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

Policy and public commitment: the foundation of disaster risk reduction33.3. Community action“Much has been learntfrom the creative disasterprevention efforts of poorcommunities in developingcountries. Prevention policyis too important to be left togovernments and internationalagencies alone. Tosucceed, it must also engagecivil society, the private sectorand the media.”Kofi Annan, IDNDRProgramme Forum,Geneva, July 1999Risk reduction measures are most successful when they involvethe direct participation of the people most likely to be exposed tohazards, in the planning, decision-making, and operational activitiesat all levels of responsibility. Local leaders, drawn from political,social and economic sectors of society need to assume a primaryresponsibility for the protection of their own community.Community processes and actions to accomplish disaster riskreduction is much talked about, in theory, but it is much moredifficult to realize in practice. There is however experience to suggestthat the involvement of local residents in protecting their ownresources is possible and can work – if sufficient attention andinvestment is devoted to the subject. The salient issues and exampleswhich illustrate successful practice are presented under thefollowing headings:• The essential role of community action• Community leadership and relationships• Increasing community capabilities• NGO and volunteer activities• Building local self-reliance: sharing resources, building partnerships• Dynamics of local collaboration• Traditional community coping mechanisms at stakeThe essential role of community actionDisaster reduction is most effective at the communitylevel where specific local needs can bemet. When used alone, government and institutionalinterventions often prove to be insufficientand frequently are seen to be sporadic andonly responding to crises. They are inclined toignore local perceptions and needs and thepotential value of local resources and capacitiesin the process. As a result, it is not surprisingthat emergency relief assistance far exceedsresources invested to develop local disaster riskreduction capabilities.First, communities must be aware of theimportance of disaster reduction for their ownwell-being. It then becomes necessary to identifyand impart essential skills that can translaterisk awareness into concrete practices of sustainedrisk management. Such an approachneeds to develop activities that can strengthencommunities’ capacities to identify and copewith hazards, and more broadly to improveresidents’ livelihoods.CommunityThe definition of community in this context refers to asocial group, which has a number of things in common,such as shared experience, locality, culture, heritage orsocial interests.The Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Programme(AUDMP) has validated these principlesthrough its activities with local institutionsworking in local Asian environments.Community-based disaster mitigation is a croscuttingtheme where assessment, planning andimplementation are participatory in design andaddress the community’s vulnerabilities andcapacities.Projects in Bangladesh and Cambodia havebeen built around the concept of specificallyfocusing people’s perception of flood risk; thepurpose and tools of community flood riskassessment; the strategies for communityorganizing, and resource mobilization andcapacity building. All of these elements and141