Speeding-up Mitigation Measures.

By M.E.Reza
Reflecting upon the recent International Day for Disaster Reduction (14th October 2009), one
cannot help feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges and tasks involved. It’s an
ongoing race against greater losses from natural disasters. Economic losses resulting from
natural disasters have increased tremendously, averaging from US$75.5 billion in the 1960s to
US$659.9 billion in the 1990s. An average of 326 climate disasters occurred annually from 200
to 2004 according to the United Nations Development Programme report, which affected more
that 200 million people, mostly in Asia. So, where do we go from here?
The climate is changing and the disasters getting more frequent. Worst

Pigcawayan, Mindanao- Villagers gather on a highway in the southern Philippine town of

Pigcawayan as floodwater that swamped the road bring debris. About 160,000 families have
been displaced in the southern island of Mindanao due to the flash floods caused by heavy rains.
Photo.IRIN.
still, the disasters are getting deadlier. There would be more intense typhoons, flooding,
droughts and forest fires because of climate change. You can bet on it. Observe the trend and
the numbers of disasters, the magnitude of their force and damage. See the fearful patterns, not
only in the Asia Pacific region but also in Central America. The linkage between climate change
and increasing disasters are obvious. Inevitably governments should be better prepared and
speed up measures to mitigate their impact. Most recent call for expediting implementation of
mitigations measures were expressed by none other than the UN Under Secretary General for
Humanitarian Affairs, John Holmes.(i)
Recently, several disasters have hit the Asian region including devastating floods in the
Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Nepal, affecting millions. Holmes who is also the
UN’s Emergency Relief Coordinator said that 99 per cent of those killed by natural disasters
were in the Asia Pacific region. Hence disaster prone countries are encouraged to spend one
tenth of their development funds on efforts to reduce disaster risks. Comparatively, the
international community spent US$12 billion on disaster relief in 2008. Allocating such an
amount into disaster risk reduction against spending on response and even development would
be a good investment. Incidentally, the UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-
ISDR) emphatically stress this important step through its slogan “Invest Today for a Better
Tomorrow”.
In the lakeshore community of Muntinlupa, outside Manila, elderly women queue to receive
relief items from IOM. Photo. Jason Gutierrez. IRIN
The severity of natural disasters’ impact on lives and livelihoods as well as the development of
nations could no longer be ignored and disaster risks should be taken seriously. Marginal
investment in incorporating hazard resistance could have protected property and assets. Without
appropriate mitigating measures, development achieved over years of investment could be
completely wiped out in a natural disaster. Since vulnerability rest with the communities at the
ground level, building effectiveness of disaster management at the community level is of utmost
importance as local needs and risks could be adequately assessed and managed.
It is incumbent then for those states affected by these risks to reinforce their commitment to
disaster risk reduction through continuing their efforts toward implementing the priority areas of
the Hyogo Framework for Action. In addressing disaster management, putting into place policy,
infrastructure and operational mechanisms to ensure coordination and partnership with all
pertinent stakeholders thus become essential. With the rising magnitude of natural disasters
growing beyond the capacity of affected countries to manage it, the changing humanitarian
environment calls for comprehensive, collaborative, and collective action.
A welcomed development in this area is the recent launch of the

Thousands were affected by Typhoon Mirinae in Philippines early November 2009. Photo. Jason
Gutierrez. IRIN.
International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (the IDRiM Society) at the 9th
IIASA-DPRI Forum on Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM Forum) in Kyoto, Japan.
(7). The Society’s main objective is to promote interdisciplinary research on integrated disaster
risk management modalities for efficient and equitable disaster risk reduction by people,
businesses and governments exposed to the natural disasters.(ii)

References:-
(i) IRIN. Climate change worsening disasters, says UN. 16 October 2009.
(ii) PreventionWeb. Launch of the IDRiM Society for Integrated Disaster Risk Management. 10 November 2009. Integrated Disaster Risk
Management Society (IDRiM)