Disaster Risk Reduction Overview

Disaster Risk Reduction

• The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) succeeded the Hyogo Framework for Action in 2015.
• The SFDRR is comprised of four cornerstones: community/stakeholder participation, public policy actions, safer construction and urban development, and development of a culture of prevention.

### Disaster Prevention

• Defined as prevention of hazardous effects of natural phenomenas on people and assets.

### Disaster Preparedness

• Activities taken in advance to ensure effective disaster response.
• Task-Oriented Preparedness: Specific groups develop and evaluate plans to activate the plan in a real emergency.
• Disaster-Oriented Preparedness: Emphasis on structural and non-structural mechanisms to mitigate the effects of specific disasters.

Disaster Response

• Activities taken during or immediately following a disaster aimed at saving life and protecting property.
• Objectives:
  • Provide immediate assistance to maintain life, improve health, and support the morale of affected populations.
  • Limit casualties
  • Alleviate hardship and suffering
  • Restore essential life support and community systems
  • Mitigate further damage and loss
  • Provide foundation for subsequent recovery.
• Factors that Determine the Nature of Disaster Response:
  • Severity and magnitude of the disaster.
  • Capability of sustained operations (resource capability, management capability, community self-reliance and availability of international assistance).

Search and Rescue

• Focuses on locating, removing, and treating endangered persons at emergency incidents.
• Key Steps:
  • Size Up: Assessing the situation, determining what to do based on risks involved and achievement of overall goals.
  • Search: Locating victims and documenting their location.
  • Rescue: Procedures and methods of safely removing victims from dangerous situations.

First Aid and Emergency Care

• Provides initial care for illnesses or injuries.
• Supports recovery process and reduces development of mental health problems.

Psychosocial Support

• Identifies and refers individuals needing specialized support through professional mental health services.

Public Health Services

• Relevant in the face of deaths, injuries, loss of clean water, sanitation, and routine hygiene, disruption of solid waste management, public concern for safety, increased pests and vectors, damage to health care system, worsening of chronic illnesses, toxic/hazardous exposure, loss of food supply, and standing surface water.
• Services:
  • Mass casualty management
  • Mental health
  • Environmental health
  • Reproductive health
  • Managing and continuation of existing health services
  • Managing and continuation of medication for chronic diseases (HIV, TB, Leprosy, etcetera)
  • Management of the dead and missing
  • Emergency feeding
  • Communicable disease surveillance and response
  • Sanitation

### Disaster Relief

• Provision of assistance or intervention during or immediately after a disaster to meet life preservation and basic subsistence needs of those affected.
• Types of Assessments:
  • Immediate Assessments: Rapid assessment of the impact of the disaster on the affected population to identify humanitarian needs and plan interventions.
  • Rapid Assessments: Focused on specific needs or to validate initial findings.
  • Detailed Assessments: Comprehensive assessment of the situation and its impacts.
  • Continual Assessments: Ongoing assessments throughout the response and recovery phases.

Coordination and Communication

• Requirements for Effective Response:
  • Information: An early warning system provides vital information for effective response operations.
• Communication:
  • Regular meetings with Movement partners to determine activities and roles.
  • Information sharing on disaster impact, assessment, and needs through input into DMIS (Disaster Management Information System).
  • Planning for continuous information and communication flow.
• Coordination:
  • Strategic and operational coordination frameworks.
  • Identification of existing partnership agreements and determination of additional agreements.

Humanitarian Charter

• Four principles for responding to emergencies, based on rights to live in dignity, receive humanitarian assistance, and protection and security:
  • Avoid exposing people to further harm due to actions
  • Ensure impartial access to assistance
  • Prevent physical and psychological harm due to violence and coercion
  • Enable access to remedies and recovery for abuse.

The Sphere Project

• Aims to improve the quality of assistance provided to people affected by disasters.
• Enhances accountability of humanitarian actors to constituents, donors, and affected people.
• Four Core Commitments:
  • Manage and systematically utilize disaster funds and supplies, including cash and supplies donated by well-wishers, social organizations, and NGOs.
  • Support the local population for the resumption and recovery of economic activity.

Relief Aid

• Any provision of assistance during an emergency that attends to a person's immediate requirements for survival or recovery.
• May include food, clothing, housing, medical care, necessary social services, and security during extraordinary circumstances.
• Targeted towards the most vulnerable first: children, households headed by women or children, pregnant or lactating women, the sick and elderly.

This quiz provides an overview of the key components of disaster risk reduction as outlined in the Sendai Framework. It covers essential concepts such as disaster prevention, preparedness, and response strategies aimed at minimizing the impact of disasters on communities. Test your knowledge on these critical aspects of disaster management.