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chapter three

Disaster preparedness is a continuous process that aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response mechanisms through activities such as training, developing warning systems, and establishing operational plans. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures include policy planning, physical prevention strategies, and community-based preparedness initiatives, particularly focusing on the roles of women. An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) is essential for outlining community preparedness and response activities, while also emphasizing the importance of mainstreaming child protection and gender in emergency planning.

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Dr. Abdallahi A. Yusuf
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3 views

chapter three

Disaster preparedness is a continuous process that aims to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of emergency response mechanisms through activities such as training, developing warning systems, and establishing operational plans. Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) measures include policy planning, physical prevention strategies, and community-based preparedness initiatives, particularly focusing on the roles of women. An Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) is essential for outlining community preparedness and response activities, while also emphasizing the importance of mainstreaming child protection and gender in emergency planning.

Uploaded by

Dr. Abdallahi A. Yusuf
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Unit 3

Disaster Management Cycle –


Phase II: Preparedness

Disaster Preparedness
Disaster preparedness is defined as a continuous and integrated process involving a wide
range of activities and resources from multi-sectoral sources.
Disaster mitigation policies and measures will not stop a disaster especially a natural one from
occurring and persisting. What mitigation policies and measures seek to do is reduce
vulnerability to, or increase resilience to, the effects of the inevitable disasters to which a country
is prone.
Basically disaster mitigation and preparedness go hand in hand.

Disaster preparedness incorporates all activities that will enhance the efficiency, effectiveness
and impact of disaster emergency response mechanisms in the local community and throughout
the country. The following are of particular importance:
 Develop and test warning systems regularly and plan measures to be taken during a disaster
alert period to minimize potential loss of life and physical damage.
 Educate and train officials and the population at risk to respond to the disaster.
 Train first-aid and emergency response teams.
 Establish emergency response policies, standards, organizational arrangements and
operational plans to be followed by emergency workers and other response entities after a
disaster.
Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Some DRR recommendations for countries which do not have a robust disaster preparedness
plan are:
 Policy, planning and capacity building in disaster management
 Physical prevention; example, building sea-walls against storm surge or flood shelters during
flood events
 Capacity building at institutional and systemic level in disaster Preparedness
Examples of DRR measures that countries can adopt into their planning and policy are listed
below:
 Proper planning to mitigate flooding in flood prone areas and alternate infrastructure for the
provision of food and potable water.
 Provision of raised flood shelters as those constructed in Bangladesh.
 The improvement of water supply systems in rural areas to provide sufficient potable water
supply during floods or droughts.
 The construction and use of drainage pumps as an example of strengthening the capacity to
cope with floods.
 Enhance community-based disaster preparedness by focusing more on the roles of women.
 Improve wireless communication that is robust and integrated with both electronic and manual
system.
 Train farmers to diversify food crops as a strategy to survive in the event of disaster.
 Set up a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) locally and internationally to provide for the
acquisition of resources which can be depleted by disaster and or become scarce.
The Emergency Operation Plan (EOP)
At the national level, an Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) needs to be established to set out the
scope of activities required for community preparedness and response. It must declare what the
community can realistically do. The EOP allows the community to respond to threats and
engages responders in the short-term recovery and must be flexible to be valuable in real and
potential emergencies. EOPs are general and do not include the administrative plan, the
mitigation strategy, the long term recovery or the Standard Operational procedures.
Mainstreaming Child Protection and Gender in Emergency Planning
It is high time that women take an active role when designing mitigating plans and activities so
that appropriate gender issues are mainstreamed.
Women are not always well-represented in decision-making. Experts agree that involving
women broadens the range of ideas proposed for and incorporated into disaster planning
initiatives and results in plans that are more disaster-resilient.

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