Disaster preparedness: preventing suffering before it happens

Knowledge about the causes and effects of natural disasters has never been more comprehensive than today. The results can help to make disaster risk reduction more effective and thus save many lives in the future. The need is urgent: in 2019, almost 95 million people worldwide were affected by increasing natural hazards and extreme weather events.

Between 2013 and 2016, the Philippines was hit by numerous storms and typhoons as well as a prolonged dry period caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon. In 2018, a severe earthquake hit the Indonesian island of Central Sulawesi. Further quakes, a severe volcanic eruption and tsunamis followed. In both countries, Johanniter, together with our local partners, are committed to foresighted prevention work to improve the protection of people against future disasters.

People's vulnerability determines the degree of impact: if individuals, families or entire communities have not put in place strong structures or preventive measures, they have little means to counteract external negative influences. The rehabilitation of nature, the sustainable use of resources and the decisive involvement of affected communities with their local knowledge are crucial to strengthen resilience. The following selection of our projects in the Philippines and Indonesia shows just how diverse this can be.

Indonesia: Reconstruction with effective disaster preparedness

In Central Sulawesi, our partner organisation INANTA (Inovasi Ketahanan Komunitas) is strengthening local structures for disaster control. In five communities of the Sigi district, risk maps were prepared, teams of volunteers were trained in disaster preparedness and exercises were conducted. Special attention is paid to particularly vulnerable groups such as the elderly, children, pregnant women or people with disabilities.

Ein kleiner Junge füllt ein Fass mit Trinkwagen aus einem Tanklaster von INANTA

During the flash flood on 14 September 2020, I assessed the data on victims and damage to public facilities. We contacted those affected to evacuate them to a safe place.

Wawancandra, 38 – Volunteers of the Civil Protection Committee of Rogo Village

On 28 September 2018 an earthquake of magnitude 7.5 occurred off the west coast of Central Sulawesi, resulting in several tsunamis and massive landslides. 4340 people died. Following emergency relief measures, our local partner INANTA 2019 started to restore the local drinking water supply in seven communities in Sigi district. As there were neither local structures for disaster control nor evacuation routes in case of emergency, a community-based disaster management programme was developed. It provided for the creation of trained committees of volunteers in five villages.

As a first step, they collected risk data in the region, taking into account social, geographical and geological factors. On this basis, risk reduction plans with concrete measures were drawn up. Young people were trained to conduct evacuations and endangered areas and evacuation zones were marked.

On 14 September 2020, one of the five project villages was hit by flash floods caused by extreme weather. Half of the village of Rogo had to be evacuated to a safe place and supplied with food. Volunteers distributed food and cash to the affected people. A disaster exercise took place at the beginning of October, in which 150 adults and 51 children participated. The National Red Cross and the Climate Meteorology and Geophysics Board of Central Sulawesi Province have signalled their support for future exercises of this kind. This provides an important basis for further developing and integrating knowledge, learned skills and protection mechanisms in the future.

Dinagat Islands: Protecting nature means reduction of risks from natural disasters

Mining and years of illegal fishing have caused severe damage to the coasts and waters around the Dinagat archipelago. Six affected districts organised themselves and developed plans to protect nature and improve their living and income conditions. Community patrols now protect the waters, and people know more about their rights and the risks of natural disasters.

The project restored vital natural systems and linked them to income generation initiatives. Integrated risk management has a much improved impact on communities vulnerable to climatic induced disasters.

Ronald Langford, Director of the Johanniter office in the Philippines

The Dinagat archipelago in the southeast of the Philippines was declared a mining region in 1939 and has been a mining area for numerous raw material companies since then. The result is muddy rivers and coastal areas, destroyed mangrove forests and reefs. Year after year, coastal communities are losing more fishing grounds and livelihoods. At the same time, fishing with dynamite has increased in order to make up for the poorly paid jobs from the mining industry. The destruction of the environment and increasing impoverishment were mutually dependent.

In 2017, Johanniter supported its partner BALAOD in developing its own five-year plan together with six coastal barangays (districts) as well as a community-based action plan for more resilience. Until now, the communities had no concrete plan to reduce the constant risk of disaster. In a first step, they evaluated resources and disaster risk in a participatory way. In addition, they were trained in the legal framework.

Today, each community has defined coastal areas that are protected from illegal fishing by so-called "Bantay Dagat". Some of these coastal patrols receive financial support from the authorities in order to fulfil their protection mandate. The decline in illegal fishing has allowed the maritime environment and also traditional fishing to recover.

Lanao del Norte: Overcoming emergencies with self-organised communities

In addition to natural disasters, military conflicts between religiously motivated rebel groups and state security forces have caused poverty among the Filipino population in the past. Tens of thousands of people had to leave the city of Marawi in 2017, which was almost completely destroyed. With the Survivor and Community-led Response Approach, our partner organisation ECOWEB organised the dispersed displaced persons, who supported each other in restarting their lives. Today, the establishment of self-help groups and close cooperation are the basis for overcoming future crises and disasters faster and more unharmed.

I have seen measures implemented in a few weeks that would otherwise take a year. The communities and self-help groups made maximum use of their capacities by applying their own solutions and recovery strategies

Rasmia Mutia, ECOWEB coordinator, on the impact of the SCLR approach

More than 200,000 people fled Marawi City, Mindanao, in 2017 after violent fighting between Islamist gunmen and security forces. Only a fifth of the displaced people found shelter and help in evacuation centres, the vast majority looking for a roof with family members. This made them almost inaccessible for help. They lacked medical assistance and information, had limited access to drinking water and relief supplies and lost their livelihoods to stand on their own two feet.

Based on the Survivor and Community-led Response Approach (SCLR), our partner ECOWEB helped the affected people to organise themselves. Together they formulated their problems and approaches to the solution in 45 self-help groups. 759 people received cash support and income generating activities were initiated in each group. This broke the complete dependence on external help.

The sclr approach empowered people to take measures themselves and to decide on their own steps of reconstruction in solidarity, while aid organisations like ECOWEB only accompanied them in an advisory capacity. Above all, the inclusion of disadvantaged groups is crucial, as they are the most affected in a crisis. "Thanks to the group's efforts we were able to buy essential goods such as medicine and food. We have created a structure in which everyone has a role. Most of our members are senior citizens and some can neither read nor write. They are my inspiration and I want to help them as much as I can," says Lomala Panondi, chairperson of a group in Matampay in Lanao del Norte.

Disaster response exercise in Indonesia

Indonesia

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Philippines

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