Disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is the policy objective of anticipating and reducing risk. Disaster risk management (DRM) refers to the implementation of DRR. Skiptomaincontent Home Understandingdisasterrisk keyconcepts Disasterriskreduction... Disasterriskreduction&disasterriskmanagement UPLOADYOURCONTENT PWDisasterrisk Disasterriskreduction&disasterriskmanagement Thepolicyobjectiveofanticipatingandreducingriskiscalleddisasterriskreduction(DRR).AlthoughoftenusedinterchangeablywithDRR,disasterriskmanagement(DRM)canbethoughtofastheimplementationofDRR,sinceitdescribestheactionsthataimtoachievetheobjectiveofreducingrisk. AdaptedfromUNISDRGlobalAssessmentReport2015   PeoplemakingsandbagsinBangkok,Thailand.Source:pornvit_v/ShutterstockDisasterriskisanindicatorofpoordevelopment,soreducingdisasterriskrequiresintegratingDRRpolicyandDRMpracticeintosustainabledevelopmentgoals. Whatisdisasterriskreduction? Historically,dealingwithdisastersfocusedonemergencyresponse,buttowardstheendofthe20thcenturyitwasincreasinglyrecognisedthatdisastersarenotnatural(eveniftheassociatedhazardis)andthatitisonlybyreducingandmanagingconditionsofhazard,exposureandvulnerabilitythatwecanpreventlossesandalleviatetheimpactsofdisasters.Sincewecannotreducetheseverityofnaturalhazards,themainopportunityforreducingriskliesinreducingvulnerabilityandexposure.Reducingthesetwocomponentsofriskrequiresidentifyingandreducingtheunderlyingdriversofrisk,whichareparticularlyrelatedtopooreconomicandurbandevelopmentchoicesandpractice,degradationoftheenvironment,povertyandinequalityandclimatechange,whichcreateandexacerbateconditionsof hazard, exposure and vulnerability.Addressingtheseunderlyingriskdriverswillreducedisasterrisk,lessentheimpactsofclimatechangeand,consequently,maintainthesustainabilityofdevelopment. Weneedtomanagerisks,notjustdisasters.   DRRisapartofsustainabledevelopment,soitmustinvolveeverypartofsociety,government,non-governmentalorganizationsandtheprofessionalandprivatesector.Itthereforerequiresapeople-centredandmulti-sectorapproach,buildingresiliencetomultiple,cascadingandinteractinghazardsandcreatingacultureofpreventionandresilience.ConsequentlyDRMincludesstrategiesdesignedto: avoidtheconstructionofnewrisks addresspre-existingrisks shareandspreadrisktopreventdisasterlossesbeingabsorbedbyotherdevelopmentoutcomesandcreatingadditionalpoverty AlthoughDRMincludesdisasterpreparednessandresponseactivities,itisaboutmuchmorethanmanagingdisasters. SuccessfulDRRresultsfromthecombinationoftop-down,institutionalchangesandstrategies,withbottom-up,localandcommunity-basedapproaches.DRMprogrammesshouldnotbestandalonebutinsteadbeintegratedwithindevelopmentplanningandpractice,sincedisastersareanindicatoroffailedorskeweddevelopment,ofunsustainableeconomicandsocialprocesses,andofill-adaptedsocieties.Approachesneedtoaddressthedifferentlayersofrisk(from intensivetoextensiverisk),underlyingriskdrivers,aswellasbetailoredtolocalcontexts.Thereisno‘one-sizefitsall’approachtoDRM,butthereexistanumberofapproachesandframeworks,whichhavebeeneffectivelyimplementedtoreducedisasterrisk.But,beforebeingabletoreducerisk,weneedtounderstandthehazards,andtheexposureandvulnerabilityofpeopleandassetstothosehazards. Howdowereducerisk? Disasterriskmanagementinvolvesactivitiesrelatedto: Prevention Activitiesandmeasurestoavoidexistingandnewdisasterrisks(oftenlesscostlythandisasterreliefandresponse).Forinstance,relocatingexposedpeopleandassetsawayfromahazardarea.Seearelatedstory:Managedretreatofsettlementsremainsatoughcallevenashomesfloodandcoastserode. Mitigation Thelesseningorlimitationoftheadverseimpactsofhazardsandrelateddisasters.Forinstance,constructingflooddefences,plantingtreestostabilizeslopesandimplementingstrictlanduseandbuildingconstructioncodes.Seearelatedstory:Mitigationsaves:AresilientrunwayatPortlandInternationalAirportcouldsaveupto$50foreverymitigationdollarinvested. Transfer Theprocessofformallyorinformallyshiftingthefinancialconsequencesofparticularrisksfromonepartytoanotherwherebyahousehold,community,enterpriseorstateauthoritywillobtainresourcesfromtheotherpartyafteradisasteroccurs,inexchangeforongoingorcompensatorysocialorfinancialbenefitsprovidedtothatotherparty.Forinstance,insurance.Seearelatedstory:DevelopingdisasterriskfinanceinMorocco:Leveragingprivatemarketsforsovereignrisktransfer. Preparedness Theknowledgeandcapacitiesofgovernments,professionalresponseandrecoveryorganisations,communitiesandindividualstoeffectivelyanticipate,respondto,andrecoverfromtheimpactsoflikely,imminentorcurrenthazardeventsorconditions.Forinstance,installingearlywarningsystems,identifyingevacuationroutesandpreparingemergencysupplies.Seearelatedstory:NewMinecraftworldfromNRMAInsuranceteachesAussiekidstheimportanceofbushfirepreparedness. Sourceoftext:UNDRR,2017 Implementationoftheseactivitiesandmeasuresisrarelydoneinisolationandincludesanumberofassociatedactivities,including: Identificationandmeasuringdisasterrisk Educationandknowledgedevelopment Informingpeopleabouttheirrisk(awarenessraising) IncorporatingDRMintonationalplanningandinvestment Strengtheninginstitutionalandlegislativearrangements Providingfinancialprotectionforpeopleandbusinessesatrisk(financeandcontingencyplanning) IntegratingDRRacrossmultiplesectors,includinghealth,environment,etc. Activitiesforreducingriskcanbedescribedasstructural,forinstancelanduseplanningandimplementationofbuildingcodes,andnon-structural,forinstanceawarenessraising,policy-makingandlegislation.Howgovernments,civilsocietyandotheractorsorganiseDRM,forexamplethroughinstitutionalarrangements,legislationanddecentralisation,andmechanismsforparticipationandaccountabilityistermedriskgovernance.Thereisclearevidencetosuggestthatlow-incomecountrieswith weakgovernance aremorevulnerableandlessresilienttodisasterrisk. Fundamentally,DRRsucceedsinreducingriskbybuildingthestrengths,attributesandresourcesavailablewithinacommunity,societyororganization–collectivelyknownastheir capacity.DRMactivitiesaredesignedtoincreasetheresilienceofpeople,communities,societyandsystemstoresist,absorb,accommodateandtorecoverfromandimprovewell-beinginthefaceofmultiplehazards.Activitiesforreducingandmanagingriskscanthereforeprovideawayforbuildingresiliencetootherrisks.Inadditiontodevelopment,DRMshouldthereforebeintegratedacrossanumberofsectors,includingclimatechangeandconflict. Identifyingandunderstandingrisk:thefoundationofriskreduction Awareness,identification,understandingandmeasurementofdisasterrisksareallclearlyfundamentalunderpinningsofdisasterriskmanagement(UNISDR,2015b).Disasterriskreductionisaboutdecisionsandchoices,includingalackof,soriskinformationhasaroleinfivekeyareasofdecisionmaking: Riskidentification Becausethedamagesandlossescausedbyhistoricaldisastersareoftennotwidelyknown,andbecausethepotentialdamagesandlossesthatcouldarisefromfuturedisasters(includinginfrequentbuthigh-impactevents)maynotbeknownatall,DRMisgivenalowpriority.Appropriatecommunicationofrobustriskinformationattherighttimecanraiseawarenessandtriggeraction.Seearelatedstory:GEMreleasesfivenationalandthreeregionalearthquakemodelsforpublicgoodapplication. Riskreduction Hazardandriskinformationmaybeusedtoinformabroadrangeofactivitiestoreducerisk,fromimprovingbuildingcodesanddesigningriskreductionmeasures(suchasfloodandstormsurgeprotection),tocarryingoutmacro-levelassessmentsoftheriskstodifferenttypesofbuildings(forprioritizinginvestmentinreconstructionandretrofitting,forexample).Seearelatedstory:4waystoreducedisproportionatefloodriskandbuildresilienceforallcommunities. Preparedness Anunderstandingofthegeographicareaaffected,alongwiththeintensityandfrequencyofdifferenthazardevents,iscriticalforplanningevacuationroutes,creatingshelters,andrunningpreparednessdrills.Providingameasureoftheimpactofdifferenthazardevents—potentialnumberofdamagedbuildings,fatalitiesandinjuries,secondaryhazards—makesitpossibletoestablishdetailedandrealisticplansforbetterresponsetodisasters,whichcanultimatelyreducetheseverityofadversenaturalevents.Seearelatedstory:Indiancitiesprepareforfloodswithpredictivetechnology. Financialprotection Disasterriskanalysiswasbornoutofthefinancialandinsurancesector’sneedtoquantifytheriskofcomparativelyrarehigh-impactnaturalhazardevents.Asgovernmentsincreasinglyseektomanagetheir sovereignfinancialrisk orsupportprogramsthatmanageindividualfinancialrisks(e.g.,micro-insuranceorhouseholdearthquakeinsurance).Seearelatedstory:Microinsurancecompany’sevacuationinsuranceagainstdisasters. Resilientreconstruction Riskassessmentcanplayacriticalroleinimpactmodellingbeforeaneventstrikes(inthedaysleadinguptoacyclone,forexample),oritcanprovideinitialandrapidestimatesofhuman,physical,andeconomiclossinanevent’simmediateaftermath.Moreover,riskinformationforresilientreconstructionneedstobeavailablebeforeaneventoccurs,sinceaftertheeventthereisrarelytimetocollecttheinformationneededtoinformresilientdesignandland-useplans.Seearelatedstory:3waystobuildbackbetterafteratsunami. Source:adaptedfromGFDRR,2014a Participatorymapping HoracioMarcosC.Mordeno,MindaNewsCCBY2.0 Ifthoseexposedtohazardsareunawareoftheriskstheyface,itisdifficulttoseehoworwhyhouseholds,businessesorgovernmentswouldinvestinreducingtheirrisklevels.However,whileriskawarenessmaybeaprecondition,theimportancepeopleattachtomanagingtheirriskscanonlybeunderstoodinthecontextofthefullrangeofsocial,economic,territorialandenvironmentalconstraintsandopportunitiestheyface-seethestoryofRatnapuraandtheChaoPhrayaRiverbelow. Wehaveover30yearsofresearchintodisasterrisk,butmuchofthisisnotavailableinaformthatisunderstandableorusefultothosewhoneeditthemost.Thereisthereforeaneedforriskscientistsandresearcherstoshifttheirfocustotheproductionofriskinformationthatisunderstandableandactionablefordifferentkindsofusers:inotherwords,riskknowledge.SuchashiftrequiresmorecollaborationandpartnershipsbetweenscientistsandresearchersandthoseinvolvedinDRR,rangingfromgovernmentstolocalcommunities. Governmentsneedtoinvestinthecollection,managementanddisseminationofriskinformation,includingdisasterlossandimpactstatistics,hazardmodels,exposuredatabasesandvulnerabilityinformation.Atthesametime,theyneedtoputstandardsandmechanismsinplacetoensureopennessandtransparencysothatusersnotonlyhaveaccesstotheinformationtheyneedbutareawareofitsunderlyingassumptionsandlimitations.Thegenerationofunderstandableandactionableriskinformationneedstobeparticularlysensitivetoextensiverisk,which,becauseitisconfiguredtoalargeextentbysocial,economicandenvironmentalvulnerability,canbereducedeffectivelythroughriskmanagementandsustainabledevelopmentpractices. Arewereducingdisasterrisk? Whilewehavemadesomeprogressinreducingdisastermortalityassociatedwithintensiverisks,increasingexposureofpeopleandeconomicassetsmeansthatmortalityandeconomiclossesfromextensiveriskaretrendingupandabsoluteglobaleconomiclossesfromdisastersareincreasing,althoughnotrelativetoGDP.Somelowandmiddle-incomecountriesmaynothavethefinancialresiliencetoaccommodatethelikelyaverageannuallossesfromfuturedisasters,whichthreatentheveryeconomicexistenceofmanysmallislanddevelopmentstates. We’vebeengeneratingriskfasterthanwehavebeenreducingit.   Moreneedstobedonetopreventnewrisks,whicharealreadyemergingowingtoincreasingurbanisation,thethreatofclimatechangeandotherriskdrivers.Inanincreasinglyinterconnectedworld,weareseeingthatdisasterscanalsoresultinsynchronousfailures.Developmentcanbesustainable,itisjustaquestionofwhetherwecanchangeourapproachintimetopreventdisasterriskfromreachingdangerouslevels. Wehavemademoreprogressinmanagingdisastersthaninreducingourdisasterrisk.   Overthelast10years,therehasbeensignificantprogressinstrengtheningdisasterpreparedness,responseandearlywarningcapacitiesandinreducingspecificrisks,accordingtotheHFAMonitor.However,progresshasbeenlimitedinmostcountrieswhenitcomestomanagingtheunderlyingrisks. Althoughweknowhowtoreducedisasterrisk,thereisoftenalackofincentivetodoso.   Bothindividuals,governmentsandbusinessestendtodiscountlow-probabilityfuturelossesandseemreluctanttoinvestinDRM.Despitethemagnitudeofdisastercosts,reducingrisksisoftenperceivedaslessofaprioritythanfiscalstability,unemploymentorinflation.Newevidencedemonstrates,howeverthattheopportunitycostofdisastersishighandthatmanylowandmiddle-incomecountries,andsmallislanddevelopmentstatesarefinanciallyunabletocopewiththepredictedfuturelossesfromdisasterswhilealsomaintainingtheircapacitytodevelop.Inotherwords,theyarenotresilient. Thecostsandbenefitsofdisasterriskmanagementneedtobecomefullyencodedintopublicandprivateinvestmentatalllevels,intothefinancialsystemandintothedesignofrisk-sharingandsocialprotectionmechanisms.Cost-benefitanalysescanbeexpandedtohighlightthetrade-offsimplicitineachdecision,includingthedownstreambenefitsandavoidedcostsintermsofreducedpovertyandinequality,environmentalsustainability,economicdevelopmentandsocialprogress.Theycanalsohelptoidentifywhoretainstherisks,whobearsthecostsandwhoreapsthebenefits.Suchabroadapproachtocost-benefitanalysiscanincreasethevisibilityandattractivenessofinvestmentsindisasterriskreduction. ThegoodnewsisthatwecanachievegreatthingswhenweinvestinDRR.Therearecountlesssuccessstoriesofreducingdisasterriskrangingfromcommunity-basedparticipatoryapproachestotheglobalreductionindisastermortalityassociatedwithintensiverisks.   However,weneedtorecognizethattheimpactofsomeDRMmeasuresmaynotbeimmediate.Itmaytakedecadesfortheoutcomeofimprovedplanningregulationsandbuildingstandardstotranslateintoreduceddisasterlosses,asacriticalmassofnew,risk-sensitivebuildingandurbandevelopmenthastobeachieved. ThefutureofDRRrequiresthatweassessthecostsandbenefitsofDRM,reformriskgovernance,movefromriskinformationtoknowledgeandstrengthenaccountability. RELATEDSTORIES Interview:Scenarios,aneffectivetooltounderstandandmitigaterisk "Scenariosprovideatooltohelpprobeissuesaroundrisk.Theyarestorieswetellinordertoexploredifferentquestionsandanglesaboutriskandriskassessments." ‘Wealwayscomelast’:Deafpeoplearevulnerabletodisasterriskbutexcludedfrompreparedness "Deafpeoplearehighlyvulnerabletodisasterriskbuttendtobeexcludedfromprogramsaimedatboostingpreparednessandresilience,newresearchhasfound." Globalfireoutlooknotgoodnews,butmitigationispossible,analysisshows "Wildfireisanaturalprocessnecessarytomanyecosystems.Butwildfiresaregettingworseandmoredamaging,anditisourfault,accordingtonewresearch." RelatedSectionsonPreventionweb DisasterRiskManagementInsurance&RiskTransfer Bibliography