Disaster
mitigation – Structural and non-structural
measures undertaken to limit the adverse impact of natural
hazards; for example, planting mangroves to reduce the
risk posed by tidal surges or raising awareness of natural
hazards through school-based education projects.
Early
warning – The provision of timely information
enabling people to take steps to reduce the impact of
hazards. Early warning is typically multi-hazard and requires
genuine ownership of, and participation by, communities
and other stakeholders, e.g., access to information by
local people concerning an approaching typhoon or tropical
storm.
Disaster
preparedness – Measures that help ensure
a timely and effective ‘first line’ of response
supported by National Societies’ volunteers, branches,
regional and national capacities, e.g., community action
teams backed up by National Society contingency planning
and regional and/or international response teams.
Recovery
– Decisions and actions taken after a disaster
with a view to restoring or improving the pre-disaster
living conditions of the affected community, while facilitating
necessary adjustments to reduce disaster risk, e.g., assessing
levels of future risk when planning housing projects in
the aftermath of a disaster.
Support
to livelihoods – Projects that strengthen
or diversify livelihoods that enable individuals or households
to develop strategies to reduce risk, e.g. home gardening
can improve nutrition and increase reserves in the time
of drought.
Disaster management
