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Disaster Risk Reduction: concepts, components and points of entry

Disaster risk reduction and risk transfer: toward concrete action in South Asia and East Asia and the Pacific

Bangkok, Thailand, 28-30 April, 2008

Margaret Arnold ProVention Consortium

Natural hazards

  Natural processes or phenomena occurring in the biosphere that may constitute a damaging event, i.e., cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation.

Hazardous events can vary in magnitude or intensity, frequency, duration, area of extent, speed of onset, spatial dispersion and temporal spacing.

Geological hazards

  Internal earth processes or tectonic origin, such as earthquakes, geological fault activity, tsunamis, volcanic activity and emissions as well as external processes such as mass movements: landslides, rockslides, rock falls or avalanches, surfaces collapses, expansive soils and debris or mud flows.

Geological hazards can be single, sequential or combined in their origin and effects.

Hydrometeorological

  Natural processes or phenomena of atmospheric, hydrological or oceanographic nature, which may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation.

E.g.: floods, debris and mud floods; tropical cyclones, storm surges, thunder/hailstorms, rain and wind storms, blizzards and other severe storms; drought, desertification, wildland fires, temperature extremes, sand or dust storms; permafrost and snow or ice avalanches.

Biological

  Processes of organic origin or those conveyed by biological vectors, including exposure to pathogenic micro-organisms, toxins and bioactive substances, which may cause the loss of life or injury, property damage, social and economic disruption or environmental degradation.

Examples of biological hazards: outbreaks of epidemic diseases, plant or animal contagion, insect plagues and extensive infestations.

Disaster Impacts

  Economic: direct, indirect and macroeconomic Social and environmental harder to quantify: •Loss of life •Environmental degradation •Loss of natural habitats and destruction of ecosystems •Disruption of communities and family life •Loss of cultural heritage assets •Unemployment •Migration •Differential gender impact and impacts on vulnerable groups

Terminology Timeline

EMERGENCY RESPONSE----PREPAREDNESS--------DISASTER MGMT------DRM------DRR------------CC ADAPTATION

DRR as a cross-cutting issue

Defining Disaster Risk Reduction

 Not yet a global consensus on the use and definitions of DM and DRR terminology.

 UN ISDR has tried to promote harmonization of terms: see: www.unisdr.org/eng/library/lib-terminology-eng home.htm

 But: conflicting use of terms by different organizations continues.

 Common-sense principles:  Keep definitions and concepts simple.

  Use concrete examples if definitions are difficult to explain. Be consistent and clear when using a term.

Defining Disaster Risk Reduction Disaster Risk Reduction

“The development and application of policies, strategies and practices to do everything possible before a disaster occurs to protect lives, limit damage and strengthen the capacity of communities and society to recover quickly.”

Hazards x Vulnerability=Risk

VULNERABILITY

: The conditions determined by physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes, which increase the susceptibility of a community to the impact of hazards.

RISK

: The probability of harmful consequences, or expected losses resulting from interactions between natural hazards and vulnerable conditions.

Components of DRR

Risk identification

: understand the problem

Risk mitigation

: do the needful to reduce potential impacts ex ante (including preparedness and pre-disaster recovery planning)

Risk financing

: for the risk you cannot eliminate Hazard maps; community vulnerability and capacity analysis; risk modeling, understanding direct, indirect, and secondary effects of disasters; quantifying social and env impacts Structural and non-structural mechanisms: e.g. land use planning; structural design and construction practices; building codes; public education; early warning systems; preparedness and response plans Self insurance; safety nets; informal mechanisms; insurance; catastrophe bonds; contingency financing; calamity funds, micro-insurance

WB Entry Points for DRR

    Policy dialogue – CAS, PRSP “Building back better” - Improved response to disaster emergencies and more effective reconstruction and recovery Stand alone investments for disaster risk management Integrating DRR into development investments - “pure” mainstreaming

DRR after disaster

 Relief, rehabilitation/reconstruction should also aim at contributing to the

reduction of vulnerability

and should

avoid reconstructing risk.

      In the response phase, this means:  Use relief not only to meet immediate needs but also to restore livelihood assets and rebuild livelihoods (cash- and food-for-work).

Build on/up survivor’s capacities.

Build on local institutions.

Avoid aid dependency.

Use participatory approaches.

Take the opportunity to create positive change and not merely return to pre-disaster vulnerability levels.

Stand alone investments in DRR

  

DRR as a new business line Specific investments in DRR capacity Examples:

Institutional arrangements/capacity building for emergency response, disaster preparedness, early warning systems, structural (physical) and non-structural measures undertaken to limit disaster impacts---retrofitting, dike construction, hazard-resistant house construction, planting mangroves, drainage channels, water conservation measures

Mainstreaming for safe development

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 

Ensuring that standard investments contribute to vulnerability reduction and meet certain safety standards

Risk Accumulation

‘Vicious spirals’ of disaster risk and development failure Source : DFID

Disaster risk reduction:

a development concern, http://www.dfid.gov.uk/pubs/f iles/drr-scoping-study.pdf

Disaster Losses Failed Development

Risk reduction

‘Virtuous spirals’ of risk reduction Source : DFID