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| Titel |
Community Disaster and Sustainability Teams for Civil Protection |
| VerfasserIn |
I. Kelman, B. Cordonnier |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2009
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| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 11 (2009) |
| Datensatznummer |
250026361
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| Zusammenfassung |
| Many examples of community-based teams for civil protection and disaster risk reduction
exist. Turkey has a Community Disaster Volunteer Training Program while the
USA has Community Emergency Response Teams which have been extended into
secondary schools as Teen School Emergency Response Training. The principles and
practices of these teams further apply directly to other development and sustainability
endeavours, all of which are intricately linked to disaster risk reduction and civil
protection.
An example is keeping local water courses and storm drains clear from rubbish. That
improves community health and cleanliness while assisting rainfall drainage to reduce flood
risk. The "community teams" concept, as implemented for civil protection and disaster risk
reduction, therefore connects with day-to-day living, such as ensuring that all community
members have adequate access to water, food, waste management, shelter, health care,
education, and energy.
Community teams should be based on the best science and pedagogy available to ensure
that concepts, training, skills, and implementation are effective and are maintained over the
long-term. That entails going beyond the interest that is commonly generated by
highlighting high-profile events, such as hurricanes and earthquakes, or high-profile concerns,
such as climate change or terrorism.
When community teams are focused on high-profile challenges, maintaining
interest can be difficult without specific manifestations of the perceived "number one
threat". Incorporating day-to-day concerns into civil protection can overcome that. For
example, the community teams’ talents and energy could be used for picking up rubbish, for
educating about health and waste disposal, and for conducting vulnerability assessments in
order to inspire action for continual vulnerability reduction. In addition to the examples
given above, Japan’s Jishu-bosai-soshiki community activities and Asia’s "Townwatch"
initiative adopt wider and deeper perspectives and actions, connecting disaster and civil
protection to development and sustainability. |
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