and
linking recovery to community needs 16 .
There are examples of city governments providing financial assistance to disaster-affected people to help
them recover. This requires a budget that is flexible to support people’s recovery in the way they deem to
be most necessary (see more on this issue under Essential 2). In Pune, the city has made improvements
in social protection for affected families as part of their risk reduction programme (39). Makati’s city offers
assistance to disaster victims through its ‘Cash-for-Work’ programme, encouraging them to participate in
relief and rehabilitation activities in the affected areas (31). In Makassar, the local budget is used to support
the repatriation of those displaced by disasters (19). Cape Town’s Trauma Centre assists with psychosocial
support for those impacted by disasters, although the city reports that this area needs more institutional
and financial support (33). In Cairns, all three levels of government provide funding under the Natural
Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements, which are aimed at all aspects of recovery, including assisting
the community to recover from a disaster (46). The Public Assistance Department of the Colombo’s
Municipal Council provides relief services post-disaster and other departments support with additional
resources (17).
Some cities have invested in systems to conduct detailed damage and needs assessment to support
the recovery strategy. In Albay Province, the Damage and Disaster Assessment System (DDAS) is well
15. This included identifying community leaders and using diagnostic measures to identify each community’s problems, causes and priorities,
preparing a SWOT analysis of priorities by sector, and a diagnosis of institutional capacities. Sectoral Boards were created, including one for
disaster risk reduction, in which the public and private sectors and civil society participate.
16. This has membership across a range of local, state, and federal government and non-government agencies. It plans for, and coordinates the
delivery of longer-term community recovery underpinned by principles of understanding the community context, recognising the complex and
dynamic nature of emergencies and communities, using community-led approaches, ensuring a planned, coordinated and adapted approach,
effective communication with affected communities and stakeholders; acknowledging, supporting and building on community, individual and
organisational capacity (46).
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