A global review of disaster reduction initiatives - Welcome to the ...

3Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiatives110Case: AlgeriaIn November 2001, unusually heavy rain fellin the Algerian capital, Algiers. Flash floodsand mudslides swept through many parts ofthe city, killing more than 800 people. At thetime it was suggested that disaster managementstructures and the population were woefullyunprepared for such an event. However,it turned out that several cases of human activityand unsuited policies actually may havecontributed to the severity of the disaster. Dueto the scope of the disaster and its location inthe centre of the capital, all levels of the governmentwere seriously shaken. Senior officialsexperienced, first-hand, the lack of coordinationof the various parties concerned with theemergency response, as well as having to accepttheir own failure of foresight.Since this disaster, there is a new way of thinkingabout disaster management in Algeria, particularlyin urban areas. This has been demonstratedthrough several initiatives that startedonly months after the disaster. For the first timeever, the Head of State ordered all the ministriesto take serious account of the notion ofdisaster reduction and include it in their variousprogrammes. The Prime Minister also discussedthe matter during the Council of theGovernment, and called for a permanent coordinatingstructure of all the actors involved indisaster management. The Ministry of Interioris developing a permanent structure whichwill coordinate all phases of disaster managementincluding risk reduction measures,response and rehabilitation. The GeneralDirectorate of Civil Protection is shifting itsattention towards prevention activities. Thecurrent ruling political party in Algiers ispreparing to include disaster management inits program for a forthcoming legislative electioncampaign. Senior party officials are solicitingexpert advice from scientific and technicaladvisors in preparing their programme.Since the floods, international organizationshave joined forces to help in risk reduction projects.The Mayor of Paris paid a visit to theaffected areas and signed a memorandum ofcooperation between the Wilaya (province) ofAlgiers and the Atelier Parisien d’Urbanisme for aprogramme to promote better urban planningin Algiers. In early 2002, another Frenchorganization, Architecture-Urgence, signed aconvention for cooperation with the Wilaya ofAlgiers to work on urban planning to reducedisasters.The UN office in Algiers also installed a commissionto work on disaster reduction in Algeriaand engaged an Italian specialist to discussthe matter with Algerian authorities.UN- HABITAT proposed a cooperation projectin disaster reduction with the Algerian government.A World Bank delegation has similarlyvisited Algeria to discuss a long-termproject in disaster risk management. An expertin urban planning from USAID visitedAlgiers less than a month after the disaster todiscuss eventual cooperation in disaster reductionin urban areas with many Algerian institutions.USAID has expressed an interest inpreparing a project proposal for that purpose.Within the first six months after the disaster,several seminars or conferences related to disasterreduction were either held or being planned.An Algerian-French colloquium on sustainabledevelopment and disaster reduction took placein Algiers only weeks after the disaster. Similarcolloquia are planned for other regions of thecountry. All of these actions demonstrate thatAlgerian authorities at all levels are more awaretoday about the risks they face.Case: KazakhstanThe Republic of Kazakhstan often experiencesearthquakes, floods, landslides, and coastalfloods. Only recently has the importance ofnatural disaster reduction been recognized. InMay 2000, Kazakhstan’s Emergency SituationAgency published the Plan of Preparedness ofKazakhstan for Natural Disasters with thecooperation of the National Red Cross andRed Crescent Society and UNDP. The introductionof the plan cites the considerable financiallosses incurred by the country because ofdisasters and urges all organizations to takeproper action to reduce their negative impacton the country’s development. The report providesguidance on preparedness activities fordisaster reduction, response scenarios for disasters,legislation for efficient mobilization oforganizations concerned, and implementationof different measures that can be deployedagainst various risks.