scholarly journals Alternatives for Sustained Disaster Risk Reduction

2010 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Gaillard ◽  
Ben Wisner ◽  
Djillali Benouar ◽  
Terry Cannon ◽  
Laurence Creton-Cazanave ◽  
...  

The daily media is filled with images of catastrophic events which seem increasingly frequent and violent. In parallel there are a large range of scientific studies, debates in the policy arena, and a growing number of international institutions focused on disaster reduction. But a paradox remains that despite advances in technology, disasters continue to increase, affecting many individuals in rich as well as poor countries.

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s133-s133
Author(s):  
Frank Archer ◽  
Caroline Spencer ◽  
Dudley McArdle

Introduction:The Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks for Disaster Reduction are well known and have been influential globally. However, less is known of their broader contexts.Aim:A recent opportunity to visit Kobe, Japan, provided an opportunity to experience the rich, and largely unknown tapestry behind the scenes of the Hyogo and Sendai Frameworks. This paper aims to illuminate the journey of the Kobe Legacy and its global influence.Methods:An experiential visit to Kobe and exploring its rich resources relating to disaster risk reduction.Results:The First World Conference on Natural Disasters, was held in Yokohama, Japan, in 1994. Almost immediately, Kobe experienced the Great Hanshin Earthquake, January 17, 1995, resulting in 6,434 dead, 43,792 injured, and 249,180 homes damaged. The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (2000 – 2005) culminated in the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction, Kobe, 2005 and the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005 – 2015. The Great East Japan Earthquake occurred on March 11, 2011, with 18,453 dead or missing, 6157 injured, 1.1M homes damaged, with a tsunami and nuclear accidents. The Third World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction followed in Sendai in 2015 with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030 agreed on. Subsequently, the Sendai Framework has further evolved. However, behind the scenes, Kobe has developed a rich tapestry of insightful and valuable resources which will be outlined in this presentation.Discussion:In the words of the Mayor of Kobe, Mr. Tatsuo Yada in 2010, “I would like to reaffirm my determination to never allow our experiences of the disaster to fade away. It is our responsibility to make the utmost effort for disaster prevention and mitigation and keep passing on our experiences and the lessons learned to future generations”. This is the real legacy of Kobe.


2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 393-393
Author(s):  
Haruo Hayashi ◽  

Journal of Disaster Research (JDR) is a comprehensive, peer-reviewed professional journal published in Japan for studies on disaster reduction with all-hazard approach and has published more than 1,000 papers since 2006. I took over the chief editor from Dr. Takiguchi last September to help Dr. Murakami. I would like to keep working on publishing high-quality study achievements from JDR, as a clearinghouse site of disaster risk reduction and resilience information in Asia. I very much hope for your continued cooperation.


2013 ◽  
Vol 29 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 387-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louise K. Comfort ◽  
Aya Okada ◽  
Gunes Ertan

The 11 March 2011 Tohoku-oki, Japan, earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear reactor disasters shattered existing plans for decision making, preparedness, and response operations under conditions of uncertainty and risk. The interaction among these events created dynamics that could not be addressed by any single organization or jurisdiction alone and that had not been considered in the planning processes undertaken by separate jurisdictions and organizations. The scale and scope of devastation overwhelmed those responsible for protecting communities at every level of jurisdictional decision making and organizational management. We examine the policy problem of decision making involving interaction between human and natural systems, and review existing policies, plans, and practices that characterized efforts in disaster risk reduction in Japan prior to 11 March 2011. We contrast these plans with observed practices, focusing on interactions and communication flows among organizations engaged in responding to the disaster. These events demonstrate the compelling need to rethink catastrophe.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 459-469 ◽  
Author(s):  
Osamu Murao ◽  
◽  
Hiroko Sakaba

Three UN world conferences held on reducing disaster damage – the 1994 World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction held in Yokohama during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, the 2005 World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Hyogo Prefecture, and the 2015 World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai – resulted in the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action for a Safer World, the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA), and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030.The sections that follow clarify Sendai Framework features compared to the Yokohama Strategy and the HFA based on a three-stage review of the literature:1) Overviews of the three documents, including framework structures, are arranged with basic conference information and a comparative study.2) A quantitative text analysis is conducted using the KH Coder, which is free quantitative text analysis software. Words occurring frequently in the documents are extracted and compared and a co-occurrence network is analyzed to determine relationships among these words.3) Features of the three documents, mainly focusing on the Sendai Framework, are specified and clarified based on the result of quantitative text analysis.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 402-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aiko Sakurai ◽  
◽  
Takeshi Sato

Since the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction began in the 1990s, education has been recognized as having a cross-cutting role in disaster reduction by extending the people’s engagement to the creation and maintenance of sustainable communities internationally. During the same period, Japan has experienced large earthquakes, following which Japan has promoted comprehensive school safety and practical disaster education. Although conditions may vary between Japan and other countries, the approaches, issues and challenges of disaster education have much in common. The 2015-2030 Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR), fully integrates education and includes the overall goal of disaster risk reduction (DRR) in the full disaster management cycle, from prevention, mitigation and preparedness to response, recovery and rehabilitation. Minimizing loss and damage to educational facilities is included as one of global indicators of SFDRR. A comprehensive approach to school safety is emphasized, including the safety of the learning environment, disaster management and DRR education. An awareness of such commonalities, under the SFDRR, international cooperation for promoting education for resilient communities should be promoted in Japan and globally.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1199-1206
Author(s):  
Satoru Nishikawa ◽  

The Guiding Principles of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 state that “(a) Each State has the primary responsibility to prevent and reduce disaster risk, including through international, regional, subregional, transboundary and bilateral cooperation,” and “(b) Disaster risk reduction requires that responsibilities be shared by central Governments and relevant national authorities, sectors and stakeholders, as appropriate to their national circumstances and systems of governance.” The need for a multi-sectoral national mechanism for disaster reduction was recognized during the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) 1990–2000, and the responsibility was inherited to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR). The United Nations General Assembly Resolution 56/195, which was adopted in December 2001, called upon Governments to establish national platforms or focal points for disaster reduction. At the Global Forum on Science and Technology for Disaster Resilience, held in Tokyo in November 2017, a plenary session focusing on National Platforms was organized and ways for the effective integration of the knowledge and expertise available within the national science and technology community in the national disaster risk reduction activities were discussed. This paper examines how the idea of national platform for disaster reduction evolved since the beginning of IDNDR. This paper further reviews and illustrates the previous discussions on National Platforms from 2005 to 2015 as well as existing guidelines on National Platforms. Based on the discussions carried out during the Forum, five recommendations adopted by the Forum are introduced.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fang Chen ◽  
Huicong Jia ◽  
Chuanrong Zhang

A region’s capacity for marine disaster risk reduction is characterized by the resources that can be mobilized. These resources include pre-disaster defense, disaster monitoring, warning, emergency response, post-disaster restoration, and reconstruction. It is a very important index to effectively evaluate the regional capacity to overcome marine disasters. At present, there is no unified model and method for comprehensively evaluating the regional marine disaster reduction capacity. This study proposes a novel evaluation index system for a county-level administrative region using expert opinions, questionnaires, and analytic hierarchy process methods. Based on the comprehensive evaluation in three pilot areas, the current situation of regional marine disaster reduction capacity is analyzed, which would contribute to the effective management of marine disaster risks in the future. The results and experiences are of great value to future disaster reduction capacity assessment promotion and practice in all coastal counties of China.


2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 391-402
Author(s):  
Jo Rose ◽  
Janaka Jayawickrama

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the role of local communities in responding to crises and disasters. The paper highlights that most communities have their own mechanisms of dealing with uncertainties and dangers produced by disasters. The paper acknowledges that most disaster response and disaster risk reduction (DDR) organisations advocate to work with local communities and most seek to build the capacity of these communities. Design/methodology/approach The authors draw on a series of case studies gathered together with their experience over the past decade of working with both local communities that have been affected by disasters and international organisations involved in DDR and humanitarian responses. Findings This paper concludes that whilst international institutions continue to make attempts at building the capacity of local communities they need to seek to work collaboratively with local communities. International institutions must ultimately learn from them and build their own capacity for developing context specific and effective DDR strategies and disaster responses. Originality/value This paper offers local case studies that give a rare insight into some of the ways local communities deal with disasters and view international responses to disasters and conflicts. This paper demonstrates the role of local communities in building the capacity of international institutions for DDR.


Author(s):  
Enrique A. Castellanos Abella ◽  
Benjamin Wisner

Natural hazard governance in Cuba elicits widely differing commentaries. While some experts praise it as an extension of state commitment to social welfare, others debate the ethics, necessity, and utility of forced evacuation. However, many disaster experts are unaware of the long-term development of disaster reduction in the country—how Cuban risk governance has evolved in a unique geopolitical and social environment. Mass mobilization to prepare for military invasion and prior response to hurricane disaster provided the foundation for Cuba’s contemporary focus on disaster risk reduction. A pragmatic analysis of the development of natural hazard governance in Cuba and its components reveals key factors for its success in protecting lives. Deployment of local risk management centers, nationwide multi-hazard risk assessment, and early warning systems are recognized as important factors for the effectiveness of disaster reduction in the country. The number of scientific organizations collecting data and carrying out research is also a factor in the reduction of disaster impact and increases the level of resiliency. Over time, an increasing number of organizations and population groups have become involved in risk governance. Risk communication is used as a tool for keeping popular risk perception at an effective level, and for encouraging effective self-protection during hazard events. The continuous development and improvement of a multilateral framework for natural hazards governance is also among the important components of disaster risk reduction in Cuba. However, the economic crisis that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the long-lasting U.S. government blockade have been constraints on economic development and disaster risk reduction. These geopolitical and macroeconomic realities must be recognized as the main causes of the large economic losses and slow recovery after a natural hazard impact. Nevertheless, disaster recovery is carried out at the highest level of management with the goal of reducing vulnerability as much as possible to avoid future losses. Despite economic losses due to natural disasters, Cuban governance of natural hazards is evaluated as a success by most organizations and experts worldwide.


Author(s):  
Doret Botha ◽  
Dewald Van Niekerk

In 2005 the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction introduced the ‘Hyogo Framework for Action’ (HFA) aimed at mainstreaming disaster risk reduction. Subsequently, the ‘Global Network for Disaster Reduction’ (GNDR) was formed to support the implementation of the HFA. The GNDR initiated a country-based, international research project called ‘Views from the Frontline’ (VFL) in order to measure progress at local level in terms of compliance with the HFA. The VFL 2011 project focused on local risk governance, which is critical for effective implementation of policy and provision of resources at grassroots level. This article provides insight into the findings for South Africa. The project made use of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data was gathered by means of a survey and/or questionnaire consisting of 20 questions on ‘indicators’ which assessed progress toward the goals of the HFA. The surveys also provided for qualitative commentary. The target population for this research consisted of local government officials and community representatives. Based on the quantitative scores for all the different indicators, the research showed that South Africa could still improve significantly in terms of compliance with the HFA. More attention must be given to operationalise the HFA at local level, a culture of safety must be fostered, local actors and communities must be involved directly and consulted, indigenous knowledge must be recognised, and significant capacity development for disaster risk reduction is necessary.


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