multilingual drr

Disaster Risk Reductionin Multilingual Settings

David AlexanderUniversity College London

Definitions

Vol. 1 Vol. 2

"...to worry about what the term'disaster' means is not to dedicate oneselfto an academic exercise without meaning.Instead it is to focus in a fundamental

way on what should be consideredimportant and significant..."

(Quarantelli 1995)

"If scholars in the field cannot evenagree on the question of whether a'disaster' is fundamentally a social

construction or a physical event, thenclearly the discipline has problems."

(Quarantelli, 1998)

In disaster risk reductionwe have a definitional morass

The structure of the field

Recoveryand

reconstruction

Mitigationandresilience

Preparationandmobilisation

Emergencyintervention

Quiescence

Crisis

The disastercycle

Recoveryand

reconstruction

Mitigationandresilience

Preparationandmobilisation

Emergencyintervention

Crisis

Emergencyplanning andorganisation

ofsecuritysystems

Warning and

preparation;damage

limitationmeasuresactivated

Emergencyoperationsand damagelimitation

Recovery andrestoration

Safetymanage-ment of

emergencyoperations

Quiescence

Emergency Disaster Catastrophe

Scenarios for emergency planning- fundamental concepts -

(Hazard x Vulnerability x Exposure)Resilience= Risk

[ → Impact → Response]

Civil contingencies

Resilience

management

The risk environment

Businesscontinuity

Civildefence

Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)

Civilprotection

HumanitarianRelief

RiskCivil defence

Hazard

Vulnerability

Threat

Exposure

Response

Mitigation Protection

Civil protection

Armed aggressionon the part of states

Civil defence

Natural disasters

Civil protection

Armed aggressionon the part of

groups of dissidents

"Homeland security"(civil defence)

"Generic" disasters

"Civil contingencies"(resilience)

Civil DefenceCivil Protection

Instabilitythreats

Enhancednatural hazards

Complexhazards

Naturalhazards

Evolvingstrategicsituation

Largetechnological

hazards

Evolvingclimatechange

'Na-tech'(hybrid)hazards

Majorgeophysical

events

Top-down

Bottom-up

Locus ofcontrol

Locus ofcollaboration

(support)

Tension ofopposites

Commandfunctionprinciple

Supportfunctionprinciple

Spectrum ofalternatives

Co-locate

Communicate

Co-ordinate

Jointly understand risk

Share situational awareness

Commonoperating picture

JointEmergencyServicesInter-operability

Programme

Formerly the Monitoringand Information Centre

IMPLEMENTATION ACTIONS(employing resources)

MONITORING AND FEEDBACK

ETHICALPRINCIPLES

& CORE VALUES

STRATEGICDECISIONS (finding

and committing resources)

TACTICAL DECISIONS(allocating resources)

FLOW OFDIRECTION AND

HARMONISATION

FLOW OFEXPERIENCEAND FIELDINFORMATION

'Top-down' and'bottom-up'

Command function principle:command and control

model

Support function principle:collaborative and cooperation

model

Informationtechnology

Managementdecisions

Emergency management:an evolutionary approach

Proxy Participatory

Civil defence...............Civil protection

Command and controlVertical chainof commandPopulation excludedLaw and orderSecrecy

CollaborationTask forces

Population consultedand included

Problem solvingOpenness

Organisationalsystems:management

Socialsystems:behaviour

Naturalsystems:function

Technicalsystems:

malfunction

VulnerabilityHazard

Resilienc

e

Politicalsystems:decisions

Culture

THE WAR ON HAZARDS AND DISASTERS

CULTURE

HISTORY

EVENTS

CONTEXT

RISKSINCREASING

MOREFREQUENTIMPACTS

LOSSES RISING

VULNERABILITY

HAZARDS

DisasterRisk

Reduction

Culture

Econom

ics

Access toknowledge

The w

eight

of h

isto

ry

CONSTRAINTS

Diffusion of information

Perceptual filter

Cultural filter

Emergency not decoded

Emergency decoded

Ignorance

Imagesof reality

Symbolicconstructions

Enlightenment

Filter

Perception

Culture

Decision

Action

Result

Positive Negative

Risk

Accurate Inaccurate

Technologyas risk

mitigation

Technologyas a source

of vulnerability

Research,development

and investmentin technology

individualfamilypeer grouporganisationcommunitysocietyinternational C

ultu

ral filter

Sociocentrism Technocentrism

Kenneth L. Pike1912-2000

Etic and emic

Long term

Short term

Emic components

Etic components

METAMORPHOSISOF CULTURE

Experiences of culture[mass-media and consumer culture]

Accumulated cultural traits and beliefs

Inherited cultural background

Ideological(non-scientific)interpretations

of disaster

Learned(scientific)

interpretationsof disaster

Valuesystem

Familyculture

Workculture

Peergroupculture

Personalculture

National culture

Regional culture

Etic elementsof culture

Emic elements

of culture

Areaof culturalinterpenetration

Retribution Judgement Portent

DISASTERMEANING ACCEPTANCE

Retrospectiveinterpretation

Predictiveinterpretation

Traditional view of disaster - modern parallels?

Symbolisminherent in

technologicalculture

Traditionalsymbolism

and portent

Event

Interpretation

Dynamic culturalmetamorphosis

Resilientculture

Culture ofresilience

INSTRUMENTS OFDISSEMINATION

• mass media• targeted campaign• social networks

• internet

Augmentation

MASSEDUCATIONPROGRAMME

HUMANCAPITAL

HABIT

CULTURE

The creation of a culture of civil protection

BENIGN (healthy)at the service of the people

MALIGN (corrupt)at the service of vested interests

interplay dialectic

Justification Development

[spiritual, cultural, political, economic]

IDEOLOGY CULTURE

Learning to work together

Basic concepts:hazard, vulnerability,

exposure, risk,impact, resilience, etc.

Hazardanalysis

Technical skills:telecomminications

computer, GIS, etc.Emergencyplanning

Emergencymanagement

Disastersociology andpsychology

Public informationmanagement

Recovery andreconstruction

planning

Methods ofrisk mitigation

Fieldexercises

Disaster and emergencymanagement training

HAZARD,

RISK &

DISASTER

STUDIES

SEVEN SCHOOLSOF THOUGHT

Criminal justice

and forensic

science

and perhapsan eighth...

Sociology

Psychology

& psychiatry

Economic &

financial studies

Development

studies

Disaster medicine

& epidemiology

Physical &

construction

sciences

Geography &

anthropology:

cultural (human)

anthropology

Ecology

Geology

(& Geomorphology)

Geophysics

(inc. Seismology)

VolcanologyClimatology

Hydraulics

Hydrology

Meteorology

Architecture

Civil engineering

Geotechnical engineering

Structural engineering

Mechanical &

electrical engineeringInformation &

communication

technology (ICT)

Computer technology

Remote sensing

Risk analysis (inc.

risk identification,

estimation,

management &

communication)

Cartography

Development studies

Economics

Geography, History

Jurisprudence & legal stds

Urban & regional planning

Mass media studies

Psychology

Sociology

Epidemiology

Nursing

Nutrition

Pharmacology

General medicine

Surgery &

emergency medicine

Public health, hygiene

& epidemiology

Veterinary sciences

Health sciencesSocial & spatial sciences

Computational

& analytical

sciences

Construction sciences

Atmospheric & water sciences

Earth & environmental sciences

HAZARD,

RISK &

DISASTER

CONSTITUENTDISCIPLINES

Broad professional training in emergency management

Professional experienceand training

Disciplinary training(e.g. bachelor's degree)

Commonculture

Commonlanguage

Commonobjectives

PractitionersEmergency services

Emergency managementagencies

Volunteer NGOs

ResearchersAcademicsConsultants

UsersThe general public

Businesses

Threeconstituencies

survivors andbeneficiaries

emergency managersand responders

policy makers andemergency planners

internationaldimension

marginalisedgroups

domesticdimension

tourists and visitorsTHE

TRANSLATOR

The international dimension

The international relief system

PUBLIC ANDCORPORATEDONORS

INTERNATIONALNGOs

DONOR COUNTRYGOVT. AGENCIES

RECIPIENT COUNTRYGOVERNMENT AGENCIES

RECIPIENT COUNTRYDONORS

LOCALNGOs

AFFECTED POPULATION AND VICTIMS

UNITED NATIONS AGENCIESUN 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 TEAMSInternational SAR teamsDisaster Assistance Response Teams (DARTs)

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

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

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

Permanent Interagency Support Committee (UN-IASC)[UN humanitarian agencies; UNHCR,

Red Cross, World Bank, various NGOs]

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

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

of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA)

In the assisted country:-

War andconflict

Pove

rty

Naturaldisasters

Inse

curity

Vulnerability andmarginalisation

Military

Humanitarian assistance

assistance

The "Military Cross"

What falls outof the sky?

Cluster bombs

Humanitarian rations

Justice Impartiality

Humanitarianism

Hijacking ofassistance

Relief

Robberyand rapeof victims

Totalwar

Politicisation ofrelief suppies

Whatfuture?

Justice system

Rights Responsibilities

Moral

Ethical

Legal

Constitution Disaster

Context of disaster

welfare mobility

sovereignty identity

entitlementproxy wars

?

• prevalence of myths and misassumptions

• migration and evacuation

• informal settlements

• precarious livelihoods

• crises of leadership.

Some parallels between disaster risk reduction (DRR) and human mobility

XenophobiaDistrust ofunfamiliar

people

CompassionDesireto helprefugees

RejectionismIt is not

our problemDistancingNot in myback yard

The role of mass cognitive dissonance

CharityWillingnessto donate

Conclusions

• disaster response is increasinglyinternationalised, with up to130 countries participating

• interoperability is vital: civilprotection needs a common culture

• beware of the clash between top-downand bottom-up approaches incivil defence and civil protection.

Take-away messages

• culture is facilitator or inhibitor of DRR:initiatives must be culturally compatible

• minorities should not be neglectedand marginalised (especially inhuman mobility and conflict situations)

• suppression of democracy, human rightsand people's cultures must be opposed.

Take-away messages

THANK YOU FOR LISTENINGdavid.alexander@ucl.ac.uk

www.slideshare.net/dealexander