Module 01: Basic Concepts of DRM

Concepts and Terminology

Presentation Script
World Bank
Institute
Introduction to Disaster
Risk Management


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Introduction to Disaster Risk Management
Module 01: Basic Concepts of DRM Concepts and Terminology Presentation Script
IntroductionandObjectives

Inthispresentationweintroducethebasicconceptsrelatedtodisaster
managementandthekeyelementsofacomprehensivedisastermanagement
framework.Theobjectiveofthisintroductorypresentationistohaveacommon
understandingofprinciples,termsandprocessesinvolvedindisaster
managementandinasystemicwayguidethroughthecomplexityofissues
developmentpractitionersarefacingwhentheydealwithnaturaldisasters.

Disasters,HumanActionsandNature

Disasterscausedbynaturalhazardssuchasearthquakes,floods,landslides,
drought,tropicalcycloneshaveaheavytollonhumanlives,economicandsocial
infrastructure,andonecosystem.Whilenaturalhazardsremainpartofour
existence,humanactionscaneitherincreaseorreducethevulnerabilityof
societiestohazardsandrelateddisasters.

Thepatternofdevelopment,specificallythepersistenceofwidespreadpoverty,
rapidanduncontrolledurbanizationandenvironmentaldegradationhaveleft
manyregionsandcountriesmorevulnerabletonaturalhazards.

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Manyarethefactorscontributingtoincreasedvulnerability.Rapidgrowthsand
increasingpovertyinurbanareas.Manycountrieshaveexperiencedrapidand
uncontrolledurbanexpansioncharacterizedbyinadequatelanduseand
infrastructuredevelopment.Migrationofpoortourbanareasandsettlingwhere
landischeap,mostlydisasterproneareaslikesteephillsidesandfloodplains,put
citiesanditspopulationtogreaterrisk.Currentlanduseregulationsandcontrols
aremostlyunsuccessfultopreventthegrowingnumberofillegalsettlements
withpoorlydesignedandlowqualityconstructions.

Povertyandenvironmentaldegradationinruralareas.Thelargenumberof
poorinruralareashasresultedinincreasedrelianceonnaturalresourcesasa
mainsourceofruralsubsistence.Themarkeddeteriorationofenvironment
andnaturalresourcessuchasdeforestation,riverbankalterations,and
inappropriatehillsideagriculturecontributestodiminishingnatural
protectionagainsthazards.

PoorpolicyplanningFewcountriespursuedpublicpoliciesbasedon
understandingofvulnerabilitiesandactionsredressingthem.Landuseand
buildingcodesregulationsareinadequateandpoorlyenforcedinmostofthe
hazardproneareas.Incentivestoencourageeconomicactorstoadopt
preventivemeasuresaremostlymissing.Allocationofthenecessary
resourcestoinfrastructuremaintenanceinordertosustainresistanceto
naturalhazardsisfrequentlyoverlooked.

Lastbutnotleast,theemphasisondisasterresponse,thatrepresentedthe
mainfocusinthepast,absorbedagreatdealofresourceswhichwould
normallybeallocatedforwellgroundeddevelopmentefforts.Thenatural
alternativeoftheaboveapproachisthepromotionofframeworkthatputs


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Introduction to Disaster Risk Management
Module 01: Basic Concepts of DRM Concepts and Terminology Presentation Script
theemphasisondisasterriskreduction,preventionandonstrengtheningthe
capacityofsocietiestocopewithnaturalhazards.

Examplesincludesoilerosionandlossofvegetativecoverthatdiminishesthe
landscapacitytoabsorbheavyrainfallandthuscontributestolandslidesand
flashfloods.Mangroveforeststhatprovideprotectionagainsthighwindsare
disappearingfromhurricanepronecoastalareas.

FactorsDeterminingDisasterRisk

Ingeneralterms,disastersarediscreteevents,occurringataspecificpointof
time,ataparticulargeographicalarea,affectlargepopulationandrequire
externalassistancetocopewithconsequences.Inordertomanagetheriskfrom
naturaldisastersitisnecessarytounderstandthethreatposedbyhazard,the
magnitudeofvalueshumanlivesandassetsexposedtothethreat,
susceptibilitytowardshazardsinformofvulnerabilitiesandactions,and
measurestoprotecthumanvalues.

Thespecifictermsthatareusedtodescribedisastersare:naturalhazards,
vulnerabilityandrisk.

Vulnerabilityisasetofconditionsresultingfromphysical,social,economicand
environmentalfactorswhichincreasesusceptibilitytolossesfromtheimpactof
naturalhazards.Itisimportanttorememberthatincidenceofnaturalevents
thatcouldcausedisastersliesbeyondhumancontrol,whilevulnerabilitycanbe
controlled.

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Riskistheprobabilityofharmfulconsequencesorexpectedlossesresultingfrom
interactionsbetweennaturalhazardsandvulnerableconditions.

RiskManagementisdefinedastheprocessofidentifying,analyzingand
quantifyingtheprobabilityoflossesinordertoundertakepreventiveor
correctiveactions.

Thisinvolvestwotypesofactivities(i)planningactionstoreducevulnerabilityin
areaswhereriskcanbecontrolled,and(ii)establishingprotectivemechanisms
againstthepotentialeconomiclossesfromuncontrollablefactorsofnatural
hazards.

DisasterCycle

Aswehavediscussedearlier,disastersresultfromthecombinationofhazards,
conditionsofvulnerabilitiesthatareusuallyaccumulateovertime,and
insufficientcapacityormeasurestoreducethepotentialdamages.Sincelittle
canbedonetoreducetheoccurrenceandintensityofmostnaturalhazards,
actionsandactivitiesshouldfocusonreducingexistingandfuturevulnerabilities
todamageandloss.

Therearethreeprimaryandinterrelatedcategoriesinriskmanagement:risk
identification,riskreductionandrisktransfer.Thesemeasuresmostlyrelatedto
predisasterphasesofdisasterriskmanagementandreflectthenewapproach
thatputstheemphasisonexanteactionsinsteadofmeasurestakenprior(e.g.
preparedness),duringandshortlyafterdisasterevent(e.g.disasterresponse,
relief,recoveryandrehabilitation).

Naturalhazardriskmanagementsignificantlydiffersfromtraditional
preparednessandresponseactivities.Ittakesaproactiveandsystemicapproach
byensuringthatgrowthanddevelopmentpoliciesincorporatevulnerability
reductionmeasuresandnaturalresourcemanagementconsiderations.Ina


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graphicalpresentationtheriskreductionframeworkcanbeseenalonga
continuumofpostdisasterandpredisasterphases.

Somearguethatcategorizationaccordingtodisastercycleisartificial,since
restoringlivelihoodafteracatastrophiceventisalreadyamitigationactivityfrom
theperspectiveofthenextdisasterevent.Whileacknowledgingthatthereare
differentviewsandapproachesexist,forthepurposesofourcoursewewill
followthemodeldescribedabove.

PredisasterPhase

Thepredisasterphaseofdisasterriskmanagementinvolvesfourdistinctbut
interrelatedcomponents.Riskidentification,riskreduction/mitigation,risk
transferandpreparedness.

RiskidentificationandAnalysisisathoroughanalysisofexistingvulnerabilities,
location,severityandintensityofthreat.Bydeterminingthecausesofexisting
vulnerabilitiesmakesitpossibletoeliminateorreducethem.Thefollowing
activitieshelptoidentifyandunderstandnaturalhazardrisk:Hazarddata
collectionandmapping(frequency,magnitudeandlocation),vulnerability
assessment(populationandassetsexposed),riskassessment(probabilityof
expectedlosses)

RiskreductionorPrevention/Mitigation:aremeasurestakentoeliminateor
reducetheintensityofhazardousevent.Theycanaddressexistingvulnerabilities
throughmeasureslikeretrofitorstrengthening.Actionscanbetakentoreduce
futurevulnerability,suchasimplementationandenforcementofbuilding
standards,environmentalprotectionmeasuresandresourcemanagement
practices.

Toreducerisk,itisnecessarytodevelopmitigationplansthatdeterminewho,
what,whenandwhereregardingtheimplementationofpreventiveand


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correctiveactivities.Theseplansshouldincludeadetailedcostbenefitanalysisto
evaluatethelongtermprofitabilityofthepreventionandmitigationmeasures.

RiskTransfer:thesemechanismsdonotreduceactualvulnerabilitybutreduce
financialriskbytransfermechanismsinordertoensurethatfundsareavailable
whenlossoccurs.

Risktransfermechanismsareofteninefficientfromcostperspective,soitis
importanttotakeallthenecessarymeasurestoreducethevulnerabilityofassets
tobecoveredbeforetransferringtherisk.

Preparedness.Thefourthelementofexantephaseisemergencypreparedness.
Itaimsatimprovingthecapacitytorespondrapidlyandeffectivelytosavelives,
reducesufferingandenhancerecoveryofcommunitiesafteradisasterstrikes.It
includesearlywarningsystems,evacuationplans,establishingshelters.
Improvingunderstandingandcommunicationamongactorsinvolvedand
mobilizingresponseiscriticalforreducingpotentialimpactofdisasters.Since
preparednessiscloselyrelatedtoactionsatthelevelofindividualsand
communities,coordinationamongthemiscritical.

PredisasterPhaseSpecification

Moreinparticular,RiskreductionorPrevention/MitigationMeasurescanbe
directedtowardsphysical,socialandenvironmentalvulnerability.Itisvery
importantthatpostdisasterreconstructionandrehabilitationincorporates
mitigationelementsinsteadofrebuildingearliervulnerability.

Physicalmeasuresdividedintostructuralandnonstructuralmeasures.
Structuralriskreductionmeasuresincludeanyactionsthatrequirethe
constructiontoreducetheeffectsofahazardevent,suchasfloodandwind
proofing,elevation,seismicretrofittingandburialofutilities.

Nonstructuralmeasuresarepoliciesandprogramsthatguidefuture
developmentandinvestmenttowardsreducedhazardvulnerability.
Examplesofnonstructuralmeasuresincludephysicaldevelopmentplans,


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developmentregulations,acquisitionofhazardousproperties,taxandfiscal
incentivesandpubliceducation.

Socioeconomicmeasures.Thesemeasuresaimatincreasingtheresilienceof
individualsandcommunitiestohazardeffects.Activitiesincluderaising
awarenessofhazardsandvulnerabilitiesandhelpingtoestablishcommunity
andmutualassistancenetworksandprograms.Activitiesthathelpbuild
individualandcommunityhazardresiliencerequireaparallelstrengthening
ofthecapacityoftheStatetoanticipateandrespondtofutureextreme
events,sincefailuresatthenationallevelcanrendermanycommunity
initiativesineffective.

Environmentalmeasures.Environmentalriskreductionmeasuresare
designedtoprotectexisting,orrehabilitatedegraded,environmentalsystems
thathavethecapacitytoreducetheimpactsofnaturalhazards.Thesecan
taketheformofpoliciesandprograms,suchasdevelopmentcontrolor
environmentalimpactassessmentsthatreduceoreliminatetheeffectof
humanactivitiesontheenvironment.Theycanalsoincludephysical
measuresthatrestoreorfortifydamagedenvironmentalsystems,suchas
coralreefprotection,reforestationofcriticalwatershedsorrestorationof
degradedrivercourses.

Themainrisktransfer/riskfinancingmethodsare:

Budgetselfinsuranceallocationasmallproportionofbudgettobespent
onimprovedmaintenance.Theseallowtoeitherforgothepurchaseof
regularinsuranceortoachieveahigherdeductible,thusloweringthe
insurancecost.

MarketInsuranceandReinsurance.Insuranceprovidescoveragefordamage
andexpensesthatarebeyondthepotentialforbudgetselfinsurance.Once
theextentofcoveragehasbeenagreedandpremiumsarepaidunderan
insurancecontract,theinsurerassumestheriskandmakesavailablefunds
necessarytorepairdamageorrebuildshortlyafteradisasterevent.

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Insurancecostsforcertaincategoriesofbuildingsoruses,however,maybe
unaffordable,andcoverageforsomecategoriesofnaturalhazardsmaybe
unavailable.

Publicassetcoverage.Mostpublicassetsarenotcoveredbyinsurance.Funds
forrebuildingdamagedassets,therefore,mustcomefromannualbudgetsor
externalsources.Thisputsgreatpressureonpublicbudgets.
Insurancecoverageforcriticalpublicassetswillensurethatkeyinfrastructure
canberebuiltorrehabilitatedquicklyifdamagedinahazardevent.Selection
ofassetsthatmeritinsurancecoverageshouldbebasedoncareful
prioritizationofpublicfacilitiesandoncomprehensivefacilityvulnerability
assessments.
Riskpoolinganddiversification.Insurancecostsforgeographically
concentratedorrelativelyhomogeneousgroupsorfacilitiesareoftenhigh,
duetothepotentialforsimultaneousdamagetoallmembersofthegroupor
category.
Diversificationoftheriskpool,throughbandingwithothersfromseparate
areasorindustriescanresultinreducedinsurancepremiumsforall
participants.
Riskfinancing.Riskfinancingmechanismsallowlossestobepaidoffinthe
mediumtolongtermviasomeformofacreditfacility.Alternativerisk
financingmechanismsprovidecosteffective,multiyearcoveragethatassists
withthestabilizationofpremiumsandincreasestheavailabilityoffundsfor
insurancepurposes.

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PostdisasterPhase

Postdisasterphasesinclude(i)emergencyresponse,(ii)rehabilitationandrecovery,
and(iii)reconstruction.

i. Afterdisasterstrikes,humanitarianassistancetakesovertosavelivesand
provideessentialsupplytothemostaffected.Thisstageisrelativelyshort
andincludesactivitiessuchassearchandrescue,evacuation,provisionof
shelters,firstaid,emergencymedicalcare,temporaryrestorationof
transportandcommunication.

ii. Rehabilitationreferstostagewhenactivitiesaimatrestoringthenormal
conditionsintheaffectedareasandcommunities.Temporaryrepairsof
housing,buildingsandinfrastructure(transportandpublicutilities)aredone
duringthisperiod.Veryimportanttofocusonmeasuresthathelpvictimsto
returntowork,createnewjobopportunities,mobilizefinancialresources
(public,insuranceandmultilateral)andlaunchprojectsthatdealwithother
consequencesofdisasters.

iii. Reconstructionphaseincludesactivitiesthatrevitalizeaffectedeconomic
sectors,rebuildcriticalinfrastructure,andallocateappropriatebudgetary
resourcesaccordingtonewlyemergedsocialpriorities.Itisimportantto
emphasizethatreconstructionshouldincorporatemitigationmeasuresto
reducevulnerabilitiesoffuturedisasters.

Duringthesecondstageofpostdisasterphasedamageassessmentactivities
shouldbecarriedouttoidentifytheneedsandprioritiesforreconstruction
phase.

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PoliticalCommitments

Implementationofeffectivedisastermanagementsystemsrequirespolitical
commitment,whichmanifestsinappropriatepolicies,planning,supporting
legislationandresourcesdevotedtodisastermanagementissues.Whilethe
systemsvaryaccordingtopoliticalandeconomiccultureofthecountries,there
aresomegeneralrequirementstobeconsideredwhendesigningthegovernance
systems.

ExistenceofNationalpreparednessplanandstrategyisanindicationofsucha
politicalcommitment.Disasterplanningshouldbeproactivewithfocuson
preparednessandmitigation.

Riskreductionshouldbemainstreamedindevelopmentplanningandsectoral
policies.Thestrategyandplanningshouldbesupportedbylegislationlaws,
acts,andregulationswithclearassignmentsofresponsibilitiesand
accountabilities.Resourcesfinancial,humanandtechnicalshouldbe
mobilized(innovativeandalternativefunding,taxes,incentives)andallocatedfor
riskreductionandmanagement.

InstitutionalAspects

Fromorganizationalperspectiveitisimportanttofollowmultidisciplinaryand
multisectoralapproaches.Intheformalsystemthereisakeyagencyinter
ministerialmandatedwithauthorityandresourcestocoordinateallrelated
actorssuchasministries,donoragencies,NGOs,andprivatesector.Thesystem
mustensureacloseworkingrelationbetweenpolicyformulatingbodyand
operationalagencythatmustimplementthedecisions.

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Linksbetweennational,regional,localandcommunityleveliscrucialinensuring
verticalcommunication,informationandresourceflow.Themodelshouldfully
integrateNGOsinordertoimprovethecooperationandestablish
comprehensive,integratedpatternofresponse.Theinstitutionalaspectincludes
systemicdevelopmentofnecessarycodes,standards,normsandenactment
mechanisms.

Implementation:MonitoringofProgress

Severalcountriesareintheprocesstointegratethekeyelementsofdisasterrisk
managementintotheirnationaldisastermanagementsystems.

Governanceindicatorsinclude:ExistenceofNationalRiskReductionStrategy,
PercentageofGDPallocatedfordisasterreduction,incorporationofdisaster
reductioninPovertyReductionStrategies,percentageofbudgetallocationfor
preventionandmitigation,existenceofdisasterreductioncommitteesor
platformswithdefinedresponsibilitiesandactivities,periodicreviewof
committeeactivitiesandaccomplishments,systematiccontrolofcomplianceand
enforcement

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FormonitoringthematicareassuchasRiskIdentificationthefollowing
benchmarkscanbeused:hazardmaps,historicalrecordsofhazardsandtheir
impacts,vulnerabilityandcapacityindicatorsdevelopedandsystematically
mappedandrecorded,percentageofdevelopmentprojectsandinvestments
withdisasterriskassessmentcomponent,etc.

RiskManagementindicatorscouldincludetrendsindeforestation,useof
environmentalimpactassessmentsindisasterreductionplanning,useofforestry
managementtoreducefloodrisk,extentofinsurancecoverage,useofsafety
netsandsocialprotectioninrecoveryprocess,useofmicrofinanceservicesin
highriskareas,enforcementofzoningplans,retrofitting,trendsinnumberof
constructionsinhazardproneareas,percentageofpublicbuildingsincompliance
withbuildingstandards.

Preparednessandemergencymanagementcanbemonitoredwiththefollowing
indicators:emergencyresponsenetworksandplans,(testedandupdated
regularly),emergencyfundsandstocks,coverageandnumberofcommunity
training.


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Asthedisasterriskmanagementconceptismovingfromcentralized,
governmentledapproachtowarddecentralizedmode,thereisalsoanemerging
necessitytoestablishanindicatorsystemtomeasureprogressoncommunity
level.ThelatterwillbediscussedinModule2.

Throughtheprocessofknowledgecreationandknowledgesharingitispossible
toengagecivilsocietyandmarketactorsindisasterriskmanagement,reduce
vulnerabilityofcommunitiesatriskandimprovecapabilitiesofmostaffectedto
copewithconsequencesofhazardousevents.

Therearefourareasinknowledgemanagement:Informationmanagementand
communication,Educationandtraining,PublicawarenessandResearch.

Ininformationmanagement,thetimelydisseminationofinformationthrough
appropriatechannelsandnetworkscanbemeasuredbynumberof
professionalsandpublicnetworks,documentationanddatabaseson
disasters,formsandavailabilityofenduserproducts(websitesforpublic
andspecializedinformationandknowledge).
Actionstakenintheareaofeducationandtrainingsuchasincorporationof
disasterreductionintobasiccurriculaofschools,vocationaltraining,
disseminationoftraditionalknowledgeandcommunitytrainingprograms
canbemonitoredbyreferencededucationalmaterials,numberofcourses
andinstitutions.


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Introduction to Disaster Risk Management
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Publicawarenesscanbebenchmarkedagainstmediacoverageofdisaster
reductionrelatedactivities,disasterreductiondayandothervisibilityraising
activities.
Researchagendaindisastermanagementshouldincluderiskreduction,
improvementinqualityandavailabilityofdata,methodologyrelated
developmentandregionalcollaborationinresearch.

Summary

Summarizingthepreviousslides:
Traditionallydisastermanagementhasfocusednearlyexclusivelyonactions
thatcanbetakenimmediatelypriorto,duringorshortlyafteradisaster
eventtoreducetheeconomicdamageandlossoflife.Fundingrecoveryand
reconstructionaftercatastrophiceventshasalsooftenbeenseenasasole
responsibilityofgovernments.
Inrecentyearsthistraditionaldisastermanagementapproachhasbeen
evolvingslowlytoincludenaturalhazardriskmanagementasakeyelement
ofthesystem,inadditiontopreparedness,responseandrecoveryplanning
andmanagement.

Accordingtothisnewapproach,riskmanagementisanongoingprocessand
aimsatreducingvulnerabilitytonaturalhazardsacrossalllevelsofsocietyandall
economicsectors.Tobeeffective,disasterriskmanagementneedstobecomean
integralpartofeconomicplanningandpolicymaking.Theroleofdifferent
stakeholders,public,privatesector,centralandlocalgovernment,communities
andindividualsshouldbeclearlydefinedinthesystem.

Comprehensivestrategy,commitmentfromthenationalgovernment,and
enablingenvironmentforcommunityinitiativesarekeytosuccess.

Examplesincludesoilerosionandlossofvegetativecoverthatdiminishesthe
landscapacitytoabsorbheavyrainfallandthuscontributestolandslidesand
flashfloods.Mangroveforeststhatprovideprotectionagainsthighwindsare
disappearingfromhurricanepronecoastalareas.

Acknowledgement

TextadaptedfromKatalinDemeter,BuildingBlocksofComprehensiveDisaster
RiskManagement:ConceptsandTerminology,WorldBankInstitute,2003.