 | Disaster Preparedness - 2nd Edition (DHA/UNDRO - DMTP - UNDP, 1994, 66 p.) |
 |  | PART 1 - Planning for disaster preparedness |
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Resource base
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Disaster Preparedness Framework | ||
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Vulnerability |
Planning |
Institutional Framework |
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Information |
Resource |
Warning |
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Response |
Public Education |
Rehearsals |
The requirements to meet disaster needs will depend upon the types of disasters the plan anticipates. Such needs should be made explicit, and should cover all aspects of disaster relief and recovery implementation. Specific arrangements should be established whereby each party to written agreements can secure goods and services as required. Critical issues include special internal arrangements for the acquisition and dispersement of funds; policies and agreements for the use of other’s equipment and services; and emergency funding strategies.
In assessing the resources required for a disaster preparedness plan, the following elements should be considered.
Disaster relief funding
It is important to establish an emergency contingency fund. There is often a need for items that cannot be easily stockpiled, such as medicines, or items that were not anticipated, such as alternative fuels. A special reserve fund is worth considering in your preparedness plan.
Insurance is another form of creating reserves against potential future disasters. The following box illustrates one application of insurance.
Disaster preparedness funding
Solicit funds to pursue the activities of the planning process, including special studies, public awareness and training. Also seek funds to develop major inputs for the plan to function effectively.
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An example of harvest insurance under government sponsorship comes from Costa Rica.3 Since 1970, a Whole Harvest Insurance Scheme has been operated by the State-run National Insurance Institute. This covers up to 80 per cent of the value of disaster-damaged crops. This scheme incorporates aspects of disaster prevention (in that no crop loans are granted prior to the submission of a request for insurance); of agricultural extension and development (because certain minimum technical standards are required of farmers); of economic planning (as some control can be exercised over the different kinds of agricultural production); and of social engineering (in that insurance coverage helps to even out a farmer’s income over good years and bad). |
3 Office of the United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Volume 11, Preparedness Aspects, United Nations, New York, 1984, p. 14.
Mechanism for aid coordination
Establish a means to ensure a coordinated, useful and timely response from the international community if and when its assistance is required. Not only should such a mechanism incorporate inputs from bilateral donors, but possible assistance from non-governmental organizations should also be brought into the coordinating mechanism.
Stockpiling
Consider the types and amounts of materials needed; whether they can be stockpiled, and where. This is not an easy task. In particularly disaster-prone countries, the very poverty that makes large segments of a society vulnerable to disasters means that stockpiling significant amounts of relief materials is a luxury. However, donors often are willing to make contributions to various forms of “stockpiling,” such as food security reserves.
Q. Briefly describe how an entity in your region has successfully planned a resource base for disaster relief.
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ANSWER Answers might include any of the four elements set forth in the section on “Resource base.” |
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