Commission staff working paper

Disaster preparedness activities, including DIPECHO

Disaster preparedness helps to save lives, speed up recovery and soften the impact of future hazards. Disaster preparedness proves that people are far from helpless but can face hazards with the appropriate local knowledge, practice and response mechanisms.

EU's main contribution to the global disaster risk reduction efforts remains the DIPECHO programme which targets highly vulnerable communities living in seven of the most disaster-prone regions in the world. In ECHO terminology, this is called the ‘community-based approach’.

Since launching the DIPECHO programmes, the Commission has invested more than € 180 million in the associated Action Plans.



DIPECHO in Southern Africa

The south-east African and south-west Indian Ocean regions are exposed to a wide range of natural disasters, such as floods, cyclones and volcanic eruptions. Their exposure to natural hazards, combined with socio-economic factors such as high population density, extreme poverty and, in most parts of southern Africa, a high incidence of HIV and AIDS, heightens the potential impact of disasters. Due to their extreme poverty, these vulnerable population groups have very low capacity to recover from losses. Furthermore, the current capacity in these regions to cope with disasters is limited. Consequently, support from the international community is definitely needed to promote preparedness activities, mitigation projects and early-warning systems.

Following the Action Plan launched in 2008, a sum of €735 000 was mobilised to supplement the ongoing disaster preparedness action (DIPECHO) in Comoros, Madagascar, Malawi and Mozambique. Many of the projects will run into 2010.

DIPECHO in South Caucasus

The South Caucasus region is prone to natural disasters such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, flash floods, avalanches and debris flows. The risk of earthquakes is particularly high, as shown by past events causing numerous casualties (Spitak in Armenia in 1988) or extensive damage (Baku in 2000 and Tbilisi in 2002).

On the basis of two identification missions conducted by its experts, the Commission allocated € 2 million to the Disaster Risk Reduction/DIPECHO Action Plan in this region to support implementation of existing and planned national disaster risk reduction plans and policies, including the Hyogo Framework for Action for 2005-2015.

In each project supported, ECHO will pay particular attention to coordinating and consolidating national platforms, the link between disaster risk reduction and climate change, project sustainability, the multi-country approach and greater consideration of vulnerable population groups, such as women, the elderly and disabled people.

This Action Plan, adopted by the Commission in November 2009, will be implemented from March 2010 to August 2011.

DIPECHO in Central Asia

Central Asia is particularly exposed and vulnerable to natural disasters such as landslides, avalanches, floods, earthquakes and drought and to climate change. It is therefore highly appropriate to invest in community-based disaster preparedness and response capacity.

In 2009, ECHO proceeded to implement the 5th DIPECHO Action Plan for Central Asia adopted in 2008. Its total budget of € 7.325 million is financing thirty operations in the five Central Asian countries.

The main activities include preparing emergency plans at the level of communities, training students and population groups in disaster preparedness techniques, improving the early-warning systems, training and equipping search and rescue teams, building small mitigation works, supporting the setting-up of national and regional disaster risk reduction platforms, strengthening and advocating disaster risk reduction amongst national authorities and other development bodies and promoting public-private partnerships in disaster risk reduction operations.

50% of the funding was allocated to operations by local communities and local authorities, 25% to national authorities, 5% to regional cooperation and 15% to the Red Crescent societies. Over two million people have benefited from the Action Plan.

DIPECHO in South Asia

South Asia is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to natural disasters (especially floods, landslides, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones and forest fires) and the growing concerns about the impact of climate change are of particular relevance to this part of the world. It is a region where social and political structures, demographic pressures, the structure of settlements, agricultural practices and economic development leave the population extremely vulnerable to natural disasters. Not only peoples’ lives but also their livelihoods are at risk each time. Some populations are even more vulnerable as they live in very remote areas, belong to minority groups and are forgotten or neglected by their own authorities. Recurring disasters, even very small-scale ones, have a greater impact each time on these populations already suffering from extreme poverty. Recent events in the region, from cyclone Sidr in Bangladesh at the end of 2007 to the floods in India and Nepal in 2008, have drawn further attention to the importance of prevention measures to reduce the impact of such natural disasters on the population, especially on the most vulnerable.

The Fifth DIPECHO Action Plan launched in 2009 (€ 10 million) is focusing on the most vulnerable local communities and institutions involved in risk reduction in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Depending on the security situation and access to the beneficiaries at their locations, operations might be envisaged in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Furthermore, regional programming could take into account the whole of South Asia, including Bhutan, if deemed relevant for the overall coherence of the proposed project. Estimates suggest that approximately 3 million people will benefit directly from this Action Plan.

DIPECHO in South America

South America is one of the most disaster-prone regions in the world, exposed to panoply of natural hazards due to its geography, geology and climate. El Niño and La Niña contribute to warming and cooling in the eastern and central Pacific and cause regular floods and droughts. The Andean region is particularly vulnerable to earthquakes — the last major one, causing a significant loss of human life and physical damage, occurred in Peru in August 2007 — and many volcanoes are still active there. The vulnerability of the people most at risk from natural disasters has continued to increase over the last few decades, as climate change has further aggravated the situation.

Implementation of the Sixth DIPECHO Action Plan started in 2009 (€ 10 million) in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela. The aid provided should assist approximately 1 million beneficiaries.

A wider DRR action was launched as a pilot exercise, with the aim of enhancing preparedness and coping capacity for earthquakes and tsunamis in Peru (€ 2 million).

DIPECHO in the Caribbean region

The Caribbean region is prone to frequent natural disasters, especially hurricanes and floods. The region’s vulnerability is accentuated by high population density, fast demographic growth and widespread poverty. This leaves communities with less capacity for coping in the event of disasters.

From 2005 to 2008, a total of € 11.86 million was allocated for emergency responses to different natural disasters, including food assistance, distribution of other essentials, access to primary health care and safe water/sanitation. This amount includes, in particular, the response to tropical storms and hurricanes, for instance to the three hurricanes and the tropical storm which hit the Caribbean hard in 2008.

The emergency response to the hurricanes and tropical storms which struck the Caribbean in 2008 continued. Apart from a new DIPECHO Action Plan (€5 million), wider DRR action was launched as a pilot exercise to strengthen disaster management in the Caribbean (€2 million).

DIPECHO in the Pacific region

The Pacific region ranks among the most disaster-prone regions in the world in terms of recurrence, severity and scope of hazards, with high exposure to cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tidal surges, landslides, flash floods, droughts, forest fires, volcano eruptions and epidemics. This is compounded by environmental degradation and climate change.

According to a recent World Bank report⁴³, between 1950 and 2004 extreme natural disasters accounted for 65% of the total economic impact of disasters on the region. Ten of the fifteen most extreme events reported over the last half-century occurred in the last fifteen years. The number of mortalities and people affected might appear rather low in comparison with usual disaster statistics, but the Pacific countries rank among the highest in terms of the number of casualties and people affected per 100 000 population⁴⁴.

In 2009, the first Disaster Preparedness Programme for the Pacific (€1.5 million) was launched by the Commission, targeting Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Approximately 600 000 persons will be targeted by this pilot programme to support community-based disaster preparedness action.

Drought preparedness programme in the Horn of Africa

In 2006, the Commission adopted its first (€ 10 million) Regional Drought Decision. The objective was to allow timely and relevant humanitarian responses in order to reduce the impact of droughts on the main assets of rural population groups. To build on the success of this approach, the Commission stepped it up with an additional allocation of €30 million in 2008, followed by a further € 10 million in 2009, with the aim of supporting appropriate preparedness and mitigation measures setting an example.

Activities will be kept in line with the drought cycle management approach, which promotes community-based knowledge in drought preparedness, strengthening local resilience and Early Warning Systems. Up to 12 million pastoralists and/or agro-pastoralists have been targeted, directly and indirectly, by ECHO’s approach to regional drought preparedness.

For further information on the drought preparedness programme in the Horn of Africa, see the Horn of Africa section.

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