El Salvador’s mitigation project supports 30 municipalities
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Material Information

Title:
El Salvador’s mitigation project supports 30 municipalities
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 and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC)
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2004
Language:
English
Physical Description:
Case study

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Risk management -- El Salvador ( lcshac )
Natural hazards and disasters -- El Salvador ( lcshac )
Emergency management -- El Salvador ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )
Spatial Coverage:
North and Central America -- El Salvador

Notes

Summary:
This case study outlines the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) disaster mitigation project in thirty El Salvador municipalities in the departments of La Paz, San Vicente, La Libertad, and Cuscatlán. El Salvador is vulnerable to a variety of disaster risks, including high magnitude earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, droughts, tropical storms, and heavy floods. These disasters have had a devastating and compounding impact on the country’s development prospects, particularly affecting the poorest and most vulnerable communities. In a joint effort to help these communities cope better with disaster, the Salvadoran Red Cross Society (SRCS) and the American Red Cross initiated a mitigation project aimed at facilitating community risk reduction. This project specifically underscored the need to strengthen disaster response capacity at all levels (national, departmental and municipal), and to enhance the effectiveness of early warning systems. Emphasis was particularly placed on strengthening local communities’ capacities for disaster preparedness and response. The project also focuses on improving the local population’s capacity to mitigate the impact of disasters through the drafting of land-use plans and technical reports concerning flood-risk. Further mitigation components were developed by the SRCS and the Ministry of Education for 90 schools in high-risk communities. These included training in disaster preparedness, mitigation, and the development of disaster plans. The project also included small-scale non-structural mitigation projects focused on improving local infrastructure and municipal regulations. The document concludes that since no one method for reducing vulnerability and disaster risk works everywhere, educational materials should be adapted to the targeted population’s specific context. Also, one of the most important aspects for the success of the project was its ability to motivate the local population to participate actively. Local governments and communities must be encouraged to actively participate in these programs to ensure that they develop a sense of ownership over the process of protecting themselves and their communities. ( English )
Subject:
General Risk Management ( English )
Scope and Content:
Background p. 1; The project p. 1; Lessons learned p. 1; Conclusion p. 2 ( English )
Citation/Reference:
(2004). El Salvador’s mitigation project supports 30 municipalities. International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042607

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Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction