A case study from a township in South Africa that participated in a research project that used community based risk assessments to inform development policies in local government. Their hope is that the research will make their community safer. One in a series of video case studies created by the Global Network for Disaster Reduction. […]
Community risk assessments in integrated development – South Africa Read More »
Although layout planning and design is only one of a number of measures which can be taken to contribute to fire safety in settlements, the purpose of this section is to bring about an awareness of fire safety in settlement planning and design, and to make explicit the settlement layout considerations that can reduce the
Fire safety: Guidelines for Human Settlement Planning and Design Read More »
This is a report of the African Urban Risk Analysis Network (AURAN) project implemented by the University of Cape Town Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (DiMP) to strengthen efforts to mitigate informal settlement fires, which are an increasing priority risk in the City of Cape Town. The project specifically aimed at strengthening understanding of the drivers of risk
AURAN report on tracking fire risk in informal settlement Read More »
The rapid and often unplanned expansion of cities is exposing more people and economic assets to the risk of disasters and the effects of climate change. For city governments, increased climate variability imposes additional challenges to effective urban management and the delivery of key services, while for residents it increasingly affects their lives and livelihoods
Urban risk assessments : understanding disaster and climate risk in cities Read More »
The report presents recommendations to strengthen the linkages between climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through improving DRR tools and approaches for an enhanced adaptation to climate change impacts. Link to document http://www.dkkv.org/DE/publications/ressource.asp?ID=302
Drought is a major disaster in South Africa in terms of total economic loss and number of people affected. This study investigated and analysed the preparedness, impact of and response by the farming community to the 2007/2008 drought using the Eastern Cape and Free State provinces of South Africa as case studies. Major findings of this study included inadequacy of
Most aid groups have pulled out of Somalia because of the continuing dangers. Yet, the World Food Program (WFP) continues to operate in the region, and has been doing so for the past two decades. This paper is an examination of why and how the WFP has managed to stick around in a place long
In pursuit of more efficient ways to engage communities along the Zambezi River in Namibia in a focused dialogue that leads to action on disaster preparedness and risk reduction, the American Red Cross (ARC) began collaborating with the Prototyping, Evaluation, Teaching and Learning Lab (PETLab) at Parsons New School for Design (New York, USA) and
A ground-breaking Red Cross Red Crescent project, supported by The Rockefeller Foundation, to build operational knowledge on health risks that are changing with climate is nearing completion. The project links four Red Cross National Societies at field level with experts and scientific agencies; it focuses on dengue fever in the two Asian countries and waterborne
Health Risk Management in a changing climate Read More »
The paper offers insight and recommendations around preparing for and coping with drought as a recurrent and natural hazard in many parts of the world. It largely focuses on the Africa context, and suggests ways to improve effectiveness of humanitarian action. For example, early warning systems have evolved greatly over the years, however there is room
Humanitarian Action in Drought Related Emergencies Read More »