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

5Living with Risk: A global review of disaster reduction initiatives226A comprehensive study has been conducted inHavana Province, following analysis conductedin 1998 which revealed deficiencies in landuse management. By working with the government,UNESCO contributed to develop thisstudy. The reduction of vulnerability to disastershas been included as one of the main goalsof this initiative. The implementation of measureswill be undertaken over time, with financialcommitments from both the governmentand the local population. The communitieshave participated in different stages of the project,becoming more familiar with the issues ofvulnerability and principles of disaster reduction.In order to reduce disaster risk for coastalsettlements in this area, the following recommendationshave been issued:Direct measures:• Prohibit the construction of vacationhouses in existing settlements.• Relocate the population vulnerable to disasters.• Regulate and supervise the constructionof new homes in the settlements.• Retrofit and build homes adapted to floodconditions.• Improve the drainage systems in andaround the settlements.• Improve the adequacy of potable watersupplies and sanitation systems.• Improve health and transportation services.• Create employment opportunities.Indirect measures:• Improve the natural resilience of beaches.• Improve the water irrigation systems nearthe coast.• Rehabilitate the wetlands.The city of Havana provides an example ofurban planning in a coastal zone. The city hasa conspicuous breaker wall or malecon, stretching7 km along the sea, to reduce the impact ofstorm surges that periodically strike the city’scoast. Inappropriate urban growth is reflectedby the private houses and installations thathave been located in the vicinity which is athigh risk. A plan approved by the AdministrationCouncil of Havana in 1995, is nowapplied to all urban planning projects in theseseaside areas. Thanks to the vulnerability zoningimplemented through this plan, codes andstandards for construction have been renewedwith the aim to improve the organizational pro-cedures, engage more effective means of construction,and promote sound rehabilitation inthe area. Basements have been rebuilt, theheights of buildings regulated, and new landscapedesigns for public areas adopted.In conclusion, land use management andurban planning in Cuba constitute economicallyand technically feasible tools for disasterreduction. Initiatives in land use managementand urban planning have involved communitiesin the identification of local problems, inthe planning process and in implementing thedecisions taken about land use management.Revised legislation on disaster reduction basedupon new methodologies has been applied,contributing to more effective implementationof disaster reduction activities. Moreover, themultidisciplinary and inter-institutional natureof the work undertaken in land use planningand management has helped to established aconceptual and more methodological basis foreffective disaster risk reduction. As the responsiblebody for disaster mitigation and reliefactivities in Cuba, the Civil Defence Service,has benefited greatly by a broader understandingof land use tools and their role in disasterrisk reduction.Case: NicaraguaIn Nicaragua in 2001-2002, more than 20municipalities have been provided with toolsfor risk management, with a special emphasison land use planning. These include the preparationof hazard maps, land use zoning proposalsand municipal disaster reduction plans.They also include specific measures to reducethe risk of communities, considered by bothlocal and national authorities. National profes-Workshops with the participationof local actors in their own communities.