Community Based Disaster Management: Empowering Communities to Cope with Disaster Risks

Sustainable development and disaster reduction are essential preconditions for each other. Natural disasters severely hamper the progress and achievements of sustainable development while, at the same time, physical infrastructure we are constructing may itself constitute a source of risk in the event of future disasters. This is particularly true in the case of earthquakes, where the majority of victims are killed by their own collapsing houses. From the perspectives of environmental degradation, human intervention, and security aspects, disaster management is a pressing issue for all of us and should be undertaken on a comprehensive basis. The approach seeks communities at risk get engaged in all of its phases: prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery. In order to build disaster-resilient communities, they first need to be empowered so that community members can cope with the adverse effects of natural hazards. This is the most effective approach to achieving sustainability in dealing with natural disaster risks. UNCRD is carrying out various community-based programmes to establish disaster prevention as an essential component of sustainable development. Its activities include improvement of the safety levels of core community facilities such as schools; the dissemination of best practices in disaster risk management at the community level; and the formulation of integrated programmes for sustainable development through disaster risk management initiatives. The paper presents analysis and some findings of those programs which engage communities to deal with disaster risks. Disasters and Communities Disaster risk is on the rise throughout the world. Over the past two to three decades, the economic losses and the number of people who have been affected by natural disasters have increased more rapidly than both economic and population growth. The physical, social and economic losses caused by these disasters are particularly harsh for developing countries since they have a long-range effect in the development process. The impacts of the disasters are deeply related with the socio economic conditions, tradition, culture, and climate of the communities.