Seminar for the Exchange of Experiences and Challenges in Seismic Risk Reduction in the Caribbean Region English version / Spanish version (versión español: Seminario de Intercambio de Experiencias y Desafíos para la Reducción del Riesgo Sísmico en la Región Caribe)

This seminar was a joint effort by the DIPECHO partners supported by different projects within the Action Plan.

Progress and challenges of disaster risk management in the Dominican Republic, 2012(Avances y desafíos de la gestión del riesgo de desastres en la República Dominicana, 2012)

The preparation of the country document was lead by the National Emergency Commission (Comisión Nacional de Emergencias, CNE) and was developed with the support of the DIPECHO partners located in the Dominican Republic under the framework of the UNISDR regional project.

Saint Lucia Country Profile for Disaster Risk Reduction

The preparation of the country document was lead by the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) under the framework of the UNISDR regional project.

Pedagogical Teaching Kit on DRR for Primary Schools

Objective: The kit covers the preparation and prevention of risks related to seismic, hydro meteorological (hurricane, flood) and earth movement hazards through story cards, explanatory posters and quizzes true / false and is designed to target primary school children. Information on preparation of and risk-reducing behaviour during disasters is presented through images drawn by a local artist and texts in Haitian Creole with pictures on the front of the cards and texts on the back (except posters), thus making presentation easy also for teachers with limited background. The kit can be used in formal education as well as in extra-curricular activities.

Beneficiaries: Primary school children

Scientific Workshops for Multiplier Agents on Seismic Risk Reduction

Objective: Prepare multipliers agents using scientific information, to articulate the action of vulnerable communities, the scientific community (responsible of monitoring and evaluating the hazards and vulnerabilities) and the authorities responsible for Disaster Risk Reduction to respond and guarantee the maximum effort to save lives with professional capacity.

Beneficiaries: Community Members, young leaders, teachers, police, firemen and Red Cross members.

Radio and television spots

Objective: We count with the interest of the local media to present TV and Radio Spots on DRR measures, which a very good acceptance of the population. In the case of the radio messages, adolescents of the target communities prepared an especial song. In the case of the TV spots, we used local personalities of the city of Santiago, so people could feel identified.

Beneficiaries: General Population of Santiago de los Caballeros

Earthquake simulation system CAOS

Objective: Support the Town Hall and the Institute of Risk Management to allow the community members to be informed about measures of self-protection and experience simulations of earthquakes, fires and hurricanes.

Beneficiaries: Municipal authorities, students, community in general.

Family Emergency Plan Kit

Objective: Provide families a tool to be prepared in case of earth tremors, earthquakes or floods. The Family Emergency Plan Kit contains; the family plan, information about the steps to follow in case of an earthquake, emergency telephone numbers, one whistle and one torch with batteries.

Beneficiaries: Families of vulnerable neighborhoods.

Emergency Family Plan (Plan Familial d'Urgence)

Objective: This tool aims to better prepare families to face emergencies especially during the cyclonic season. It contains a leaflet which is filled out by the family and a plastic protective cover to protect important documents owned by the family (ID cards, certificate etc.)

This document provides information about the different steps to follow in case of an emergency, the evacuation process, and the closest emergency shelter available as well as important telephone numbers.

Beneficiaries: Families living in camps and vulnerable neighborhoods.

Community Early Warning System (Systeme d'Alerte Précoce Communautaire)

Objective: Early Warning Systems (EWS) are set up in vulnerable communities in order to strengthen local capacities regarding risk management. The different phases of alerts are signaled by colored flags and specific audible warnings (whistle, megaphones, radios and horns). Through the EWS, communities have better access to information and adequate time to evacuate if required

Beneficiaries: Families living in camps and vulnerable neighborhoods

Community-based disaster risk reduction

Objective: Communities are more resilient to natural hazards and have better climate adapted livelihood opportunities. Capacity to conduct preparedness and self rescue activities in emergency, and the local disaster management authorities have the capacity to respond and coordinate in the case of emergency. To achieve these objectives awareness was raised for example by undertaking a Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey and organizing social events where disaster reduction songs were played and key messages related to disaster risk reduction were shared.

Beneficiaries: Local communities

Developed by: Haitian Red Cross with the support of the German Red Cross and other Red Cross Red Crescent Movement bodies www.ifrc.org/es/introduccion/donde-trabajamos/americas/cruz-roja-de-haiti/ and www.drk.de

Disaster Risk Reduction Training Center

Objective: An ECHO funded training center in Haitian Red Cross base camp aims providing knowledge on vulnerability and capacity assessment, early warning system, shelter management, school-based disaster risk reduction, first aid and many more. The training centre is available to all humanitarian actors and has a very strong focus on disaster risk reduction activities.

Beneficiaries: Humanitarian actors and local communities

Developed by: Haitian Red Cross with the support of the German Red Cross and other Red Cross Red Crescent Movement bodies www.ifrc.org/es/introduccion/donde-trabajamos/americas/cruz-roja-de-haiti/ and www.drk.de

Scientific Workshops for Multiplier Agents on Seismic Risk Reduction

Objective: Prepare multipliers agents using scientific information, to articulate the action of vulnerable communities, the scientific community (responsible of monitoring and evaluating the hazards and vulnerabilities) and the authorities responsible for Disaster Risk Reduction to respond and guarantee the maximum effort to save lives with professional capacity.

Beneficiaries: Community Members, young leaders, teachers, police, firemen and Red Cross members.

Radio and television spots

Objective: We count with the interest of the local media to present TV and Radio Spots on DRR measures, which a very good acceptance of the population. In the case of the radio messages, adolescents of the target communities prepared an especial song. In the case of the TV spots, we used local personalities of the city of Santiago, so people could feel identified.

Beneficiaries: General Population of Santiago de los Caballeros

Earthquake simulation system CAOS

Objective: Support the Town Hall and the Institute of Risk Management to allow the community members to be informed about measures of self-protection and experience simulations of earthquakes, fires and hurricanes.

Beneficiaries: Municipal authorities, students, community in general.

Family Emergency Plan Kit

Objective: Provide families a tool to be prepared in case of earth tremors, earthquakes or floods. The Family Emergency Plan Kit contains; the family plan, information about the steps to follow in case of an earthquake, emergency telephone numbers, one whistle and one torch with batteries.

Beneficiaries: Families of vulnerable neighborhoods.

Emergency Family Plan (Plan Familial d'Urgence)

Objective: This tool aims to better prepare families to face emergencies especially during the cyclonic season. It contains a leaflet which is filled out by the family and a plastic protective cover to protect important documents owned by the family (ID cards, certificate etc.)

This document provides information about the different steps to follow in case of an emergency, the evacuation process, and the closest emergency shelter available as well as important telephone numbers.

Beneficiaries: Families living in camps and vulnerable neighborhoods.

Community Early Warning System (Systeme d'Alerte Précoce Communautaire)

Objective: Early Warning Systems (EWS) are set up in vulnerable communities in order to strengthen local capacities regarding risk management. The different phases of alerts are signaled by colored flags and specific audible warnings (whistle, megaphones, radios and horns). Through the EWS, communities have better access to information and adequate time to evacuate if required.

Beneficiaries: Families living in camps and vulnerable neighborhoods.

Jamaica: Country Document on Disaster Risk Reduction

Objective: The Country Document's purpose is to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of DRR in Jamaica, any progress made in reducing risk, definitions of priorities and strategies, major challenges tackled in reducing not only loss of lives, but also the economic, social and environmental impacts associated with risks.

Disaster Information Fairs

Objective: Disaster Information Fairs are a means of providing a 'one stop shop' of agencies working in the area of DRR and other attendant services to the community.

Beneficiaries: Residents of the communities: children, persons with disabilities, adults and older persons.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Survey

Objective: The Knowledge, Attitude and Practice (KAP) Survey towards Disaster Risk Reduction is implemented as a pre-test to determine the level of knowledge, the attitude of residents and the associated practices relating to disaster risk reduction across the ten target communities. The KAP Survey is implemented also towards the end of the project to evaluate the impact of the project on the knowledge, attitude and practices of residents relating to DRR and to determine if any required behaviour change has taken place.

Beneficiaries: Policy Makers, persons working in the area of DRM, Parish Disaster Coordinator, ODPEM, Government, CDRTs, CBOs etc.

Community Disaster Response Teams (Intergenerational Approaches)

Objective: The utilization of the Community Disaster Response Team (CDRT) is not a new model. However, a novel approach to the CDRT developed under the project is the utilization of an intergenerational approach, which has facilitated inclusion of older persons into the disaster response process.

Beneficiaries: Target Communities.

Micro-mitigation: River - Alarm System

Objective: The Flood Warning System implemented under the project is a pilot in flood warning systems to be used in Jamaica. The Flood Warning system is expected to function as an early warning system for residents of Rivoli, Thompson Pen and the adjoining communities to alert them whenever the river level has reached a critical level thereby providing them with adequate time to undertake evacuation exercises if required.

Beneficiaries: Residents of Rivoli & Thompson Pen (as well as the adjoining communities)

Safer Houses Module

Objective: To improve the knowledge of communities on how to reinforce wooden or concrete houses in the event of hurricanes, earthquakes and floods. Background: Since 2004, French Red Cross has developed and / or facilitated a variety of training related to shelter in many Caribbean countries (Jamaica, Dominica, Saint Lucia, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Barbados and Suriname). Building on this expertise, methodology specific to reinforcing houses prior to a disaster has been further adapted to include guidance on building foundations, installing hurricane straps and other structural reinforcements and building flood barriers. This Safe House Module tool has been co-financed by the Caribbean DIPECHO 8 project, DFID, CIDA and the Canadian Red Cross.

Beneficiaries: Residents of the communities: children, persons with disabilities, adults and older persons.

Caribbean Climate Change Adaptation Toolkit

Objective: Assist Red Cross staff, partners and volunteers in communicating climate change to communities they work in, integrate climate change into the VCA process, enhance the VCA process using GPS and GIS and to finalize a community climate change action plan using the CHRiSTAL approach and project proposal.

Beneficiaries: Red Cross personnel, partners, communities

More information are available at: www.cardrim.caribbeanredcross.org

Guide de Gestion des Sites et Abris d'Evacuation"
(Evacuation Shelter Management Guide)

Objective: IOM supported Haitian Civil Protection to create the Guide to Evacuation Shelter Management, the first ever Haiti-specific policy in this regard. The objective is to create the baseline policy document related to this process, and to provide standards and tools useful for evacuation shelter managers and others involved in the short-term evacuation process. Under current ECHO funding, IOM is continuing its support to Government to update the Guide for 2013, including lessons learned from Tropical Storm Isaac and Hurricane Sandy, as well as to further elaborate standards related to the physical infrastructure used as evacuation shelter and the use of schools as evacuation shelters.

Beneficiaries: Government, civil society and international and non-governmental partners involved in disaster management in general, and cyclone evacuations in particular.

Hospital Emergency and Disaster Response Plan

Objective: To provide hospital management personnel with the methodology and information necessary for them to develop their respective hospital response plans for emergencies and disasters. These would serve as operational tools in the management of crisis situations.

Beneficiaries: Hospital Disaster Committee members and other senior hospital officials, hospital personnel involved in emergency services, partner agencies response for emergency response

Community-awareness-raising tools

Objective: To raise disaster risk reduction (DRR) awareness in communities without cinema. Using DRR related videos that are pertinent to the local context (sometimes with a facilitated debate afterwards) communities can be educated e.g. on urban seismic risk in a dynamic way. Other forms of awareness-raising included local buses.

Beneficiaries: Local communities

Video guide on child-centred DRR

Objective: The video guide explains step-by-step how and why to develop disaster risk reduction programmes which are child-centred and child-driven, as distinct from being disaster risk reduction projects which involve children in a few activities. The guide shows the basis for child-centred disaster risk reduction derived from the Convention on the Rights of the Child, how children can understand disaster risk reduction and vulnerability, child-centred ways to design and execute disaster risk reduction programmes, means by which children can become agents of change and advocate to government agencies and the high impact that disaster risk reduction programmes can have because of being child-centred.

Beneficiaries: Local communities, children

Prevention Disaster Working Group Léogâne (P.D.W.G.L.)

Objective: Share information, coordination to emergency response and to articulate Disaster Risk Management lines of works. P.D.W.G.L. is lead by the Civil Protection Communal Committee (C.P.C.C.). The Haitian Red Cross/Spanish Red Cross supported the consolidation of the P.D.W.G.L. by doing the secretarial role and reinforcing the structure of the Civil Protection. After 10 months of work the C.P.C.C. had leaded in the Isaac and Sandy Hurricane Evaluation response.

Beneficiaries: Local institution of Haitian National System and Local and International organizations working in Disaster Risk Management.

Community Early Warning System

Objective: To define and harmonize a national early warning system code together with the Haitian National Institution (DPC) and Red Cross Movement among other actors, which is based on sound and color messages. The community early warning system was implemented in a rural area in Leogane with 22.000 inhabitants.

Beneficiaries: Structure of Haitian National System at regional level, Community Intervention Teams and population (info receptors).

Self-assessment tool: DRR capacities at municipal level

Objective: To identify the current capacities of the municipal stakeholders in the field of disaster risk reduction. It can help you to identify in a rapid way your potential and strategic partners and the issues that need to be prioritized in order to support a DRR process at municipal level.

Beneficiaries: Technical institutions who support the development and DRR at municipal level.

Guidelines to incorporate DRR into development planning at municipal level

Objective: To identify opportunities and potential mechanisms to incorporate DRR into development planning in terms of internal organization of the local governments, DRR into public investment, community participation, inter-institutional coordination´s platform and inter-municipal networks.

Beneficiaries: Local governments and other institutions who support the development and DRR at municipal level.

Toolkit: Coordination and management of collective centers (Shelters)

Objective: To guide the national and local response institutions in the identification, selection, management and coordination of collective centers using the international humanitarian standards.

Beneficiaries: Technical institutions who work in disaster preparedness and response at national and municipal level.

Developed by: International Organization for Migrations (IOM) Dominican Republic within the UNDP Dominican Republic DIPECHO project

Guidelines to elaborate school emergency plans

Objective: To facilitate the process of organization, training and planning of the school DRR committees and the elaboration of their school emergency plans.

Beneficiaries: Technicians of the Education Ministry at local level.

Guidelines to elaborate municipal emergency and contingency plans for seismic risk

Objective: To guide the local response institutions in the elaboration of the municipal emergency plan and the seismic contingency plan.

Beneficiaries: Technical institutions who work in disaster preparedness and response at municipal level.

Ti Joel nan plaj, "Ti koze sou sounami"

Objective: The Thematic Committee for Public Awareness and Education in Haiti (CTESP) has developed with the support of UNESCO and ECHO a comic to disseminate tsunami awareness messages to school children in a entertaining manner. The main character, Ti Joel, is beloved in Haiti because of his concern of sharing public awareness messages for different hazards.

Beneficiaries: School children, teachers and general public.

Tsunami Public awareness posters

Objective: The Thematic Committee for Public Awareness and Education in Haiti (CTESP) has developed with the support of UNESCO and ECHO tsunami public awareness posters, including the definition of tsunami and the related protective measures.

Beneficiaries: School children, teachers and general public.

Common Format for the Preparation of Country Documents for Disaster Risk Reduction

Objective: The Common Format suggests a standardized structure and related guidelines for the development of country documents which are intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the status of DRR in the country, and identifying a set of recommendations for areas of intervention. The country documents are important reference document for the design of policies and strategies, the planning and implementation of DRR activities, and decision making for action by representatives of national systems, organizations and institutions that work on DRR in the country and international cooperation agencies.

Beneficiaries: National, sub national and local disaster risk reduction stakeholders, donors, international organizations

Set of Criteria for the Prioritization of Disaster Risk Reduction Actions at National Level

Objective: The set of criteria allows countries to identify the main risks to which it is exposed, to prioritize them and identify the necessary actions to reduce them. The criteria help to identify main areas of intervention to be included in the country document.

Beneficiaries: National, sub national and local disaster risk reduction stakeholders

Progress and challenges of disaster risk management in the Dominican Republic, 2012(Avances y desafíos de la gestión del riesgo de desastres en la República Dominicana, 2012) (designed version available soon)

The preparation of the country document was lead by the National Emergency Commission (Comisión Nacional de Emergencias, CNE) and was developed with the support of the DIPECHO partners located in the Dominican Republic under the framework of the UNISDR regional project.

Saint Lucia Country Profile for Disaster Risk Reduction (Final Draft)

The preparation of the country document was lead by the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) under the framework of the UNISDR regional project.

Manuel on the utilization of GIS in Disaster Risk Reduction

Objective: To provide an instrument and knowledge to authorities who work in spatial planning on the national and local level and to implement a policy of disaster prevention instead of disaster management by qualitatively and quantitatively identifying threats, developing disaster scenarios and planning actions to reduce and mitigate risks.

Beneficiaries: Local Civil Protection, Municipalities, CASECs, communities, land planners, DRR Actors

Assessment of socio-economic parameters related to natural disasters

Objective: Provide information on the living conditions of people in areas at risk, on their economic capacity, their vulnerability, and their ability to recover from disasters in order to guide interventions before or after the passage of natural disasters.

The overall objective is to raise awareness about the magnitude of socio-economic impacts of natural disasters in order to convince people of the advantages of investing more in disaster prevention.

Beneficiaries: Local Civil Protection, Municipalities, CASECs, communities, land planners, DRR actors, donors