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Tsunami
operation offers reminder of need for disaster reduction measures 12 January 2005 The operation to assist hundreds of thousands of people affected by the tsunami in Asia and Africa has highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said today, pointing out that it would be raising this crucial issue during the World Conference on Disaster Reduction, which begins in the Japanese city of Kobe on 18 January. “The International Federation adopts a bottom-to-top disaster preparedness approach – from the trained community-based volunteers on the ground giving vital assistance before, during and after a disaster, to our efforts on the international stage to promote a greater understanding and implementation of the existing legal instruments applicable in times of natural disaster,” explains Eva von Oelreich, the Federation’s head of Disaster Preparedness and Response. The human dimension of disaster preparedness and response are the volunteers and the communities in which they work. Before disasters strike, volunteers are there to disseminate early warning safety information and support evacuations. Once the disaster happens, they mobilize emergency health and relief aid. Between emergencies they promote preparedness through public awareness and other mitigation activities. It is this cycle of preparedness and response which is critical to any coherent disaster risk reduction planning process. “In the countries hit by the tsunami, we witnessed volunteers coming to the aid of their neighbours in the minutes and hours after the wave struck. More people are saved by well-trained locals than by international rescue teams. It is essential for governments and donors to realise the need to put resources into building community resilience and preparedness if they want to really mitigate the impact of disasters. This is a message we will be strongly promoting in Kobe,” says Susan Johnson, Federation Director of Operations. Disaster preparedness and mitigation will form a central plank of the International Federation’s longer-term programming in the tsunami-affected countries. But the Red Cross and Red Crescent is not only concerned with preparedness at community and national level. It is also spearheading efforts to improve understanding and implementation of the multiplicity of often disconnected guidelines, conventions, treaties and legislation in existence. “The tsunami operation has once again highlighted the complexities of getting relief across borders in the shortest possible time and with maximum efficiency,” says Victoria Bannon, coordinator of the Federation’s international disaster response laws, rules and principles (IDRL) Project. “Humanitarian organisations are not only having to cope with damaged infrastructure, they are also dealing with 12 different governments and 12 different sets of customs regulations. Delays in getting aid to those who need it cost lives.” “Kobe offers us the opportunity to remind governments of the commitments they have made – notably at the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in December 2003 – to work to review existing disaster management legislation and to improve compatibility with international laws, rules and principles to facilitate international relief efforts when they’re needed,” Bannon adds. For further information, or to set up interviews, please contact: In Geneva: Roy Probert, Information Officer Tel. + 41 22 730 42 96 / + 41 79 217 33 86 Eva M. Calvo, Information Officer Tel. + 41 22 730 4357 / + 41 79 217 33 72 Media Service, duty phone Tel. + 41 79 416 38 81 The Geneva-based International Federation promotes the humanitarian activities of 181 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies among vulnerable people. By coordinating international disaster relief and encouraging development support, it seeks to prevent and alleviate human suffering. The Federation, National Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross together, constitute the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. © International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies |
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