Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment In Disasters (REA)

1
Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment In
Disasters (REA)

• Benfield Hazard Research Centre (Univ. College
  London)
• and
• CARE International
• Funded by
• UNEP/OCHA,
• OFDA/USAID, Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign
  Affairs

2
The Problem

• Environmental conditions often contribute to
  disasters.
• Disasters can result in negative environmental
  impacts.
• Relief aid can have positive or negative
  environmental impact.
• Lack of a systematic way to incorporate
  environmental impact assessment into disaster
  management.

3
Context DifferencesNormal and Disaster
Assessments

• Disaster
• Sudden onset
• Rarely a legal requirement
• Reactive
• May need to be partial in coverage
• No project not an option
• Unpredictable location
• Uncertain duration
• Population dynamic and heterogeneous
• Saving lives given priority
• Activities sometimes hard to reconcile with
  environmental goals.

• Normal
• Lead Time
• Legal Requirement
• Deliberate and pro-active
• Will be comprehensive
• No project an option
• Location known
• Duration planned
• Beneficiary populations known and static
• Environmental goals can be made compatible with
  economic ones

4
The Response

• Develop a process to rapidly identify salient
  environmental issues during any type of disaster.
• Develop a Guidelines for Rapid Environmental
  Impact Assessment.
• Train people to use the REA process.
• Position the Guidelines as a good practice for
  disaster management.

5
Target Users

• Non-Specialists NGO, IO and government personnel
  involved in emergency assessment, design and
  operations.
• Communities
• HQ staff NGO and donors, as a way to screen for
  environmental impacts and issues.

6
Assessment Components

• Four Tools
• Organization Level Assessment
• Community Level Assessment
• Consolidation and Analysis
• 4. Green Emergency Procurement Checklist

7
Organization Community Assessment

• Subjective Approach
• Five Elements
• Context Statement
• Factors Influencing Environmental Impacts
• Environmental Threats of Disasters
• Unmet Basic Needs
• Negative Environmental Consequences of Possible
  Relief Activities
• Organization Assessment rating and ranking
  sheets.
• Community Assessment questions to be answered
  based on questionnaire or focused discussions.

8
Consolidation and Analysis

• Brings together results of organization and
  community assessments.
• Uses simple rating and ranking tables.
• Is best done in a group setting.
• Reviews negative environmental impacts of relief
  activities again.

9
Green Emergency Procurement Checklist

• Topic which receives little attention in
  disasters.
• UNHCR, WFP and others have guidelines, but not
  usually followed.
• Focus on eight yes/no questions to identify areas
  in which procurement could be greener.

10
REA Outcomes

• Common sense changes to activities.
• New activities.
• Identification of need for experts (with defined
  mandates).
• Advocacy

11
Requirements

• One person or group (preferred).
• 5 hours to 14 days for initial assessment.
• Basic information about disaster and
  environmental conditions in the disaster area.
• Trained field assessment/survey personnel, if
  community assessment to be done.
• Follow Sphere guidance on assessments.

12
Progress To Date

• Guidelines developed, tested in Afghanistan,
  Ethiopia and Indonesia and significantly
  expanded.
• The REA referenced in the new Sphere.
• Face-to-Face REA training module developed and
  four pilot training events completed (Oslo,
  Antigua, Bhubaneshwar, Konark).
• eLearning module in final development.

13
REA II

• Dissemination and Refinement
• Environment and Disasters Network
• Refinement and localization.
• Acceptance as good practice.
• Training
• Focus on building local and regional capacities.
• Revised and expanded training materials.
• Operational Use

14
Environmental NGO Linkages

• Background on local environmental issues.
• Raising awareness about environmental conditions
  in disaster area.
• Input of environmental perspective to
  assessment process.
• Follow through on medium and long term issues
  identified in assessment.

15
Rapid Environmental Impact Assessment In
Disasters (REA)

• Project Web Site
• www.benfieldhrc.org/DMU/DMUSetup/Projects/rea.htm
  
• Environment and Disasters Listserve
• http//www.jiscmail.ac.uk/cgi-bin/wa.exe?SUBED1en
  vironment-disastersA1
• Comments and Queries to
• Charles Kelly
• 72734.2412_at_Compuserve.com