Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Guidance for ... - INEE Toolkit
Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Guidance for ... - INEE Toolkit
Disaster and Emergency Preparedness: Guidance for ... - INEE Toolkit
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IntroductionMore than 400 national disasters take place every year, affecting more than 230 millionpeople <strong>and</strong> causing an average of almost 75,000 deaths annually (CRED, 2008).Worldwide, 450 cities with populations over 1 million face recurring earthquakes.Cyclones, typhoons <strong>and</strong> hurricanes are among the deadliest <strong>and</strong> costliest of disasters.Droughts <strong>and</strong> desertification currently affect 250 million people <strong>and</strong> threaten 1.2 billionpeople in 110 countries (UNESCO, 2007). Annually recurring floods regularly prevent millionsof children from attending a full year of school.Education is a human right, universal <strong>and</strong> inalienable. Education is especially importantin enabling people to reach their full potential <strong>and</strong> exercise other rights. This right doesnot disappear or get suspended because of disasters <strong>and</strong> emergencies. When education isinterrupted or limited, students drop out, with negative <strong>and</strong> permanent economic <strong>and</strong> socialimpacts <strong>for</strong> students, their families, <strong>and</strong> their communities. Natural hazards are part ofthe context <strong>for</strong> educational planning. Whether it is annually recurring floods, a once-in-5-generations earthquake, the increasing severity of storms <strong>and</strong> cyclones, water shortages, orthe slow onset of rising sea water levels, these known <strong>and</strong> expected hazards can be mitigatedwith the determined application of knowledge, education, <strong>and</strong> ingenuity.We are not able to prevent the earth from shaking, the wind from blowing, or the rainfrom falling. However, with assessment <strong>and</strong> planning, physical <strong>and</strong> environmental protection<strong>and</strong> response preparedness we can prevent these events from becoming disasters. Sinceschools are our universal institution <strong>for</strong> sharing knowledge <strong>and</strong> skills, the expectations <strong>for</strong>schools to be role models in disaster prevention is high. Successful disaster mitigation is oneof the ultimate tests of the success of the education we provide over generations.This H<strong>and</strong>book is written <strong>for</strong> administrators, teachers, support staff, <strong>and</strong> other individualsinvolved in emergency <strong>and</strong> disaster preparedness atschool. Its purposes are:To guide administrators <strong>and</strong> staff in assessing risks <strong>and</strong> planning <strong>and</strong> carrying outphysical protection measures;1
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