Cross-Border Risks in the Baltic Sea Region: Lessons to ... - Helsinki.fi

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requires a vulnerability analysis to identify
what hazards could occur in a particular place,
and a risk analysis to determine the likely
problems that an extreme event could impose.
It is important also to notify hazard detection
and warning systems, to identify evacuation
routes and shelters, to maintain emergency
supplies and communications systems, to
establish procedures for notifying and mobilizing
key personnel, to agree on pre-established
mutual aid agreements with neighbouring
communities, and other items. Also education
programmes are often considered as an
important safety component. 7
Response refers to the actions taken
immediately before, during, and after a disaster
occurs. It aims to save lives, minimize damage
to property, and enhance the effectiveness
of recovery. Response efforts include hazard
detection and warning, evacuation of threatened
populations, sheltering of victims, emergency
medical care, search and rescue operations,
and the security and protection of property.
Other activities can be the construction of
temporary dams, the closure of roads or
bridges, the provision of emergency water or
power supplies, and attending to secondary
hazards such as fires or hazardous materials. 8
Disaster recovery involves short-term
activities to restore vital support systems and
long-term activities to return life to normal. An
initial step to recovery is a comprehensive
damage assessment to help set priorities.
Recovery encompasses repairing and reconstructing
houses, commercial establishments
etc. Recovery can take a few weeks or several
years, even decades.
Mitigation refers to the policies and activities
that will reduce a region's vulnerability to
damage from future disasters. These measures
are generally, and should be, in place
before a disaster occurs. Mitigation activities
can be characterized as structural, infrastructural,
and non-structural. Structural mitigation
measures aim to keep hazards away from people
and buildings, or strengthen buildings, infrastructure
and transportation systems, i.e. the
critical infrastructure. Flood prevention, building
codes and construction practices are typical
parts of structural mitigation. Non-structural mitigation
measures attempt to allocate the population
and the constructed environment in a
way to limit their exposure to disaster losses. 9
2.1. International Assistance in Case
of Cross-Border Risks
The intergovernmental cooperation to
tackle cross-border risks in the Baltic Sea
Region is based either on multinational
agreements and cooperative forums or
bilateral agreements. The Nordic Countries
have a long tradition in establishing mutual
and regional emergency assistance agreements.
These have taken place already
since the 1960's and in these last decades
cooperation has been deepened especially
in the field of civil protection. The Baltic
Countries, Germany and Poland have
based their emergency assistance cooperation
mainly on bilateral agreements.
Particularly Poland has been active in
establishing assistance agreements, not
only with the neighbouring countries, but
also with strategically important countries
such as the United States (the Polish
Ministry of Defence and FEMA). Russia's
strategy on international cooperation has
been based both on bilateral arrangements
and a strong political presence at regional
forums, such the Arctic Council and Barents
Euro-Arctic Council.
Whereas Nordic Cooperation, Arctic
Council and Barents Euro-Arctic Council do
not have representatives from the Baltic
Countries, Poland and Germany, the Council
of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS), and particularly
its Eurobaltic Programme for Civil
Protection, forms a unique platform that
includes all the Baltic Sea States in the field
of civil protection and emergency management.
2.1.1. European Community Mechanism
Another possibility in case of an oil spill is
to use the European Community Mechanism.
The European Commission started to provide
operational support to its Member States that
faced major pollution incidents in 1987, when
an "Urgent Pollution Alert Section" was established
in Brussels to help whenever there was
need. This section was operated on a 24h/day
basis. The Community Mechanism to Facilitate
Reinforced Cooperation in Civil Protection
Assistance Interventions came into force in
2001. All Member States, as well as the
7
Mileti, Dennis; Disasters by Design, A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States, National Academy of
Sciences, 1999, 22-23
8
Mileti, Dennis; Disasters by Design, A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States, National Academy of
Sciences, 1999, 23
9
Mileti, Dennis; Disasters by Design, A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States, National Academy of
Sciences, 1999, 24