World disasters report 2009

Material Information

Title:
World disasters report 2009 focus on early warning, early action
Creator:
Knight, Lindsay
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Publisher:
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2009
Language:
English

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Natural hazard and disasters ( lcshac )
Emergency management ( lcshac )
Hazard mitigation ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
While the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has a historical role in providing relief to victims when disasters strike, in this document it calls on the international community to embrace early warning and early action as a more effective means to preparedness and relief. The IFRC is increasingly turning to people-centered early warning systems and an emphasis on preparedness, prevention, and mitigation. Understanding that disaster risk is the interaction between vulnerability and hazards, the IFRC asserts that climate change is the intervening variable that affects the frequency, intensity, and location of hazards. Disaster risk reduction (DRR) then, becomes a critical tool in addressing vulnerability and the changing nature of hazards. It is within this context that the IFRC stresses the need for early warning and early action. Actions range from developing evacuation procedures to joint efforts with local communities to identify the underlying roots of disaster risk. The IFRC’s focus on preparedness includes increasing public awareness of disaster risks, as well as improving community organization so as to increase community resilience and capacity to effectively respond to and recover from disaster. The document also focuses on getting disaster communication right, ensuring the timely delivery of early warning messages to those charged to act, and that information is accessible to those at risk. Examples of failed action in the wake of disasters include cyclone Nargis, hurricane Katrina and food crisis in Niger. Drawing on good practices developed in Southern Africa, the Caribbean, South-East Europe and the Solomon Islands, IFRC makes the case against the common perception that risk reduction is usually costly and lacks visibility. This is an attempt by the IFRC to engage donors to support risk reduction measures prior to disaster in order to reduce the magnitude of damages. Examples of effective early warning-early action include risk reduction measures developed by the Mozambique Red Cross in 2007 on the Cahora Bassa dam, the Buzi river basin, and the Zambezi river. ( English )
Subject:
Early Warning ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2009). World disasters report 2009: focus on early warning, early action. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
All rights reserved. Except for quotation in a review of the work, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. This publication is copyright, but may be reproduced without fee for teaching purposes but not for resale. Formal permission is required for all such uses. For copying in any other circumstances, or for re-use in other publications, or for translation or adaptation, prior written permission must be obtained from the publisher.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042496
9291391425 ( isbn )

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction