2003
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Turning
the tide on disasters towards sustainable development |
2003
World Disaster Reduction Campaign |
Information
Kit |
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Geneva,
September 2003
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Dear friends,
Water - too
much, or too little - plays an integral part in our lives,
holds our imaginations and impacts our communities. Hydrometeorological
hazards, such as floods, droughts, landslides, tropical cyclones,
hurricanes and typhoons, pose a risk to livelihoods and to
the process of sustainable development.
The 2003
World Disaster Reduction Campaign looks at how we cope with
water-related hazards, serving to raise awareness among decision-makers
and the public that there is much we can do to reduce the impacts
of hazards. While it is widely acknowledged that hydrometeorological
hazards are on the rise due to human activities increasing
vulnerabilities, there is still greater attention (and investment)
paid to the disasters themselves and the resulting deaths and
destruction.
Rather, we
should be looking at the longer-term investment of disaster
risk reduction strategies - incorporating disaster preparedness,
mitigation and prevention - that would in fact in the end significantly
reduce their impacts and costs. We need to shift our emphasis:
from disaster relief to disaster reduction.
The World
Disaster Reduction Campaign builds momentum throughout the
year, culminating in the International Day for Disaster Reduction
on 8 October whereby it is celebrated worldwide. We invite
you to take part in the Campaign by organizing activities to
highlight the importance of reducing the impacts of water-related
hazards.
This information
kit will provide you with a wealth of information related to
the Campaign theme. People involved in disaster reduction around
the world share with you their experiences, presenting real-life
examples that could be applied in other regions. These stories
are only a handful of numerous existing disaster reduction
initiatives, aimed to serve as inspiration for action in your
community. We encourage you to take the examples in this collection:
translate and reproduce them, building upon them to make them
relevant to your community to raise awareness, to inform, educate,
and connect with others with similar experiences, initiating
research, and fueling action.
Some of the
articles discuss research in the field of disaster preparedness
and mitigation, highlighting issues and principles which should
underlie intervention programmes. Others tell of lessons learned
and success stories across the world, demonstrating how communities,
when faced with water-related hazards, have dealt with them.
Facts and
figures, a list of relevant websites, a glossary of key terms
and ideas for spreading the Campaign message provide further
information that can be used to plan and promote events to
mark the International Day for Disaster Reduction on 8 October
2003. On the ISDR website all information materials are available
electronically for adaptation, reproduction and translation
into other languages.
We hope that
you will find this kit useful and share with us your experiences.
We look forward to hearing about how you and your community
participated in the 2003 World Disaster Reduction Campaign,
and welcome your feedback by completing the feedback form herewith
or contacting us at isdr@un.org .
Sálvano Briceño
Director
Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
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Contents (PDF
format) |
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Inspiring
ideas for raising awareness and education (147Kb) |
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Facts
and figures (340Kb) |
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Water-related
disasters websites (163Kb) |
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Glossary (147Kb) |
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Let
Us Hear From You! (107Kb) |
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Lack
of freshwater: A primary concern at times of disasters (159Kb)
Pan-American Center for Sanitary Engineering and Environmental
Sciences (CEPIS), Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO),
Peru
This article
raises the issue of protecting freshwater infrastructure
for human consumption -during 'normal' times, and in particular
during extreme events such as social conflicts and disaster
situations. Access to freshwater following a disaster is
crucial to assist communities in having their lives return
to normal.
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Community
based flood hazard mapping: a simple and easy-to-understand
tool for public awareness (163Kb)
Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), Japan
The organization
highlights the advantages of community mapping in reducing
causalities during disasters, emphasizing the importance
of community involvement, therefore contributing to wider
understanding and responsibility.
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Mobilising
for mitigation: Weather proofing low income homes in Suurbraak,
South Africa (175Kb)
Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme,
University of Cape Town, South Africa
Residents
of in a low-income housing area in South Africa pool their
money to weather proof their houses against future disasters.
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The
summer floods in Europe: A millennium flood? (181Kb)
MunichRe Group, Germany
Using the
2002 floods in Europe as a case study, MunichRe raises questions
such as 'is man to blame?' and 'can the effects of floods
be reduced?' to highlight the important role of insurance
industry in disaster reduction.
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Kot
Nizam- From water blight to social delight (189Kb)
Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG)
-Sri Lanka; and Rural Development Policy Institute (RDPI),
Pakistan
The construction
of a road and a water channel brings social and cultural
life back to a small village previously inundated and isolated
by floods.
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International
Flood Mitigation Initiative for the Red River (IFMI) (166Kb)
Dick Gross, The Consensus Council and George Haddow,
Institute for Crisis, Disaster and Disaster Management, George
Washington University, USA
IFMI highlights
initiatives that were born out after the Red River flood
that impacted across the Canada-United States border.
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Flood
Kindergarten: Community Need to Community Solution (168Kb)
Department of Dyke Management, Flood and Storm Control,
Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Socialist
Republic of Vietnam
Evidence
shows that flood kindergartens in the Mekong Delta drastically
reduce the number of child casualties in Vietnam. The Government
of Vietnam recounts their experience in identifying and addressing
flood vulnerability.
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New
South Wales State Emergency Service initiatives to reduce
the impacts of flooding (170Kb)
Dr Chas Keys, New South Wales State Emergency Service
with assistance from Jonathan Abrahams, Emergency Management
Australia (EMA), Australia
The Australian
state of New South Wales expands its emergency service program
to include disaster reduction as well as disaster relief.
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Damned
to be Dammed? A Case Study of Ojirami Dam in Southern Nigeria (162Kb)
Society for Water and Public Health Protection (SWAPHEP),
Nigeria
Small dams
should also be seen as a potential source of hazard for surrounding
communities, writes SWAPHEP, based on a study of dams in
Southern Nigeria. The organization calls for risk assessment
and management in communities near dams.
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The
ABCs of survival: Disaster training for kids in Armenia (168Kb)
Stephen Badalyan, European Interregional Center of Training Rescuers
(ECTR), Armenia
Children
in a small town Armenian town learn how to survive and help
their community in case of a dam burst.
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Aymaran
rainwater harvesting (177Kb)
Félix Gutiérrez Matta, Apachita Foundation,
Bolivia
The Aymaran
indigenous people of Bolivia have adopted traditional practices
to collect water in the mountains and pampas by way of constructing
qhuthañas.
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Trends
in Risk and An Integrated Approach To Reducing Societal
Vulnerability To Drought (210Kb)
Dr. Don A. Wilhite, ISDR Ad-hoc Discussion Group
on Drought, National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC),
University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Vulnerability
in the context of drought is often increased due to social
factors such as population density, conflict and urbanisation.
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Drought:
Vulnerability and Crisis in Drylands (148Kb)
Eric Patrick, Drylands Development Centre, United
Nations Development Programme, Kenya
Societal,
institutional and environmental dynamics make drylands populations
in Africa vulnerable to climactic fluctuations.
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Turning
the tide on typhoon damage in the Philippines (197Kb)
Gareth Hearn and Jonathan Hart, Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick & Co
Ltd, United Kingdom
Road rehabilitation
in a mountainous agriculturally rich area of Philippines
tries to counteract effects of cyclones and man made slope
degradation.
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The
role of dialect specific radio warnings in saving lives during
cyclonic disaster in Bangladesh (183Kb)
Mohammad Sahid Ullah, Forum for Development, Journalism
and Communication Studies (FOCUS), Bangladesh
Ullah writes
about a study conducted by FOCUS which reveals that aside from
scientific accuracy, the appropriateness of culture, language
and medium is critical for disseminating early warning information.
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Battling
nature in Mozambique (188Kb)
National Institute of Meteorology and the US Agency
for International Development's (USAID) Famine Early Warning
System Network (FEWS NET), Mozambique Integrated Information
Network For Decision-Making (MIND), Mozambique
An innovative
warning system approach in Mozambique helps raise awareness
about cyclones.
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More
articles |
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River
freshets and dam safety in the republic of Armenia (36Kb)
Kamo Aghababyan, Armenia |
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Goals
of transboundary nature and use of water resources based on
the case of basins of the rivers Kura and Araks (28Kb)
A.I. Tarverdayn, Armwodproekt Institute, Armenia |
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Using
GIS for assessing, monitoring and protecting the river basins
and ground water resources of Armenia (131Kb)
Armenia |
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Dangers
expected from water resources, their prediction and advantageous
use (25Kb)
Armenia |
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The
Australian drought of 2002-2003 (665Kb)
Andrew Watkins, National Climate Centre, Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology,
Australia
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Flood
warning – role in managing risk (24Kb)
Jim Elliott, Commonwealth Bureau of Meteorology, Australia |
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An
attempt on application of alternative strategies for community
based flood preparedness in South-Asia (Bangladesh) (561Kb)
Disaster Mitigation Programme, Intermediate Technology Development Group,
Bangladesh |
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Prociv
y defensa civil entregan donación de la organizacion
panamericana de la salud (OMS/OPAS) para la biblioteca del
departamento de hidraulica de la universidad de Sao Paulo,
Brasil (379Kb)
Prociv, Brazil |
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Peligro
en el mar caribe: la región se encuentra en un período
activo de huracanes que durará varios años (94Kb)
Dr. José Rubiera, Centro Nacional de Pronósticos, Instituto
de Meteorología, Cuba |
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La
sequia del 2001 en Guatemala: Un enfoque del riesgo asociado (499Kb)
Gerencia de Gestión de Riesgo – CONRED, Guatemala, Guatemala |
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Hurricane ‘Lili’ puts
disaster preparedness to the test (22Kb)
Haiti
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Living
with risk in the Indian Himalaya region (284Kb)
Varun Joshi, G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development,
India |
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What
does the community want to know about disasters? (21Kb)
Cabinet Office of Japan, Japan |
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Empowering
women in arid areas to manage water (339Kb)
Disaster Management Branch, Division of Environmental Implementation (DEPI),
UN Environment Programme (UNEP), Kenya |
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Nicaragua:
preparing for disaster on all fronts (240Kb)
European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Belgium |
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El
agua y la vulnerabilidad social (23Kb)
Profesor Lincoln Alayo Bernal, Centro de Capacitación y Prevención
para el Manejo de Emergencia y Medio Ambiente, Perú
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Descripción
y evaluación de un sistema de qochas en la cuenca norte
del Titicaca (250Kb)
Roberto Valdivia F. y Jorge Reinoso R., Centro de Investigación
de Recursos Naturales y Medio Ambiente (CIRNMA) y Elías Mujica,
Instituto Andino de Estudios Arqueológicos (INDEA) y Consorcio para
el Desarrollo Sostenible de la Ecorregión Andina (CONDESAN) |
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Radio
communication saves lives in Tajikistan (392Kb)
European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), Belgium |
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Environmental
impacts of water resources development of enclosed basins -
The case of the Dead Sea (24Kb)
Elias Salameh |
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