The Role of NGO

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The Role of NGOs and CBOs in preparing
communities to better manage natural hazards

• Serra Müderrisoglu, Ph.D.
• Kivanç Inelmen, Ph.D.
• Arzu Iseri Say, Ph.D.
• Güler Fisek, Ph.D.
• Hayat Kabasakal, Ph.D.
• Bogaziçi University, CENDIM

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INCIDENTS

• For the first few days the search and rescue
  activities were carried out by people in the
  neighboorhood. Help from outside came many days
  later.
• Need for neighborhood Search and rescue team
• Due to lack of a sign system for already
  searched buildings, more that one team searched
  some of the buildings.
• Need Search and rescue committee

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• Lack of adequate knowledge regarding first-aid
  created significant problems
• Need First-Aid committee
• The help and materials sent to affected areas
  were not adequately coordinated.
• Need Out of area aid coordination committee

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Commonly observed thinking patterns that hinders
proactive preparation

• Thinking about future earthquakes makes me too
  uncomfortable. We prepared earthquake bags but we
  got scared and put it away!
• I am safe, my building is safe, I dont need to
  worry about it
• It is up to God what will happen to me, I cant
  do anything about it

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Disaster Management Levels

• Centralized governmental authority that oversees
  and coordinates the activities related to
  mitigation and preparedness
• At the local level decentralization and
  delegation of authority to Municipalities,
  NGOs, CBOs and neighborhood muhtars local
  community organizations

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Risk Assessment CBOs

• an integral part of disaster management
  strategies
• Development of scenarios or disasters contingency
  plans
• Assessing community capabilities to cope with
  impact (Faulkner, 2001)
• Community-based programs use of local knowledge,
  capabilities, flexibility, sensitivity to local
  conditions (Benson, Twigg Myers, 2001 Bolin
  Stanford, 1998)

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Aims for organizing a healthy neighborhood
disaster council

• 1. increasing awareness regarding retrofitting
  options
• 2. encouraging completion of household
  preparedness steps
• 3. organizing neighborhood wide preparedness
  activities and building self-sufficiency of the
  neighborhood for the aftermath of the disaster

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Necessary steps for damage risk reduction and
response activities

• 1. Activities geared towards the completion of
  preparedness tasks for individual households
• 2. Creation of committees that will become
  responsible for intervention after the disaster
• a. Communications Committee
• b. Damage Assessment Committee
• c. First-Aid Committee
• d. Light Search and Rescue Committee
• e. Security Committee
• f. Shelter and Food Committee
• g. Resource Committee
• h. Out of Area Aid Coordination Committee
• i. General Coordination Commitee

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• 3. Preparing the Neighborhood Disaster Plan
• Neighborhood Disaster Plan informs who will carry
  which responsibilities during and after the
  disaster and how the concurrent activities will
  be coordinated in a specific neighborhood. This
  plan includes all of the activities that need to
  be started (Search and rescue, first-aid,
  shelter, communication etc.) after the disaster.

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Steps in creating the organization

• Identifying the core group
• Setting the borders of the neighborhood
• Investigation of the available resources within
  the neighborhood
• Preparing a work plan for the necessary
  activities, deliniating job descriptions and
  timetables
• Invitations for the general meeting at the
  neighborhood
• First General Meeting
• Following Meetings

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Case Study

• Gayrettepe as a community
• 16,000 residents, mixture of high and medium
  income families
• Located at a transportation hub with a lot of
  business enterprises
• Day and night population is different
• GMAY as a disaster management CBO
• Established in 1991 by three women to develop
  solutions to problems
• One of the founding mothers was later elected as
  the muhtar of the neighborhood
• After the 1999 Marmara Earthquakes, the focus
  shifted to earthquake response and preparedness
  ? GMAY (Gayrettepe Neighborhood Disaster
  Management Project)

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Reasons for not Joining Disaster Preparedness
Organizations

1. Not having capabilities Avoidance
2. Unfamiliarity Having other occupations
3. Lack of time Uncertainity (Not knowing the
   goals)

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Findings of the Field Study

• the willingness level of a local community to
  participate preparedness activities
• Little interest from the neighborhood population,
  despite their intense effort to get people
  involved
• No interest on the part of business
  establishments
• Cultural underpinnings for low engagement
• high power distance
• low future orientation
• high in-group collectivism
• low trust toward non-significant others

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Demographics of GMAY Board
Age Gender Education Occupation Employer NGO membership
56 55 20 38 63 70 59 44 60 71 20-71 range 53.6 avg. M F F F F M F M M M 5M, 5 F University High school University Univ. MSc High school High school University University University University 3 HS, 7 U free lance Retired-bank Student Manager Retired Retired Pharmacist Civil Engin. Civil Engin. Economist Newspaper - - Private Sec. - - Neighb.admi. Private Sec. - - 6 non-work. GMAY GMAY GMAY GMAY5 GMAY GMAY GMAY3 GMAY GMAY3 GMAY 3 multiple membership
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Activities undertaken by GMAY

• Building networks with governmental and
  nongovernmental bodies (local governorship,
  municipality and its enterprises (electric, gas,
  fire brigade), AKUT (major search and rescue
  organization), MAY (disaster preparedness NGO),
  hospital, engineering company, university
  (Bogaziçi Univ KOERI)
• Trainings they received include light search and
  rescue from AKUT, retrofitting from TEPE-SARP
  engineering company, first aid from Vatan
  Hospital, disaster preparedness trainers
  training from KOERI IAHEP
• Formed committees Communication and media
  relations, Light search and response,
  Neighborhood public relations, First aid, Shelter
  and Food Supply, Damage assessment
• Community wide activities organized around the
  neighborhood center (muhtarlik)

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Remedies

• To boost a sense of positive self evaluation
• ? trainings
• Preparedness organizations should be made more
  accessible acquire social legitimacy
• ? PR activities institutional measures
• General tendency of relying on close ties and
  acquaintances to get involved in organized
  activity
• ? developing in-groups
• To overcome the typical denial that disasters
  dont happen here
• ? keeping a focus on events that happened

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Suggestions

• Existence of an atypical group is an asset for
  the initiation stage, yet to secure larger
  community participation, people who are more
  representative should be integrated ?
  showballing
• Need for more recognition, support,
  encouragement, and inclusion from a wider network
  for CBOs ? public legitimacy
• Tendency of the public to respond to authority
• ? hierarchical organization pattern could be
  utilized