Disaster Risk Reduction:Disaster Risk Reduction:The global paradigm shiftThe global paradigm shift
Mark Keim, MD Associate Director for Science
National Center for Environmental Health
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
An Evolution in Approaches
DefinitionDefinition– ““The systematic process The systematic process
of using administrative of using administrative directives, organizations, directives, organizations, and operational skills and operational skills and capacities to and capacities to implement strategies, implement strategies, policies and improved policies and improved coping capacities in coping capacities in order to order to lessen lessen the the adverse adverse impacts impacts of of hazards hazards and the and the possibility possibility of disaster”.of disaster”.
ComponentsComponents– Risk assessmentRisk assessment– Risk avoidanceRisk avoidance– Risk reductionRisk reduction– Risk transferRisk transfer– Risk retentionRisk retention
UNISDR 2009, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html
What is Disaster Risk Management?
Disaster risk management and the Disaster risk management and the emergency management cycleemergency management cycle
Risk reduction measures areDelivered pre-impactMost cost-effectiveCommunity basedSustainable
Risk retention measures areDelivered post-impactLeast cost-effectiveNationally and internationally basedNon-sustainable
Pre-impact
Post -impact
From: Keim M. Building human resilience. Am J Prev Med 2008;35(5):508-516
Prevention and disaster risk Prevention and disaster risk managementmanagement
From: Keim M. Disaster Risk Management for Health. In Ed., David S. Textbook of Emergency Medicine. Lippincott) New Dehli 2012
How Do We Estimate Disaster How Do We Estimate Disaster Risk?Risk?
D = H x V, where V = D = H x V, where V = E E xx S S
RRD = Risk of disasterH = HazardV = Vulnerability of population E = Exposure to the hazardS = Susceptibility to the hazardR = Resilience
• Definition of a hazard– “A dangerous
phenomenon, substance, human activity or condition that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage”
What is a hazard?What is a hazard?
UNISDR 2009, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html
Examples of hazardsExamples of hazards
Floods
TornadoesTyphoons
Earthquakes
Radiation
Outbreaks
What is vulnerability?What is vulnerability?“The characteristics
and circumstances of a community, system or asset that make it susceptible to the damaging effect of a hazard” UNISDR 2009
Or simply put…
Likely to incur physical or emotional illness or injury
UNISDR 2009, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html
Public health vulnerability Public health vulnerability
• Certain populations Certain populations are more are more vulnerable to vulnerable to disaster-related disaster-related morbidity and morbidity and mortalitymortality
Vulnerability = (E x S) / RVulnerability = (E x S) / R
• Factors affecting vulnerability:– Exposure– Susceptibility– Resilience
What is exposure?What is exposure?• Exposure– “People, property,
systems, or other elements present in hazard zones that are thereby subject to potential losses”
• Example of exposure– Living in an area
that floods
UNISDR 2009, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html
• Susceptibility– “The state of
being at risk, if exposed to a hazard”
• Example of susceptibility– Not being able to
swim
What is susceptibility?What is susceptibility?
UNISDR 2009, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html
What is resilience?What is resilience?
• Resilience– “The ability of a system, community or society
exposed to hazards to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures and functions”.
• Example of resilience– Living among people that can help you
UNISDR 2009, http://www.unisdr.org/eng/terminology/terminology-2009-eng.html
Mapping human Mapping human vulnerabilityvulnerability
How can we reduce How can we reduce our vulnerability to disasters?our vulnerability to disasters?• Disaster reduction
occurs at the community level †
• Community health sectors can play an active role in reducing human vulnerability– Reducing susceptibility
• “Health people” ††– Reducing exposure
• “Healthy homes” ††– Increasing resilience
• “Healthy communities”
††
†† Srinivasan S, Creating healthy communities, healthy homes and healthy people. Am J Public Health 2003;93:1446-50.
† Schipper L, Pelling M 2006, Disaster risk, climate change and international development. Disasters, vol. 30, no. 1, pp. 19-38.
Vulnerability reduction:Vulnerability reduction:reducing exposuresreducing exposures
• Floodplain management– Dams, levees, weirs
• Population protection measures– Evacuation– Mass care
• Land use planning and regulation
• PPE, sanitation/hygiene
Vulnerability reduction:Vulnerability reduction:reducing susceptibilityreducing susceptibility
• Health promotion• Health care• Poverty reduction• Healthy lifestyles• Immunization
Human resilience as a means Human resilience as a means for vulnerability reductionfor vulnerability reduction
• Resilience– The ability to cope
with and recover from disasters
• Resilience is comprised of:– Adaptive capability– Response capacity– Recovery capacity
• Human behaviors that increase disaster resilience– Preparedness– Response– Recovery
Our milestones for Our milestones for international DRRinternational DRR
• August 2011– NCEH inducted as a
member of the Asia-Pacific Disaster Risk and Resilience consortium
• November 2012– TA to WHO/HQ for TA to WHO/HQ for
development of a development of a Global DRR Global DRR Framework for Framework for HealthHealth
• Feb 2013– Hosting regional
workshop for proposal-writing, “Reducing Disaster Risk for a Healthy Pacific”
To learn more about international DRR:
http://www.unisdr.org/http://www.preventionweb.net/english
/
Thank YouThank [email protected]
National Center for Environmental Health
Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry
