Mitigating the Millennium: Proceedings of a Seminar on Community Participation and Impact Measurement in Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Programmes

Protection against future disasters is often squeezed out of both relief and development programmes; and although an increasing proportion of international aid is being spent on relief, few of these resources are allocated to disaster mitigation or preparedness. In addition most long-term development projects do not incorporate disaster reduction strategies. Mitigating the Millennium comprises the edited proceedings of a seminar organized by Intermediate Technology and funded by the ODA in October 1996. The purpose of the seminar was to examine how participation can be made to work in disaster mitigation and preparedness programmes; and to explore local, national and international actions which could protect communities from the increasing risk of natural disasters.

Table of Contents:
Introduction 1 Section 1 Case Study Presentations: Community Participation 2 in Practice 1 The Key to Sustainable Disaster Mitigation 4 Rajendra Desai and Rupal Desai, Ahmedabad Study Action Group 2 The Listening Legacy: Challenges for Participatory Approaches 28 John Mitchell, British Red Cross 3 Incorporating Local Level Mitigation Strategies into National and 35 International Disaster Response Nick Hall, Intermediate Technology Section 2 Reports on morning discussion sessions 47 Participants broke into three working groups to discuss: 4 Defining a participative approach to disaster mitigation 48 5 Evaluating and measuring the impact of mitigation projects 49 6 Arguments for prioritising mitigation 50 Section 3 Agency presentations: improving practice: ideas 51 for future action 7 Emergency preparedness in cyclone prone areas in Madagascar 52 Remko Vonk, Director of CARE International Madagascar, June 1992-July 1996 8 Ways and means of improving practice 60 Andrew Maskrey, General Coordinator of LA RED (Latin America) 9 The challenge of getting donors involved in disaster mitigation 62 Roger Clarke, Overseas Development Administration (ODA) Section 4 Recommendations from afternoon discussion sessions 63 Participants divided into three working groups to make recommendations on initiatives which would reduce the risk of hazards through the promotion of community based disaster mitigation programmes at the: 10 Local level 64 11 National level 65 12 International level 66 Appendices 1 Resource list 68 2 Profiles of speakers and facilitators 69 3 List of participants 72 4 Programme 74

About the Author :
Jane has been instrumental in positioning HelpAge as a global player in development and humanitarian relief and the leading source of information and expertise relating to older people in developing countries since she joined the organisation in 1999. Before joining HelpAge, Jane developed and delivered strategic communication and advocacy strategies and training for a number of organisations, including ITDG (now Practical Action), BOND and Stop Disasters Campaign.