Disaster Response Preparedness An overview

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Disaster Response Preparedness- An overview
OCHAs role
Draft version - 27.04.2007

• OCHA-Emergency Preparedness Section

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Table of content

• Why disaster response preparedness?
• What is disaster response preparedness?
• a. Terminology
• b. Disaster response preparedness in the DRR
  cycle
• c. Stages of disaster response preparedness
• III. OCHAs mandate in disaster response
  preparedness
• IV. Disaster response preparedness activities
  within OCHA

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I WHY DISASTER RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS?
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I Why disaster response preparedness?

• Over 300 million people affected by disasters
  every year number likely to increase.
• Adverse effects of disasters can be dramatic
  (loss of lives but also adverse economic social
  impacts), particularly in countries with low
  coping capacity.
• Rationale for preparedness Being better prepared
  to hazards can minimize their adverse effects
  is less costly than waiting for the response

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Time trend of disasters, 1975-2006
Source CRED (Centre for Research on the
epidemiology of disasters) database
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Which disasters are more recurrent?
Disasters occurence 2000-2005
SLIDES 2
Source CRED (Centre for research on the
epidemiology of disasters) database
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II- WHAT IS DISASTER RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS?
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a. Terminology

• Disaster response preparedness
• Minimizing the impact of a disaster by
  strengthening the capacity to provide a timely
  and appropriate humanitarian response to the
  needs of affected populations.

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a. Terminology

• Different from Prevention/ Mitigation
• Prevention Activities designed to provide
  permanent protection from disasters (example
  constructing a dam)
• Mitigation Any structural (such as flood
  defences, strengthening physical structures) or
  non structural (such as building codes,
  regulation of land use) measures undertaken to
  limit the impact of a disaster

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b. Disaster response preparedness within the
Disaster Risk Reduction cycle
Mitigation
Mitigation
Preparedness
Prevention
Disaster strikes
Reconstruction
Response
Recovery
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c. The Stages of Response Preparedness

• 1- ASSESS AND MONITOR VULNERABILITY AND RISKS
• Risks depend on
• probability of a hazard
• vulnerability of the population
• response capacity
• Therefore a risk assessment should
• map the hazard
• take into account the degree of vulnerability
  focusing on the likely effects of the potential
  hazard, relief needs and available resources.
• This data should be regularly updated
  monitoring

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c. The Stages of Response Preparedness

• 2- PLANNING ACCORDING TO THE RISKS IN ORDER TO
  BUILD AN EFFICIENT RESPONSE CAPACITY
• Through Disaster Preparedness and Contingency
  Plans
• Objective strengthen regional, national and
  local response capacity as well as international
  humanitarian response capacity by defining tasks
  and responsibilities for each actor and
  indicating systematic sequences of activities
  that need to be undertaken in case of a disaster

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c. The Stages of Response Preparedness

• 3- SET UP OR ENHANCE EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS
• Early warning systems empower individuals and
  communities threatened by hazards to act in
  sufficient time and in appropriate manner so as
  to reduce the possibility of personal injury,
  loss of life etc.
• To be effective, early warning systems must
  integrate 4 elements - (1)knowledge of the risks
  faced (2) technical monitoring and warning
  service (3) dissemination of meaningful warnings
  to those at risk and (4) public awareness and
  preparedness to act.
• Failure in any one of these elements can mean
  failure of the whole early warning system.

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III- OCHAS MANDATE IN DISASTER RESPONSE
PREPAREDNESS
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Preparedness is OCHAs middle name(Jan
Egeland, former USG/ERC )

• GA resolution 46/182 (1991) Special attention
  should be given to disaster prevention and
  preparedness by the Governments concerned, as
  well as by the international community.
• GA resolution 56/103 (2002) Welcomes the role
  of OCHA as the focal point within the overall UN
  system for the promotion and coordination of
  disaster response preparedness
• Priority no.5 of Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA)
  calls for the strengthening of disaster
  preparedness for effective response at all
  levels.

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OCHAs disaster response preparedness role

• Strengthening disaster response preparedness at
  all levels
• Preparedness of OCHA to respond
• Preparedness of the international humanitarian
  community to respond
• Preparedness of regional and national authorities
  to respond
• With a focus on high-risk, low capacity countries

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How ?

• Common risk analysis, clarifying roles and
  responsibilities
• Advocacy for effective disaster preparedness
• Guidance for preparedness and contingency
  planning within the HFA framework
• Supporting readiness of humanitarian community
  and national authorities
• Facilitating implementation of national and
  regional level preparedness activities

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IV RESPONSE PREPAREDNESS ACTIVITIES WITHIN OCHA
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All of OCHA at both HQ and in the field has a
role to play in disaster response preparedness
Under-secretary General/Emergency Relief
Coordinator --------------------------- Assistant
Secretary-General/Deputy Emergency Relief
Coordinator
Executive Office /Administrative office
ISDR Secretariat
DIRECTOR, GENEVA -Emergency Preparedness
Section -Displacement and Protection
Support- -Humanitarian Reform support Unit -IASC
secretariat
DIRECTOR, NEW YORK -CERF secretariat -Secretariat
for the Trust Fund for Human security -Donor and
External Relations -IASC support and ECHA
secretariat
COORDINATION AND RESPONSE DIVISION -Country
desks -Early warning and contingency planning
section -Field Management and Support -Support to
HCs
ADVOCACY AND INFO MANAGEMENT -Advocacy and Public
information -Information technology -Field
Information -Reliefweb
EXTERNAL RELATIONS AND SUPPORT MOBILIZATION
BRANCH -Donor and External Relations
section -Consolidated Appeals section -EU liaison
office (Brussels) -Geographical Coordination and
monitoring section -Public information
EMERGENCY SERVICES BRANCH -Field coordination
support -Surge capacity -Civil Military
coordination -Logistics -Environment
POLICY DEVELOPMENT AND STUDIES BRANCH -Field
Action and Coordination policy -Promoting the
Humanitarian agenda -Evaluation and
studies -Gender equality
Integrated regional information networks (IRIN)
OCHA FIELD AND REGIONAL OFFICES

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Main actors dealing with disaster response
preparedness are

• At regional and country level
• Regional Offices (ROs) Dakar, Johannesburg,
  Nairobi, Bangkok, Dubai, Panama
• Regional Disaster Response Advisors (RDRAs)
  Dakar, Nairobi, Bangkok, Dubai, Panama, Alma-Aty,
  Fidji
• Field Offices
• National Disaster Response Advisors (NDRAs) in
  high-risk, low capacity countries
• At Headquarters
• The Emergency Services Branch (ESB)
• The Emergency Preparedness Section (EPS)

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Role of Regional Office RDRA

• To be filled by the Regional Office

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Role of Field Offices

• Promote common understanding of disaster risks
• Strengthen/set up disaster coordination
  structures at the inter-agency level and with
  governments
• Support the development of inter-agency and
  governmental contingency planning
• Promote awareness of OCHAs and international
  disaster response tools

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The Emergency Preparedness Section (EPS -
created on 1 January 2007)

• Provides guidance on OCHAs disaster preparedness
  activities (supports Ros and RDRAs and provides
  preparedness training)
• Facilitates implementation of country and
  regional level preparedness activities (according
  to HFA priority 5)
• Promotes inter-agency coordination on disaster
  preparedness activities (acts as key OCHA Geneva
  counterpart for UNDP/BCPR, ISDR and IFRC
  facilitates IASC mechanisms and CADRI)

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The Emergency Services Branch (ESB)

• Training on UNDAC, INSARAG, civil-military
  coordination
• UNDAC disaster response preparedness missions
• Early warning tools GDACS, virtual OSOCC
• Assessment and response tools for environmental
  emergencies
• Preparedness training and response tools related
  to military and civil defence support to
  humanitarian
• operations
• Internal stand-by capacity and stand-by
  arrangements with external partners for emergency
  deployment

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Emergency Preparedness Section Contact
ochaeps_at_un.org Palais des Nations 8-14, ave de
la Paix CH 1211 Genève 10  Villa La
Dépendance 
Further links www.hewsweb.org www.gdacs.org
www.unisdr.org www.reliefweb.int HFA
www.unisdr.org/eng/hfa/hfa.htm