Chapter Five

Education and Public Awareness

Community-based Initiatives
 Introduction
• Every country is at the risk of exposure to some type of disaster,
whether natural or man-made. In order for each country to prepare
for any kind of disaster, it must inform its citizens about the different
types of disasters.
• The local residents must also be aware of how they can effectively
participate in preparing for a disaster, mitigating potential impacts of
a disaster and the recovery process after a disaster
 Introduction
• One of the most effective mechanisms for a country to prepare for a
disaster is by conducting education and public awareness programs at
the local community level.
• Public awareness in disaster management is a process of educating
and empowering the population through sharing knowledge and
information about the various types of disasters and their potential
risks as widely as possible so that people act appropriately when a
disaster happens
 Introduction
• Public awareness: the process of transmitting information to the
general population to increase their levels of consciousness about
disaster risks so they can prepare appropriately to cope with a
disaster

• Community-based approach: a method of education and public

awareness in disaster management in which community members are
involved in the planning and implementation of the awareness
programs
 Introduction
• Hazard Map: a map which shows areas that are vulnerable to
particular hazards such earthquakes, cyclones, flooding, volcanic
activity
• Community Disaster Management Organization : a national
organization which ensures that planned activities for disaster
management are implemented within a given timeframe
Rationale for a Community-Based Approach
All governments are responsible for protecting their citizens and
endorsing the 2005 Hyogo Declaration which states that:
“strengthening community level capacities to reduce disaster risk at the
local level is especially needed, considering that appropriate disaster
reduction measures at that level enable the communities and
individuals to reduce significantly their vulnerability to hazards.”
Rationale for a Community-Based Approach
Members of a community are the immediate victims of adverse effects of
a disaster. They have the best knowledge about their local surrounding in
terms of the most disaster-prone areas, the demography of their
community and their social and traditional organization. It is important
that they have the capacity to cope with the impacts of a disaster and are
involved in the development of disaster management activities right from
the initial planning stages.
Community participation can also make them
more confident in their capabilities to act in the event of a disaster leading
to a self-reliant community (Newport & Jawahar, 2003).
Rationale for a Community-Based Approach
Every community has members who can be ignorant of events around
them especially when these events do not affect them directly or more
frequently. This type of attitude can also be gradually changed by
involving members of the local community in decision-making processes
such as planning national disaster management plans or even designing
awareness programs.
 This bottom-up, participatory approach can make
community members more receptive of new knowledge and information
presented to them. Local residents who speak or understand their native
language only may be hesitant to accept non-native people conducting
education and awareness programs for them.
 Stakeholders’ Roles and Responsibilities
An effective and successful community-based approach in reducing
disaster risks is often attributed to the spontaneous participation and
involvement of the following stakeholders:
Government
 Non-governments (NGOs)
Regional and International Organizations/Donor Agencies
Island council (Local government)
National/Local Organizations (women committees, youth groups, schools,
etc)
Community workers
 Stakeholders’ Roles and Responsibilities
• Trainers
• Disaster Managers (Local and National)
• Policy Makers
• Grass-roots people
• Religious Denominations
 Stakeholders’ Roles and Responsibilities
There is a need for coordination in the Community-Based Approach
among all the stakeholders. The parameters for participation by each of
the stakeholders need to be clearly outlined at the national level to
avoid overlap and confusion. The focus for all of the stakeholders
should be the local people, who are at risk of being potential victims
and who should also assume responsibility in managing that risk. The
stakeholders must:
develop a strong governance framework through legislation and
policies;
 Stakeholders’ Roles and Responsibilities
mainstream disaster risk management and capacity building into
decision making, the budget process, and sector, provincial and
community development plans;
 strengthen, empower and support local and national structures; and
 understand and recognize that disaster management and disaster
risk reduction are environmental, humanitarian and developmental
issues, so there is a need to coordinate the implementation,
monitoring and evaluation of the approach
 Categories of stakeholders
Government
To have an effective and sustainable impact on the community-based
disaster programs, policy makers should consider incorporating
community- based disaster programs into their drafting of appropriate
acts and regulations in order to implement them effectively.
The governments have a prime responsibility for managing disasters and
for taking into consideration the roles taken by different people in the
community in terms of developing and providing approaches and
strategic actions which can be used to manage the consequences of
disaster within the community. Community-based disaster initiatives
produce results so long as there is also government support
 Non Government Organizations (NGOs)
NGOs are the appropriate organizations to conduct community-based
disaster activities at the different communities and with different
stakeholders. They consist of professionals, activists and grass-roots
people who have wide networks which facilitate their capacity in
programme development.
 Regional and International Organizations /
Donor Agencies
Selected donor agencies, regional and international organizations assist
the communities in terms of initiating the community-based disaster
programs and providing financial assistance and sometimes resource
people for the programs
 Community Workers
Community workers are the most reliable arms of the local
government/island council in the implementation stage of the disaster
policy and reduction initiatives. They have experience in handling disasters,
hazards, emotional problems and coping mechanism and uncertainties.
They assist the local government/island council in establishing a strong
cooperation and understanding among diverse stakeholders including the
local government, local NGOs, government, regional and international
organizations.
If this cooperation is effective, every person involved in all community-
based disaster programs is benefited, but the actual ownership still
remains with the concerned community
 National/Local Organizations
National and local organizations such as women’s committees, youth
groups, schools, religious groups, etc. should consider adapting the
community-based disaster initiatives provided by the government,
regional and international organizations as part of their overall disaster
risks management.
They are the main bodies in the community that can assist in the
implementation of the community-based disaster programs effectively.
 National and Local Disaster Managers
Disaster Managers are the disaster professionals and technical people
in the national government, who are responsible for the
implementation of the disaster management initiatives of the country.
Since the communities are important parts of the national government,
these disaster professionals and managers should be aware that the
key aspect of community-based disaster initiatives is its sustainability.
Therefore, it is the trainers, local managers and/or national managers’
roles and responsibilities to train people in the community to
understand the basic community-based disaster mitigation practices
 Island Councils / Local Government
The most common elements of the community-based disaster
involvement are partnership, participation, empowerment and
ownership by the local people.
Thus, it is the responsibility of the local government and/or island
council to ensure there is an effective partnership in place, plus
participation, empowerment and ownership by local people in their
communities towards disaster reducing initiatives and programmes.
 Methods of Dissemination
The methods of dissemination that can be utilized in the Community- Based
Approach are varied and depend entirely on the needs of the community and
the resources available on hand. As you go through this
section, you may think of other methods more relevant or applicable for use
in your community. This section focuses on the most common methods that
can be utilized in almost any community.
The use of audiovisuals is one method of creating awareness and education
at the community-based level. Audiovisuals typically used in developing
countries are print based because of the unavailability of more highly
advanced technically based mediums of delivery (e.g. television or
the internet).
 The Simple Hazard Map
A common visual aid utilized in the Community Based Approach is the
Simple Hazard Map. It is basically a map of the local community which
points out safe escape routes and safe refuges as a guide to where people
can run and where they can gather if there is a hazard event (Disaster!
94).
Simple hazard maps generally map out areas of risk and lead to action to
reduce risk in those areas.
It enables people to take the correct escape routes and gather at safe
places when disaster strikes. It helps save many lives, homes and
belongings which would otherwise be lost in a disaster.
 Posters and Videos
Posters and leaflets on natural, technical and manmade disasters and
their impacts can be produced and distributed or put up on community
notice boards. The production and viewing of videos on past disasters
can also be shown to communities to highlight important issues in
preparation for or in response to disaster
 Community Theatre (Drama)
A different but exciting method used in the dissemination of
information that you may have heard of is community theatre. The
delight of theatre groups to dramatize disaster management awareness
message is a medium that is very powerful. During the awareness
meetings a mobile travelling theatre group or a local group can
highlight the event with classical important messages.
This is also a highly effective means of creating awareness in developing
countries as the majority of people often have no access to newspapers
and television. Local theatre groups therefore provide entertainment
for the local community to which they belong and simultaneously
present issues that directly affect the people as themes for their drama.
 Workshops
Workshops are excellent examples of informal training provided to the
community. A week long workshop facilitated by experts in disaster
management for community leaders covers enough information,
examples, activities and discussion to adequately prepare them in the
event that disaster strikes. In this situation, the Education Officers,
teachers and schools will be involved within their own structure. The
Government Officers which includes education staff, in the divisions form
teams to organize the workshops to the communities. You see then that
the dissemination of knowledge and awareness to community leaders is in
turn transferred to other members of the community. This is done by
gathering all the members of the community at a communal meeting place
 The Community Based Action Plan
Community leaders can also create Community Based Action Plans
specific to their needs. This action plan incorporates the hazard map,
mock exercises and other important methods, skills and information
needed in preparation for a disaster. The implementation of a
community-based action plan involves a long process. The following
describes how a community-based action plan (referred to here as a
‘disaster management plan’) can be actively implemented
 Implementation Actions
Through participatory planning a Disaster Management Plan can be
formulated. In most cases it may include a few small scale activities
whereas in other communities it may entail a comprehensive disaster
management project. To oversee and monitor progress of implemented
activities, there is a need for the establishment of a central
management body. This body or organization will have numerous roles
from planning, implementation, monitoring and review phases of
planned activities
 Implementation Actions
Such a body or organization may differ from country to country or
community to community and may have different names but its roles and
responsibilities are essentially the same. For the purpose of this course this
central management body will be referred to as the Community Disaster
Management Organization (CDMO) and its primary role is to ensure the
planned activities are implemented on time within the given resources.
The success of activities of the disaster management plan will depend on
the successful operation of the CDMO and will include various tasks and
processes e.g. tasking, mobilizing community resources, capacity
building, monitoring and review and making necessary adjustments
 Tasking
The CDMO should be responsible for setting up appropriate
committees to implement the various necessary risk reduction
measures such as risk communication, health, evacuation, early
warning, agricultural etc. The CDMO should ensure that committees
responsible for risk reduction measure are clear on the roles assigned
to them and each has access to individuals and groups with necessary
skills and expertise to implement the tasks assigned to them.
To ensure that these activities can be carried out, the CDMO could
mobilize the broader community and its resources. The CDMO should
also assign at least one person to carry out each of the following roles
 Tasking
Leadership role – have overall responsibility for activities of the
committee
 Management role – ensure implementation of agreed activities
 Administrative role – assist in management
 Technical role – provides inputs
 Financial management role – provides proper accounting
Social mobilization – to mobilize community resources
 Advantages and Disadvantages of the
Community-Based Approach
• As with any other approach, the community-based approach has its
pros and cons. The following are some that you should be aware of:
Advantages
• The following are advantages of using the Community-Based Approach:
i Ownership and Sustainability
• The Community Based-Approach involves people and gives them a
sense of ownership of the materials created or methods incorporated
in education and public awareness. Through ownership comes
sustainability. The projects used as tools at this level become ongoing
projects that can then be modified whenever the need arises.
 Advantages
ii Addresses the Immediate Needs of Communities
The Community-Based Approach is targeted specifically at particular
communities and it addresses their immediate needs. This is because at
the community based level, immediate needs are better identified.
iii User Friendly
Information is presented in such a way that people can easily
understand or relate to, for example, the use of the language that
people in a community are most familiar with.
 Advantages
iv Provides Knowledge and Skills
Finally the Community Based Approach empowers or equips people
with the necessary knowledge and skills to help themselves in the first
seventy two (72) hours of a disaster. This is the most crucial time at the
onset of a disaster when outside help is still on its way
 Disadvantages
These are some of its disadvantages:
i Fear
Communities are sometimes reluctant to expose the vulnerabilities of their
localities to outsiders. This is because they fear that they will lose potential
investors in their communities, e.g. tourists.
ii Lack of Resources
At the community based level, the lack or unavailability of resources required
to effectively carry out awareness is also a disadvantage. Without the
necessary resources, people have to improvise with what limited resources
they have and this not only makes it very difficult for them but also impacts
on the quality of work they have produced
 Disadvantages
iii Misleading Information
When public awareness and education is not carried out properly at the
community level, misleading information is disseminated to the rest of
the community. This can lead to a chaotic situation and ultimately loss
of lives at the onset of a disaster.
iv Lack of Proper Training
A further problem with this approach is also the fact that those utilizing
the tools of the communicative approach may not have had proper
training in what they are doing. This can also lead to distortion of
information, thus misleading the rest of the community
 Disadvantages
v Gender Bias
Last but not the least, there is a tendency in many developing countries
not to involve women and young people in the creation of the tools of
the Community Based Approach due to religious and cultural
influences. Observation shows that too often those involved in public
awareness and education at the community based level are males
(middle aged and older). There are certain needs of communities that
are overlooked by males (middle aged and older) but easily identified
by women or youth