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Flood Management Tool Series, Technical Document, 23. Health and Sanitation Aspects of Flood Management
Flood events are known for their profound capacity to positively or negatively affect humans. Floods improve overall human well-being by providing services such as groundwater recharge, surface-water replenishment, soil-fertility enhancement and a general increase in the value of social–ecological systems. Equally, however, flood events pose a series of diverse health threats, ranging from contaminated water sources to decreased agricultural productivity, especially when communities are vulnerable and lack the capacity to effectively respond to, and recover from, the adverse effects of floods. ...
Flood Management Tool Series, Technical Document, 22. The role of the media in flood management
Communication is the imparting or exchange of information between individuals or groups through a common system of symbols, signs or behaviour (Merriam-Webster, 2013a; Oxford Dictionaries, 2013). In recent decades, different conceptual models have been developed to explain the process of human communication. One of the best representations of the flow of information in flood communication is the Interactional Communication Model proposed by Schramm (Schramm, 1954).
Flood Management Tool Series, Technical Document, 21. Effectiveness of flood management measures
It is not enough to assert—to an elected official, a regulator, a donor organization or the taxpayer—that one’s organization is doing an effective job of flood management. One also has to be able to provide a credible answer to the question: “How do you know?” 2 There is a multiplicity of flood management activities that can be pursued by a plethora of government jurisdictions, government agencies, NGOs, private and volunteer groups— independently, in cooperation, in competition. These activities may include: constructing flood prevention infrastructure; rebuilding houses, buildings and infras ...
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Perceptions of obvious and disruptive climate change: community-based risk assessment for two native villages in Alaska: In Climate 2015, 3(4), pp. 812-832
This work operationalizes the determinants of climate change risk, exposure and vulnerability, through the perceptions held by Native hunters, fishers, and gatherers in Savoonga and Shaktoolik, Alaska. Informed by their skill, experience, and the traditional knowledge of their elders, hunters, fishers, and gatherers in these communities are astute observers of their environment and environmental change. A questionnaire is used to sort and rank their perceptions of the most obvious and disruptive elements of climate change as representations of exposure and vulnerability, respectively.
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Disaster risk programme to strengthen resilience in the dry corridor in Central America
This document presents an overview on the impact of the Dry Corridor phenomenon in Central America, and the work the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) - in collaboration with its partners - is doing to support countries to increase disaster resilience of households, communities and institutions.
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Agriculture and livelihood flood impact assessment in Myanmar
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MOAI) Myanmar - gov ; Ministry of Livestock, Fisheries and Rural Development (MLFRD) Myanmar - gov ; et al. - FAO, 2015This report assesses the disaster impact of the cyclone Komen on agriculture and rural-based livelihoods of affected populations in Myanmar. The assessment was conducted in the six most-affected regions/states of Ayeyarwady, Bago, Chin, Magway, Rakhine and Sagaing. It was co-led by FAO and WFP under the framework of the Food Security Sector in partnership with UN women, World Vision, CESVI, CARE, JICA and LIFT.
Asia-Pacific Disaster Report 2015: Disasters without borders - Regional resilience for sustainable development
This flagship publication of UN ESCAP provides an overview of the state of disaster resilience in Asia-Pacific region, and places disaster risk reduction at the heart of sustainable development. It identifies emerging new risks in the region and the sectors that are most at risk.
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Disaster risk reduction efforts in the Greater Horn of Africa : In International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, March 2015, volume 6, issue 1, pp. 49-61
This article assesses the current state of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Greater Horn of Africa (GHA), and focuses on interventions and policies to mitigate hydrometeorological risks. The research analyzes, as main case study, the program “Regional Climate Prediction and Risk Reduction in the Greater Horn of Africa” funded by the Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID OFDA) in the early 2000 that targeted risk preparedness.
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Reflections on the current debate on how to link flood insurance and disaster risk reduction in the European Union
This paper investigates if and how current EU policies influence flood insurance. While the question of supply and demand is at the core of the debate, the authors argue that another key dimension is often overlooked: how to use insurance as a lever for risk reduction and prevention efforts.
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Refining the historical flood series for Ba, Fiji
This report extends, reviews and explains in detail the historical flood series for the Ba River at Ba, Fiji. It is the longest quantitative flood series for a river in Fiji, describing 32 floods that have inundated Rarawai Sugar Mill over the 123‐year period from 1892 to 2014, at an average of once every 3.8 years. The accuracy of each flood level is assessed, with 56% of these floods deemed to have a high rating and 34% a medium‐high or medium rating. Flood levels for 12 lesser floods are also estimated. This extended and verified flood series provides the basis for forthcoming statistical a ...
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Tropical Cyclone Pam: lessons learned workshop report
Vanuatu - Gov, 2015This report summarises the discussions and outcomes from the national debriefing workshop to identify lessons learned following Tropical Cyclone Pam (TC Pam). It reviews key aspects of coordination, including preparation, response and recovery.
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New Guinea islands drought: assessment report
This report presents the outcomes of a rapid assessment on the drought situation carried out by the Government of Papua New Guinea. It includes the findings/ highlights on the impact of drought on food, water, health, livelihood and education. It finally presents recommendations based on the assessment.
Urban flooding of Greater Dhaka in a changing climate: building local resilience to disaster risk
World Bank, 2015This study’s overall aim is to provide local decision-makers an effective planning approach for minimizing the damage risk of rainfall-induced urban flooding in Dhaka in a changing climate. Specific objectives are to assess the vulnerability of the Greater Dhaka area to urban flooding and waterlogging, estimate probable economic damage due to climate change, develop structural adaptation measures, evaluate the reduction in economic damage resulting from implementing these measures, and estimate their cost.
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Planning for a more resilient future: a guide to regional approaches
This report summarizes the rapidly-growing body of research on resilience, describing the main ideas that are driving policy and practice across the country, and examining current thinking on regional and economic resilience. It is intended for regional development organizations (RDOs) as well as local governments, community foundations, voluntary organizations, and others who step forward as planners, conveners, organizers, fundraisers, mediators, coordinators, and advocates on behalf of communities impacted by, or at risk of being impacted by, disasters, natural and human-induced.
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Big data for climate change and disaster resilience: realising the benefits for developing countries
This synthesis report explores the opportunities, challenges and required steps for leveraging the new ecosystem of Big Data to monitor and detect hazards, mitigate their effects, and assist in relief efforts. Ultimately the goal is to build resilience so that vulnerable communities and countries as complex human ecosystems not only ‘bounce back’ but also learn to adapt to maintain equilibrium in the face of natural hazards.
Assessing Agricultural Risk in Africa Using Satellite Data and Land Surface Models
Droughts pose a major risk in most African countries including Ghana where agricultural activities are heavily dependent on rainfall. Efforts at assessing droughts and providing decision support tools to farmers are hampered by a lack of rainfall and other meteorological data over many parts of Africa. Satellite based rainfall measurements have been suggested to fill the rainfall data gaps over Africa to enable effective assessment of droughts. Traditional methods of assessing droughts have been based on statistical formulations that relied mostly on precipitation. This approach to assessing d ...
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ASEAN disaster management reference handbook
This handbook provides decision makers, planners, responders and disaster management practitioners with an overview of the disaster management structure, policies, laws, and plans for ASEAN countries.
The handbook presents an overview of natural and man-made threats most likely to affect ASEAN countries, basic country background information, including cultural, demographic, geographic, infrastructure and other data, as well as endemic conditions such as poverty, water and sanitation, food security and other humanitarian issues. It also provides an overview of the health situatio ...
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Extreme weather and resilience of the global food system
This report examines the resilience of the global food system to extreme weather.
This summary is built on three detailed reports and presents evidence that the global food system is vulnerable to production shocks caused by extreme weather, and that this risk is growing. It highlights evidence that our reliance on increasing volumes of global trade, whilst having many benefits, also creates structural vulnerability via a liability to amplify production shocks in some circumstances. It argues that action is needed to improve the resilience of the global food system to weather-re ...
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State of social media technologies for disaster preparedness in Asia Pacific region
This report aims to contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the implications of social media analysis tools for disaster preparedness, focusing on the Asia Pacific region. The research it is based on follows a technology-in-practice approach, that is, it examines users’ practices enacted in their interaction with technological features and functions (e.g., message broadcasting on Twitter, visual analytical tools on ThinkUp) in different situations. Specifically, this research aims to solicit data from humanitarian organizations’ self-reported opinions and usage of social media and relat ...
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School of Economics and Finance Working paper, 08/2015. Natural disasters and climate change in the Pacific island countries : new non-monetary measurements of impacts
In this article, the author tabulates and measures the burden of disasters on the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) by aggregating and comparing the data found in the two global datasets on disaster impacts.
The paper shows that the most commonly used dataset greatly underestimates the burden of disasters for the Pacific islands. Next, it describes a new index that aggregates disaster impacts, calculates this index for the PICs, and then compares the burden of disasters for the island countries of the Pacific with the island countries of the Caribbean. This comparison demonstrates ...
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Disaster microinsurance: an innovation for transformation: In Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 133, July 2015
The Policy Brief is primarily aimed at a human rights audience, and intends to both inform human rights policymakers and provide guidance on how international human rights law, institutions and mechanisms might contribute to more effective, just and sustainable policy responses (at the international and national levels) to climate change and crossborder displacement.
It reflects primary and secondary research; the outcome of a meeting during the 25th session of the Human Rights Council (the Council) on the ‘human rights implications of displacement in the context of disasters’ o ...
Monitoring and evaluating climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction in Uganda
This scoping study report is an analysis of the monitoring and evaluation frameworks and tools in Uganda with focus on climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It provides an overview of Uganda’s climate change and other related policy context and their provisions for monitoring and evaluation frameworks. The report also highlights the current reporting systems and the mandates of different institutions for climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction. The tools and systems used for data and information collection, processing, reporting, storage and dissemination are hig ...
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Social participation and disaster risk reduction behaviors in tsunami prone areas: In PLoS ONE 10(7)
This white paper explores the lessons learned from Katrina and how the recovery in New Orleans inspired the creation of new methods of building resilience. The paper identifies a number of critical areas to keep stakeholders aligned, including prioritizing flooding as the paramount risk, devoting more resources to preventive measures rather than post-event disaster relief, and overcoming current infrastructure vulnerabilities. The paper also offers first steps and tactics to help assess and address communities at risk, and ways to improve the affordability of risk-based disaster insurance.
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Beyond Katrina: lessons in creating resilient communities
Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center (Risk Center) ; Zurich Insurance Group Limited - Zurich Insurance Group Limited, 2015This white paper explores the lessons learned from Katrina and how the recovery in New Orleans inspired the creation of new methods of building resilience. The paper identifies a number of critical areas to keep stakeholders aligned, including prioritizing flooding as the paramount risk, devoting more resources to preventive measures rather than post-event disaster relief, and overcoming current infrastructure vulnerabilities. The paper also offers first steps and tactics to help assess and address communities at risk, and ways to improve the affordability of risk-based disaster insurance.
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Does adaptation finance invest in disaster risk reduction?
This report argues that there is a gap for disaster risk reduction (DRR) financing, which could be filled by adaptation funds that have the capacity to invest directly in DRR activities and to integrate DRR into their other activities.
It suggests that water and coastal protection are the sectors where DRR is most integrated. DRR investments through adaptation funds appear to be more focused on the poorest countries in comparison to DRR finance from international aid.
This was particularly the case for Small Island Developing States (SIDS). DRR channelled through ...
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The (mis) allocation of public spending in a low income country : Evidence from disaster risk reduction spending in Bangladesh
This paper focuses on the regional allocation of public spending for disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Bangladesh.
The objective is to identify all of the directly observable determinants’ of publicly allocated and realized spending at the local government (sub-district) level. The Heckman two stage selection model is used with detailed public finance and other data from 483 sub-districts (upazilas) across the country. It is found that government does not respond to the sub-district’s risk exposure as a factor affecting the DRR financing mechanism. The DRR regional allocations do ...
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Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction : success or warning sign for Paris?
This report reviews and discusses the agreed commitments and targets, as well as the negotiation leading to the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR).
It discusses briefly its implication for the later UN-led negotiations on sustainable development goals and climate change, including the Conference of Parties taking place in Paris, France at the end of 2015.
SFDRR was adopted by UN Member States in March 2015 and was the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda, with seven targets and four priorities for action: 1) Understanding disaste ...
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Disaster Risk Reduction for Resilience and Sustainable Development in the Arab Region
This brief gives an overview of the disaster trends and challenges across the Arab region.
There is a special emphasis on infrastructure, informal settlements, climate change, and cross-cutting issues such as governance, inclusiveness, decentralisation and legislation. The report also provides an analysis of proposed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Targets from an Arab Perspective.
As introduction is given to the issues around disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the Arab region. The main trends and challenges in DRR and reliance building are identified, spec ...
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Malawi 2015 floods post disaster needs assessment report
Malawi - government, 2015The PDNA report indicates that the Malawi 2015 floods affected 1,101,364 people, displaced 230,000 and killed 106 people. The assessment focuses on medium to long term reconstruction and provides the guiding principles for recovery, including assessment of the damage, losses, and recovery and reconstruction strategies for each sector are provided in detailed sector.
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Managing flood and coastal erosion risk : April 2014 to March 2015
The report describes the extensive work undertaken by all risk management authorities to (i) manage the risks from flooding and coastal erosion, (ii) achieve the objectives of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England, (iii) plan for future flood and coastal erosion risk. It also reports how lead local flood authorities have progressed on their local strategies and asset registers.
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Global estimates 2015: people displaced by disasters
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC); Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) - Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre, 2015This annual report draws on information from a wide range of sources, including governments, UN and international organisations, NGOs and media, to provide up-to-date figures and analysis on displacement caused by disasters associated with rapid-onset geophysical and weather-related hazards such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods and storms. The report, the sixth of its kind, aims to equip governments, local authorities, civil society organisations and international and regional institutions with evidence relevant to these key post-2015 agenda.
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Adaptation strategies after cyclone in southwest coastal Bangladesh, pro poor policy choices: In American Journal of Rural Development, Vol. 3, No. 2
This research paper explores the ‘atlas of the locally adopted strategies’ to cope with adverse effects of cyclone Aila in southwest coastal Bangladesh. Particularly, this research has explored the community level practices in agriculture, housing, water resources, communication and employment generations. An empirical survey was undertaken with 145 respondents by using semi-structured interviews with selected social groups and their households’ assistants. Besides face-to-face interviews, this survey applied group level qualitative assessment methods i.e. FGD (focus group discussion), Social ...
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Proceedings of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
These proceedings highlight the five days of deliberations, discussions and presentations held at the Third United Nations World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (WCDRR) held at Sendai City, Japan in March 2015. The proceedings include the Sendai Declaration and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, and a chart of the Framework. They also feature opening ceremony statements, brief summaries of ministerial tables, high level multi-stakeholder partnership dialogues, working sessions, special meetings and ceremonies, and study visits and excursions, and exhibitions and ...
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Twitter as a potential disaster risk reduction tool: a systematic review. In PLOS Currents Disasters. 2015 Jul 1, Edition 1
This four-part study examines Twitter as a viable communications tool at the community level during crisis events with potential for disaster risk reduction and management, and establishes an evidence-based technological science and knowledge base necessary for community-level replication and education and training of this communications tool.
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Application of behavioral theories to disaster and emergency health preparedness: a systematic review. In PLOS Currents Disasters. 2015 Jul 1, Edition 1
The major objectives of this systematic review are to: (i) identify which behavioral theories have been applied to disasters and emergency health preparedness and investigate why these theories were preferred over others; (ii) assess as to which theories have been applied with regard to specific natural and man-made disasters and emergencies preparedness; (iii) examine the most common theories and models applied in different regions of the world pertaining to various natural and man-made disasters and emergency preparedness; and (iv) investigate and analyze the methods of analysis used for eac ...
International Disaster Response Law (IDRL) in Italy : a study on strengthening legal preparedness for international disaster response
This report examines Italy's legal preparedness for managing incoming international disaster assistance in light of the Guidelines for the Domestic Facilitation and Regulation of International Disaster Relief and Initial Recovery Assistance (IDRL) Guidelines.
It seeks to identify the main obstacles that existing rules create for international cooperation in the event of disasters in Italy. It does so by looking at the IDRL Guidelines, adopted by state parties to the Geneva Conventions at the 30th International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and at the EU Host Nati ...
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A guide to measuring urban risk resilience : Principles, tools and practice of urban indicators
This guidebook describes the principles, tools and practice of developing and implementing urban disaster risk and resilience indicators.
It focuses on the application of three indicator systems of urban risk and resilience which have been developed as complementary tools to communicate risk and promote discussion around appropriate local level risk and resilience strategies at city level: the Urban Disaster Risk Index (UDRi), the Risk Management Index (RMI) and the Disaster Resilience Index (DRI).
The authors present their collective experience and findings in th ...
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Local level planning to cope with heat waves in India: In Southasiadisasters.net, issue no. 132, June 2015
This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses on the theme of the 'Risk of Heat Waves and Climate Change in India'. It tries to highlight the phenomena of heat waves from the perspectives of various stakeholders ranging from the local authorities to the vulnerable communities such as street vendors, construction workers, children and the elderly. The Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan has been highlighted as a policy level intervention worth emulating in other Indian cities. Similarly, an anthropological perspective to heat wave planning is also posited.
This issue's contents includes: ( ...
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The Disaster-Knowledge Matrix – Reframing and evaluating the knowledge challenges in disaster risk reduction: In International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Volume 13, September 2015
Elsevier, 2015This study identifies and addresses key challenges concerning monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for climate change adaptation (CCA).
It documents good practices and good practice principles on the development, selection, and use of indicators used in the M&E of adaptation interventions. The study also looks at the steps and contexts M&E personnel should consider when formulating, selecting, adjusting, and/or using indicators. The study also identifies common themes in the literature and gaps in data – including the role of learning in an adaptation M&E system and the identificatio ...
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Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 outlines seven clear targets and four priorities for action to prevent new and reduce existing disaster risks: (i) Understanding disaster risk; (ii) Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk; (iii) Investing in disaster reduction for resilience and; (iv) Enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response, and to "Build Back Better" in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction. It aims to achieve the substantial reduction of disaster risk and losses in lives, livelihoods and health and in the economic, physica ...
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Nepal earthquake 2015 : post disaster needs assessment
Nepal - Government, 2015The report presents a comprehensive post disaster needs assessment exercise, launched simultaneously with response and relief efforts at the request of the Government of Nepal, with the objective to estimate damages and losses caused by the earthquake and to help identify recovery needs as well as strategy required for its implementation. The assessment exercise was led by the National Planning Commission (NPC) with assistance of more than 250 national and international experts who worked round the clock to produce this assessment covering 23 sectors in less than one month.
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Analyzing the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction : International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, June 2015, Volume 6, Issue 2, Special
Springer, 2015These articles represent a first attempt to develop a baseline for understanding, analyzing, praising, and critiquing the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) and its progress in implementation.
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Promoting ecosystems for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation : Opportunities for Integration
This discussion paper examines differences and similarities between ecosystem-based approaches to disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR) and ecosystem-based approaches to adaptation (EBA).
It suggests key integration points at the project level through examining a number of Eco-DRR, EBA and hybrid (Eco-DRR/CCA) projects. A total of 38 (Eco-DRR, EBA and hybrid Eco-DRR/CCA) projects are examined in terms of their aims, assessments, implementation, monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and policy and institutional contexts to understand how in practice these approaches differ and overlap and ...
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