community-based disaster risk management and the media media kit

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MEDIA KIT
for Disaster Management (PCDM) implemented Disaster
Preparedness projects funded by DipECHO and MRC. In
the course of the years, ACF focused its Disaster
Preparedness projects on three main components:
1. Strengthening PCDM, DCDM (District Committee
for Disaster Management) and CCDM (Commune
Committee for Disaster Management)
2. Flood Early Warning System for vulnerable
communities
3. Flood Information management
Early Warning System for Vulnerable Communities Along
the Mekong River and Flood Information Management
The Early Warning System (EWS) is a very promising
activity in terms of relevance and sustainability. Using
the daily forecast of the Mekong River Commission,
received by e-mail at the PRC offi ce around 12:00 p.m.,
the PRC radio operator sends at 2:00 p.m. by VHF radio
the forecast to each village volunteer (47 villages now and
25 more in 2005). The village volunteer (Village chief or
Red-Cross Volunteer) displays the current and 3-days
forecast water level on a specially designed public board.
Blue and green arrows show the trend of the water level
in the village (increase or decrease) for the present day
and the 3 next days. Finally, a warning sign (green, orange
or red) inform the villagers if the village is nearly to be
fl ooded or will be fl ooded in the coming days. The warning
level is specifi c to each village and defi ned by the villagers
through participatory meeting.
The implementation of EWS activity in a village starts with
a participatory meeting where, after a hazard-capacityvulnerability
assessment, villagers expressed their
knowledge on prediction and forecast and their preferred
way to receive the forecast. The warning levels specifi c to
each village are defi ned, as well as the way and persons