CONCEPT PAPER ON RISK REDUCTION AWARENESS PROGRAMME

Introduction:

Disaster Management Centre is the national organization responsible for implementing the strategies identified in the Road Map and Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. The Centre has got a mandate to implement suitable programmes in the disaster management arena according to the Act # 13 of 2005 enacted by the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Target Community to be served:

From the recent past Sri Lanka has being experiencing climate changes along with other countries in the region.  The climate changes are certainly alarming signals on possible disaster risks that one should be prepared for.

What are the Climate Changes that may Cause Disaster Risks?

• Changes in seasons and rainfall

• Higher air water and land temperatures

• Increased frequency and intensity of climate related disasters

• Sea level rise

As a consequence of the above mentioned changes the following negative impacts are unavoidable.

• More floods and droughts

• Flood & water security, productivity are at risk

• Infrastructure, health, socio-economic stability of the country also can be threatened by the changes.

• Increased health hazards

• Increased burden on government’s social welfare measures including relief packages

 What needs to be done? In order to take preventive measures, it is necessary to identify the hotspots of the country and issues under each. This will help to focus the attention more on the specific issues, rather than giving a generic solution.  

Communities living along the coastal belt particularly in the North and Eastern Provinces are more vulnerable, for there are few mechanisms in place to respond, should there be a flood or storm, for an example.  In the absence of a common strategy or plan of action, the conditions of these communities are more fragile. Hence, it is unavoidable that mitigation measures combined with awareness programs are necessary. The following measures may be taken in order to reduce negative impact of any disasters;

•  Risk awareness and assessment ( hazard mapping, vulnerability assessment, capacity building)

•  Knowledge development ( public education, training on community based disaster management, information sharing)

• Application of measures ( environmental protection measures, protection of critical places of public places)

• Early warning systems (forecasting, dissemination of warnings, preparedness measures, response capacities.

Goals of the Programme and its Expected Outcomes:

Reduce the vulnerability of communities living in the Northern and Eastern Provinces by increasing level of awareness among vulnerable communities by the end of December 2008.   

Key Components of the Programme:

Introduction

Disaster Management Centre is the national organization responsible for implementing the strategies identified in the Road Map and Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015. The Centre has got a mandate to implement suitable programmes in the disaster management arena according to the Act # 13 of 2005 enacted by the Parliament of Sri Lanka. 

The Target Community to be Served:

People who are living in the North & East will be the target community. This covers primarily four districts; Ampara, Battocaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna. The reason is the upcoming monsoon that is north and east, is likely to cause damages to communities, particularly people who live along the coastal belt of the above four districts who are more vulnerable than others.

The Explanation of the Need:

As per the predictions, this year Maha monsoon can be quite destructive. To be prepared to face any such possible disasters, may certainly allow the concerned agencies to avoid incautious measures harmful to the target communities. From the past experience, it has been confirmed that losses could always be minimized where preparedness plans were in place.  As communication systems are advanced, there are facilities even for last mile dissemination that should be put to use effectively. What is required is to collect reliable data about all possible threats that may disrupt the civil life of vulnerable, susceptible communities who need assistance should a disaster occur.  Thus, having a preparedness plan is unavoidable as protection of human life and properties is a primary responsibility of any government which has at least some concern about its citizens’ welfare.

Goal & Expected Outcome:

The goal of the program is to reduce the vulnerability of people in the North & East during the upcoming monsoon.

The expected outcomes of the program are as follows;

(a)    Preparedness plans for four districts are ready

(b)    Standard Operations of Procedures are established and available.

(c)     Relevant agencies are informed beforehand what is expected from them

(d)    Required stocks are stored adequately to handle any unexpected calamity

(e)    Safe places are identified for evacuation

(f)      Loss of life and properties are minimized

Key Components of the Program:

Through this proposed program it is expected to address the following key components. The most important thing in this operation is to keep the district plans ready with correct information.  Key agencies, both government and non-governmental should have access to the district plans while responsibilities for each agency is identified and communicated properly. All possible disasters under each district are recognized with alternative measures. At a time of a disaster, people have to be moved into safer places as early as possible for which evacuation routes have to be made known. When a disaster occurs, in most of the occasions, people suffer for want of health & hygiene facilities. Food supplies should be available in required quantities, so prepared plans must focus on this aspect which is very important. Also, contingency plans must be ready, just in case preparedness plans could not implement due to some reason or the others.