13 October was International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction.
It started in 1989 to raise awareness of risk and disaster reduction. According to UNISDR this day 'celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness about the importance of reining in the risks that they face'. The video below promotes the campaign.
Link to: UNISDR IDDR Campaign
Why is disaster risk reduction important? The map below shows the 20 most deadly disasters of the last 20 years. Every year disasters cause thousands of fatalities and millions in economic damage. Raising awareness and reducing risk helps to reduce vulnerability, increase preparedness and mitigate the impact.
The 20 most deadly disasters for the last 20 years (Source: UNISDR)
What can you do to reduce your personal risk towards natural hazards?
You do not need to make big changes to reduce your risk towards natural hazards, small steps can make a huge difference.
- The best place to start is to identify what hazards you are at risk from. This depends on where you live, so do some investigation on your local setting. The best place to find information is from official sources such as government and scientific sites, for example the USGS, Global Volcanism Program and FEMA (these will depend on what country you live in!).
- Now that you know you what natural hazards you are at risk from, make a plan and prepare!
- Write your own family emergency plan to help you prepare for disaster.
- Sign up to receive alerts/warnings if these are available e.g. Flood Warnings
- Create a disaster kit
- Stock up on emergency supplies in both your home and car
- Hazard proof your house - these can be small things such as securing furniture to the wall for earthquakes, flood proofing your house etc.
- Practise drills when you can e.g. Shakeout earthquake drill (ShakeOut Earthquake Drill). Many countries such as Japan have earthquake or tsunami drills. Make sure you are aware of these or create your own drill to practice what you would do when disaster strikes!
- Mobile Apps - there are a wide range of mobile apps available today to help you prepare for disaster or send you alerts etc. FEMA, Red Cross, USGS, Pacific Disaster Centre are just a few examples. Check out the Apps section on this blog for other examples.
- Educate your family - it is important to prepare for disasters as a family, get everyone involved! Educational games are available for children to raise their awareness. Check out Stop Disasters an online game and Tanah The Tsunami and Earthquake Fighter
- Stay tuned and listen to official advice and warnings when the time comes.
In addition to the IDDRR, a 'Sendai Seven' campaign has also been launched based on the Sendai Framework of Disaster Risk Reduction. The Sendai Framework has seven targets and four priorities as shown in the summary images below. This voluntary agreement runs from 2015 to 2030. For more details on the Sendai Framework (including the link to download the framework), watch the videos and follow the links below.
Summary of the 7 targets and 4 priorities of the Sendai Framework (UNISDR)
More details of the 7 targets and 4 priorities of the Sendai Framework (UNISDR)
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