A global perspective on integrated

emergency response

David Alexander University College London

Emergency medical and

health response

Volunteer societies and NGOs

Other 'blue-light' services

Peacekeeping, stabilisation, military help

Emergent groups and civil society

Emergency management and logistics

Specific professional

services

Mean annual totals 2001-2010 Disasters: 707 Natural disasters: 57% Technological disasters: 43% Deaths: 131,318 Natural disasters: 93% Technological disasters: 7% People affected by disaster: 268 million Natural disasters : 99% Technological disasters: <1% Damage: US$107.2 billion

Disaster risk reduction

Incident management

Population (community) protection

Plans, procedures, protocols

Human and material resources

Hazard forecasting, monitoring,

etc.

Cascading effects

Collateral vulnerability

Secondary disasters

Interaction between risks

Climate change

Probability

Indeterminacy

"Fat-tailed" distributions of impacts

SUSTAINABILITY OF DISASTER

RISK REDUCTION

DAILY RISKS

(e.g. food security, poverty)

EMERGING RISKS

(e.g. climate change,

pandemics)

GENERAL SUSTAINABILITY

(e.g. lifestyles, economic activities, environment)

MAJOR DISASTER RISKS

(e.g. floods, drought, landslides, heatwaves)

Domestic civil

protection

Worldwide humanitarian assistance

European emergency assistance

Volunteer groups Armed forces

Disasters and crises

International NGOs

The international relief system

PUBLIC AND CORPORATE DONORS

INTERNATIONAL NGOs

DONOR COUNTRY GOVT. AGENCIES

RECIPIENT COUNTRY GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

RECIPIENT COUNTRY DONORS

LOCAL NGOs

AFFECTED POPULATION AND VICTIMS

UNITED NATIONS AGENCIES UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA) UN Disaster Assistance Team (UNDAC) International SAR Advisory Group (INSARAG) UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) World Food Programme (WFP) Other UN Agencies

RAPID RESPONSE TEAMS International SAR teams Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs)

RED CROSS-RED CRESCENT International Committee of the RC (ICRC) International Federation of RC Socs. (IFRC) National societies - donor countries National societies - recipient countries

UN Resident Co-ordinator (UN-RC) UN Humanitarian Aid Co-ordinator (UN-HC)

Emergency Relief Co-ordinator (UN-ERC) (Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs)

Inter-Agency Standing Committee (UN-IASC) [UN Humanitarian Agencies; UNHCR,

Red Cross, World Bank, various NGOs]

Civil-Military Humanitarian Co-ordinator (UN-CMCoord)

Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-DHA) Office for the Co-ordination of

Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA)

In the assisted country

Humanitarian assistance

• direct: distribution of materials and services directly to the beneficiaries

• indirect: e.g. transport of relief personnel and supplies

• infrastructure support: general services such as road repairs, air traffic control, electricity generation.

Humanitarian assistance

Domestic disaster relief

Domestic civil institutions: • local • regional • national

Foreign civil institutions: • local • regional • national

International organisations and NGOs: UN, IFRC, etc.

Military aid to civil authorities and communities

Stabilisation Peacekeeping

Humanitarian assistance

UK Armed Forces

Military Assistance to civil authorities

Military Aid to other

Government Departments

(MAGD)

Work of national

importance (e.g. during

strikes)

Military Aid to the Civil

Power (MACP)

Maintenance of public

safety and security; Counter- terrorism activities

Military Aid to the Civil

Community (MACC)

Search & rescue;

Logistics; Disaster response

Civil defence

Military operations

The British model of military assistance

Aceh (Indonesia)

Afghanistan

Africa meridionale

Angola

Burundi

Cecenia

Colombia

Corea del Nord

Eritrea e Ethiopia

Grandi Laghi Africani

Haiti

Il Caucaso

Iraq

Kenya

Kosovo e i Balcani

Liberia

Pakistan settentrionale

Palestina e Israele

Rwanda

Sierra Leone

Somalia

Sri Lanka

il Sudan

Timor Orientale

Uganda

'Complex emergencies': situations of political, economic and military collapse and damage to the fabric of society

Complex emergency: "a humanitarian crisis in

a country, region or society where there is a

notable lack of government as a result of internal or external conflict, which

to be adequately resolved needs more resources than

those provided by any single UN programme."

• social and economic disruption

• military instability and the need for stabilisation

• recurrent natural disasters

• persistent poverty and inequality.

Complex emergencies are distinguished by:-

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Humanitarian forces need to be sensitive to cultural norms and the dilemmas of neutrality

Public perception

of disasters continues to be dominated by myths and inaccuracies

enthusiastically propagated by

the mass media.

"Myth" no.1: Disasters are truly exceptional events.

"Myth" no.2: After disaster has struck, survivors tend to be dazed and apathetic.

"Myth" no.3: After disaster has struck, people will not make rational

decisions and must therefore wait for guidance from authority.

"Myth" no.4: People will flee in large numbers from a disaster area.

"Myth" no.5: When disaster strikes panic and

irrational behaviour are common reactions.

"Myth" no.6: Disasters usually give rise to widespread, spontaneous

manifestations of antisocial behaviour, including looting and violence.

"Myth" no.7: Disaster requires the imposition of martial law to stop the collapse of the social fabric.

"Myth" no.8: Emergency responders will not report to work in a disaster,

they will protect their families instead.

"Myth" no.9: Emergency responders will not know what to do in a disaster.

"Myth" no.10: Any kind of aid and relief is useful after disaster

providing it is supplied quickly enough.

"Myth" no.11: To manage a disaster well it is necessary to accept all aid that is offered.

"Myth" no.12: People can survive for many days when trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.

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"Myth" no.13: Unburied dead bodies constitute a health hazard.

"Myth" no.14: Disease epidemics are an almost inevitable result of the disruption

and poor health caused by major disasters.

"Myth" no.15: Dead bodies, survivors, streets, rubble and other things

should be sprayed with disinfectant to stop the spread of disease.

"Myth" no.16: Great quantities and assortments of medicines

should be sent to disaster areas.

"Myth" no.17: In the aftermath of disaster mass vaccination is an excellent way of stopping the spread of diseases.

"Myth" no.18: Field hospitals are particularly useful for treating people injured by sudden impact disasters.

"Myth" no.19: The mass media create an accurate picture of the disasters on which they report.

"Myth" no.20: In disasters

there are heroes and villains.

Our image of disasters is conditioned far too much by Hollywood!

War and conflict

Pove

rty

Natural disasters

Inse

curity

Vulnerability and marginalisation

Military

Humanitarian assistance

assistance

The "Military Cross"

What falls out of the sky?

Cluster bombs

Humanitarian rations

Military assistance

Humanitarian assistance

Creation of poverty,

marginalisation, precariousness

"Capacity building":

creation of resilience

Global exploitation

Informal and black economy

Science

The international community

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Thank you for your attention!