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build resilient

communities in the
coastal belts

Community Based Disaster Preparedness Project


An initiative of Caritas India & Kerala Social Service Forum
N
atural disasters have been visiting
every part of the globe at one time
or other. Our world is becoming more
vulnerable to disasters. Community based disaster
preparedness project is the commitment of the
Kerala Social Service Forum to the coastal
community to effectively manage disasters. Project
envisions creation of resilient communities capable
Community Based of managing disaster where Preparedness,
mitigation and risk reduction are the pillars.
Disaster Preparedness Paradigm shift effected is that local communities,
and not the outside agencies are the principal
respondents to a disaster. We envision a
community aware of its resources and in position
to take up responsibilities. And yet disaster
preparedness cannot be an isolated venture but
has to be coupled with developmental initiatives.
It is a question of addressing geological and social
vulnerabilities from a development angle. Project
is being implemented in tsunami affected five
districts of Kerala viz,Trivandrum, Kollam,Alleppey,
Ernakulam and Trichur in coordinating partnership
with Diocesan Social Service Societies.

Goal
Capacitation of the coastal communities of
selected wards of five districts of Kerala to
effectively manage disasters and promote
sustainable development through community
mobilisation.

Strategic Objectives
■ Strengthen capacities of Community based
organisations and structures to address
development issues in a collective manner.
■ Promote and replicate locally specific water
and sanitation structures and create
community consciousness on eco restoration
and environment.
■ Facilitate lobbying and networking with PRIs,
Line Departments and other institutions for
sustainability of the community initiatives.
H
istory of world is mans tryst with
disasters. It is after mutations and
metamorphosis that the universe has
come to the present form and appearance. The
truth is that many species that existed before the
emergence of man into the universe are now
extinct.The evolutionary principle- “survival of the
fittest” is nature’s law that can never be negated.
Caterpillars The species, that could not survive natural
catastrophes like floods and earthquakes, have
Eye View vanished from the earth. Natural disasters have
wiped out from the face of the earth millions of
human beings. More have been killed in wars,
communal riots and genocides unleashed by
dictators.

Harbour waves always trigger up fear of the


traditional fishermen’s. But this time the killer
Tsunami not only triggered up the fear but also
rampaged in almost all coastal areas of the South
East Asia with out any discrimination on the class,
creed or sex. It was Sunday after Christmas - 26th
December, the sea receded to bare the rocks at
the bottoms. People were amazed at the sight
but it was the lull before the rushing waves that
devastated entire villages in our coast. Giant tidal
waves engulfed our coast with unknown revenge.
The earthquake, which measured 8.9 on the
Richter scale, is counted as the most powerful in
the last 40 years all over the world. The after
effect of Tsunami left thousands dead in South
East Asia and many more homeless.

As far as Kerala is concerned the giant tidal waves


left its fury in all its velocity and wrath in Kollam
district. Unprecedented Tsunami of 2004 acted
as a reason for the community mobilisation of
people in the affected areas of Kerala. Instead of
viewing the field from a birds eye view, the team
has ventured out into the field through a
caterpillars eye view and has overcome all
blockades like a caterpillar trekking over anything
that seems perturbed.
R
esilience building is an important part of
any disaster response programme and
disaster mitigation project was initiated
soon after the rehabilitation was over. Stakeholder
participation was one of the corner stone in the
implementation of a community owned project.
Project team oriented the community about the
Participatory Learning need of Community Based Disaster Preparedness
programme and the capacitated community
and Analysis identified the risk that would affect their life and
livelihoods through Participatory Learning
Exercises. Building resilience is to be read in the
context of advancing the dream of a nation or a
community to attain self reliance.

Based on the output of the participatory learning’s


the community chalked out the action plan to
mitigate any probable disasters. Village
Contingency Plan is a process of developing
strategies, arrangements and procedures to
address the humanitarian needs of those who can
be adversely affected by potential crisis/disaster.
An active contingency planning process enables
individuals, teams, organisations and communities
to establish working relationship between them
which can make a critical difference in the
response mechanisms during a crisis situation. Plan
helps to reinforce coordination mechanisms by
keeping them active and by clarifying roles and
responsibilities before a crisis.

Village Contingency Fund is the life line of


Emergency Response Teams of the project. Survival
of the programme after the project period
depends on the volume of fund available for the
action of the emergency response teams.
Formation of community owned structures like
Emergency Response Teams, Coordination
Committee, Federation of SHG’s, and Disaster
Management Teams were identified as the next
steps in the disaster risk reduction efforts.
P
rimary respondents of any kind of disaster
is the community itself and realizing that
unless community is capacitated disaster
preparedness will remain in papers, we sowed the
seeds of peoples groups. A focus on resilience
means putting greater emphasis on what
communities can do for themselves and how to
Formation and Training of Task strengthen their capacities, rather than
concentrating on their vulnerability disaster or
Force Teams for a disaster their needs in an emergency. A disaster resilient
resilient community community is the safest possible community that
we have the knowledge to design and build in a
natural hazard context, minimizing its vulnerability
by maximizing the application of Disaster Risk
Reduction measures. DRR is there fore collection
of actions, or process, undertaken towards
achieving resilience.

Emergency Response Team’s have been formed in


intervention villages. Training in specific tasks
associated with disaster preparedness was
imparted to the members. In association with
various government and non government
departments training were provided. The teams
include Early Warning Team, Search and Rescue
Team, Medical and First Aid Team, Relief and
Rehabilitation Team & Damage Assessment Team.
Mock drills are conducted once in a while to keep
the community vigilant to probable disasters.

Thousands of volunteers clubbed into teams are


holding the fort in forty four coastal villages to
combat and manage the recurring disasters like
sea erosion, flash floods and epidemics. Regular
mock drills keep the villagers vigilant to any
situations. Provision of megaphone, First Aid Kit
and Search and Rescue materials has increased
the capacity of the villagers to overcome any risk
situations by there own.
W
e are challenged to turn disaster
preparedness into a people’s
movement with the participation of
all stakeholders – the Govt, the common man and
voluntary agencies. Isolated ventures are bound
to provide limited results but coordinated
ventures with long term vision and integrated
Networking and approach will reap results - a hundred fold.

Lobbying One of the highlights of the project was the


networking the team had with the CBO’s, NGO’s,
CSO’s in the reference area. Self Help Groups of
the reference area has been federated for
coordinated response. As a part of strengthening
the functioning and capacity building of the leader’s
trainings on management and leadership were
provided in respective areas. Panchayathi Raj
Institutions are one of the major stake holders of
the project and our Task Force Teams works hand
in hand with the Local Self Governments.
Formation of Disaster Management Team at the
LSG level has ensured more coordinated response
as the stakeholders from the community, LSG,
Government administration and Social activists
holds hand here. Quarterly review with the
Panchayathi Raj Institution leaders acted as an eye
opener for the project as effective and
constructive ideas were put forward by them.

Disaster induced development is also an aim of


the project and by ensuring participation in the
Gram Sabhas; the community is participating in
the developmental initiatives. People’s decisions
are really honoured in the Gram Sabhas by
channelling funds for development projects.
P
revention is better than cure, is an old saying
which is very apt in the context of disaster
management. Every year colossal amount of
resources are being used by our Government as
well as Aid agencies in relief and rehabilitation
measures. It is now becoming increasingly evident
and mitigation and investment in disaster
We are Prepared preparedness can save thousand of lives, vital
economic assets, livelihoods and reduce the cost
of overall disaster relief.

Community Based Disaster Preparedness has now


became a culture of living for the people of the
coastal areas of Kerala. Community has owned
up the project and they are now aware of disasters.
Task forces have taken up the responsibility of
managing disasters and in this response they
responded to several incidents like flash floods,
fire outbreak and evacuation of people at time of
sea erosion. CBDP is now deep rooted in the
hearts of the people of the reference area. Project
opened up a new way for the people whom were
facing recurrent disasters like flash flood, tidal
waves, sea erosion and they echoes their voice
“We are prepared”

Natural hazards will always challenge us. But


it is within our power to ensure that poverty
does not turn hazards into unmanageable
disasters. And it is within our power to join
forces, address the immense complexities of
disaster reduction, and build a world of
resilient communities and nations equipped
to counter the adverse impact of natural
hazards and related environmental and
technological disasters”.

Mr. Kofi Annan


Former UN Secretary General
Kerala Social Service Forum
AMOS Centre, Adichira, Thellakom P.O., Kottayam (Dist).
Kerala, India. Pin - 686 016
Phone: 0481 - 2594802, 2594803
E-mail: kssforum@yahoo.com
www.kssf.org

Preparedness is the Key in combating Disasters

Warning! Cyclone is
nearing the coast. Ok we are not going to Move the women and Let us take refuge at
Don’t go for fishing sea today children to safer places school

Illustrations by

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