A TIME FOR RE-ENERGIZED DISASTER

RISK REDUCTION ACTIONS2015-2020 AND BEYOND

March 15, 2015: the second world

conference on disaster risk

reduction convened in Sendai,

Japan will re-invigorate the historic

global endeavor started in 1990 by

the United Nations

FACT:THE WORLD CONFERENCE

WILL CALL FOR RENEWED ACTION

• Each country will

be asked to play

a major role in

the post-con-

ference call for a

“Global Tsunami

of Action”

FACT: THE GOAL IS CLEAR AND

STILL THE SAME:

REDUCTION OF GLOBAL

VULNERABILITIES AND

ACCELERATION OF DISASTER RISK

REDUCTION

THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF

“THE BEST POLICIES AND BEST

PRACTICES”

A DISASTER is still---

--- the set of failures that occur when

the continuums of: 1) people, 2)

community (i.e., a set of habitats,

livelihoods, and social constructs),

and 3) recurring events (e.g., floods,

earthquakes, ...,) intersect at a point in

space and time, when and where the

people and community are not ready.

FACT:NATURAL HAZARDS STILL

CAUSE MEGA-DISASTERS

• FLOODS

• SEVERE

WINDSTORMS

• EARTHQUAKES

• DROUGHTS

• VOLCANIC

ERUPTIONS

• ETC.

FACT:THE PEOPLE CONTINUUM IS

GROWING WITH TIME

• 7 + BILLION distributed

throughout the

world; many in

vulnerable,

high-risk com-

munities

FACT:MANY COMMUNITIES ARE PARA-

LYZED BY FOUR WEAKNESSES

• IGNORANCE

• APATHY

• DISCIPLINARY

BOUNDARIES

• LACK OF POLITICAL WILL

INTERSECTION OF THESE

CONTINUUMS IS INEVITABLE

MOST FUTURE

INTERSECTIONS WILL CAUSE

A DISASTER, OR A MEGA-

DISASTER, UNLESS - - -

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION IS THE WAY FORWARD

200 NATIONS AND 7+

BILLION PEOPLE

NORTH

AMERICA

CARIBBEAN

BASIN

SUB-SAHARA

AFRICA

MEDITER-

RANEAN

ISLAND

NATIONS

ASIA

SOUTH

AMERICA

EUROPE

FACT: EVERY COMMUNITY CAN REDUCE

THE VULNERABILITIES TO - - -

• GOVERNMENT

CENTERS

• DWELLINGS

• SCHOOLS

• HEALTH CARE

FACILITIES

• BUSINESSES

• INFRA-STRUCTURE

• ETC

THE GOAL: ADOPTBEST POLICIES AND BEST PRACTICES

INNOVATIVE ACTIONS: CREATE, ADJUST,

AND REALIGN PROGRAMS, PARTNERS AND

PEOPLE UNTIL YOU HAVE CREATED THE

PARADIGM SHIFTS THAT ARE NEEDED TO

MOVE TOWARDS DISASTER RISK

REDUCTION

YOUR

COMMUNITYDATA BASES

AND INFORMATION

HAZARDS:GROUND SHAKING

GROUND FAILURE

SURFACE FAULTING

TECTONIC DEFORMATION

TSUNAMI RUN UP

AFTERSHOCKS

•FLOODS

•SEVERE WIND

STORMS

•EARTHQUAKES

…ETC

A DISASTER

CAUSES

FAILURES IN POLICIES

FAILURES IN PRACTICES

BEST POLICIES AND

PRACTICES

• ADOPTION

•IMPLEMENTATION

DISASTER RISK

REDUCTION

BEST POLICIES AND PRACTICES FOR

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

Anticipatory Preparedness

Adoption and Implementation of Modern

Engineering Building Codes & Standards

Timely Early Warning and Evacuation

Timely Emergency Response (including

Emergency Medical Services)

Cost-Effective Recovery/Reconstruction

LIKE A CHAIN: A COMMUNITY HAS

WEAK LINKS TO STRENGTHEN

BEST POLICIES AND BEST

PRACTICES

WILL IDENTIFY/CLOSE

KNOWLEDGE DIVIDES AND GAPS,

AND

IDENTIFY/FIX WEAK LINKS IN THE

PEOPLE/COMMUNITY

CONTINUUMS

BEST POLICIES AND BEST

PRACTICES WILL

CALL FOR STRATEGIC

PLANNING AND INNOVATIVE USE OF

TECHNOLOGY

LIKE AN INFINITE SERIES: A CONTINUUM

OF INNOVATION NEVER ENDS