Building up skills and institutions
Disasters are an international problem. The scale of a major
disaster often exceeds the capabilities and resources of a national government.
The international community is usually quick and generous in its response.
Protection from disasters is similarly an international concern. Disasters are,
with a few notable exceptions, infrequent and a country is unlikely to have
regular experience or to have built up expertise in dealing with all of the wide
range of hazards it is likely to experience. That expertise is available
on an international level. Countries that have recently experienced a
volcanic eruption may be best placed to assist another country anticipating
volcanic activity, for example. International organizations are important
vehicles for facilitating international exchanges of expertise and developing an
international approach to disaster mitigation. Some of the important actors are
DHA, UNDP, NGOs and regional organizations.
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Helping to build national institutions and formal
structures that will perpetuate the mitigation program is an important element
of the UN's initiative in providing disaster management assistance.
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One of the most important long-term, sustainable aspects of
disaster mitigation is the development of skills and technical capacitation
in-country. Professional development and a pool of expertise in disaster
mitigation techniques will allow longer term development of the issue. Helping
to build national institutions and formal structures that will perpetuate the
mitigation program is an important element of the UN's initiative in providing
disaster management assistance. In a number of countries, the response to any
individual disaster is to set up a special disaster committee to handle the
emergency. At the end of the emergency or reconstruction, the committee or
government department has the advantage of retaining these skills and
experiences. This allows some emphasis to be switched from post-disaster
assistance to pre-disaster preparedness.
Institutions which gather and analyze information are
fundamental to the development of the skills required in any nation to reduce
its risk against future disaster. Examples of institutions that would make up a
national technical capability could include:
Meteorological
observatory
Seismological observatory
Volcanology institution
Hydraulics
and hydrology laboratories
Engineering council
Industrial safety inspectorate
Chamber of architects
Institution of urban and
regional planners
University departments
Research institutions
Associations
of economists, geographers, social scientists
National
standards committee
The hazard observatories are the first requirements for a
national capability in hazard defence. Often these institutions have few
resources and are perceived as low priority or as esoteric research institutes.
Equipment needs may be critical. Observatories need networks of sophisticated
instrumentation maintained in the field, and are likely to need advanced
computing facilities and software to analyze results. Training of technicians
and staff members in developments in instrumentation and scientific methods may
be important. The output of the various professional institutions is often
highly technical and there is a need to persuade technical specialists to
present their findings in simplified forms, comprehensible to laymen and to
professionals in other disciplines - the interdisciplinary interfaces are
important in developing an integrated mitigation
program.
