Building capacity in disaster risk management
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Material Information

Title:
Building capacity in disaster risk management Red Cross Red Crescent lessons learned in the democratic people’s Republic of Korea
Creator:
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Place of Publication:
Geneva, Switzerland
Publisher:
International Federation of Red Cross
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2010
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Risk management ( lcshac )
Red Cross and Red Crescent ( lcshac )
Disaster response and recovery ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( (marcgt) )
Spatial Coverage:
Asia -- Korea

Notes

Summary:
This is a ten-year review of a 1998 initiative by the Red Cross Society of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) establishing a separate disaster management department focused on preparing communities for natural disasters in order to reduce their impact. It assesses the performance of this new department and identifies areas of importance for progressing forward. While the DPRK is only infrequently affected by major disasters such as typhoons and tropical storms, it is regularly exposed to smaller-scaled disasters such as mudslides and fires related to fluctuations between flood and drought conditions. The country also remains highly susceptible to natural hazards as a result of widespread deforestation and lack of appropriate land use management. It is in this context that the DPRK Red Cross Disaster Management (DM) program was developed to raise awareness of disaster risks and how to prepare for disasters at the community level. The program has implemented disaster preparedness activities in 100 communities throughout the country. It combines structural mitigation measures such as the building of river embankments with soft non-structural measures that include the establishment of early warning systems, contingency planning, and the mapping of disaster risks. In 2008, representatives from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) carried out an evaluation to assess the impact of these disaster management interventions. The review had two aims: 1) to review the implementation of the various components of the DM program, and 2) the targeting of beneficiaries and gender integration in the DM program. The assessment involved a review of the disaster management literature, semi-formal and informal interviews with staff and volunteers, five days of field visits, and a two-day workshop. The findings are presented under six themes: disaster response, community-based disaster preparedness, the role of the Red Cross, integrating related programs, training, and documenting impact. The review found that the DPRK Red Cross DM program has been successful in several areas. In particular, its quick response during the 2006 and 2007 floods demonstrated the effectiveness of implemented preparedness measures. It also highlights the benefits of networks established to mobilize community members for mitigation, and the pre-positioning of emergency family kits across the country for rapid deployment in the event of disaster. ( English,,,, )
Subject:
Disaster Risk Management
Scope and Content:
Building Capacity in Disaster Risk Management: What is the programme? p. 4; Programme review p. 5; What did the programme achieve? p. 5; Findings p. 5; Disaster response p. 6; How the programme is run p. 6; Province-level response p. 7; Rescue teams p. 7; Managing relief items p. 7; Community-based disaster preparedness p. 9; Process and participation p. 9; Assessing need p. 10; Coverage and approaches used p. 10; Early warning and evacuation p. 11; Mitigation p. 11; Community-based tree planting p. 11; Role of the Red Cross p. 13; Integrating related projects p. 15; Training p. 17; Measuring and documenting impact p. 19; Summary of lessons learned p. 21
Citation/Reference:
(2010). Building capacity in disaster risk management: Red Cross Red Crescent lessons learned in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Copies of all or part of this document may be made for non-commercial use, providing the source is acknowledged. The International Federation would appreciate receiving details of its use. Requests for commercial reproduction should be directed to the International Federation at secretariat@ifrc.org.
Resource Identifier:
FI13010933

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction