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

In 2001, government officials, ADRC andlocal NGOs conducted training courses forlocal village chiefs, teachers, scouts and womenleaders from 30 villages in 10 of the most disaster-pronedistricts of the country. The coursesdealt with the national disaster managementsystem, knowledge about hazard-prone areasand possible countermeasures to reduce theBuilding understanding: development of knowledge and information sharingpotential risks. The participants had an opportunityto learn about the causes, consequencesand possible countermeasures of natural disasters,such as the relationships betweenincreased deforestation and floods. A radiobroadcast service was utilised for the first timeto disseminate disaster preparedness information.4Soap operas for disaster reduction - radio and TVPAHO, the International Organization for Migration(IOM), UK/DFID, the NGO Voces Nuestras,CEPREDENAC and the ISDR secretariat haveteamed up to produce and broadcast a radio soapopera, called "Tiempos de Huracanes" (HurricaneSeason), about disaster management and risk reductionin Latin American and Caribbean countries. Thestory takes place in a rural farming community inwhich experiences of the characters are used toinstruct listeners about measures that can reduce theimpact of floods, earthquakes, hurricanes and otherhazards that can affect their own livelihoods. The dialoguefocuses on everyday issues close to listeners' ownexperiences.The program consists of 20 episodes that are broadcast annually, before and during the heavy rainfalland hurricane season. The pilot program is also available on a CD-ROM from the sponsoringorganizations and a Memorandum of Understanding is planned with Radio Netherlands for reproductionand widespread distribution of the soap opera.199