The Working Group II contribution to the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report presents the current state of knowledge on climate impacts, adaptation and vulnerability. Compared to the Fourth Assessment Report in 2007, “AR5” has a much stronger focus on risks. It presents a cold, realistic assessment of how risks are already changing and are bound to […]
Before the openMatatus project, the matatu buses of Nairobi operated in a no-man’s land of organization, with each driver responsible only for his own small piece of the puzzle. The minibuses were not owned by a government agency and fares were unregulated, contributing to uneven fare prices, lax safety regulations, and overly centralized and congested
This report considers the extent to which Red Cross Red Crescent volunteer action is strengthening community resilience in East Africa, focusing specifically on the unique role of volunteers, and emphasizing the role of National Societies as respected long-term partners in sustainable development. Based on lessons learned from implementation, this report is structured around the ten
In 2000 and 2001, severe floods struck large areas of Mozambique. The devastating impact of the flooding, and the relative lack of disaster preparedness among affected communities, provided the impetus and the opportunity for the Mozambique Red Cross Society to initiate a five-year community-based disaster preparedness programme in Inhambane and Zambezia provinces, with support from the Danish Red Cross. The target beneficiaries were the
Case Study: Mozambique- cyclone early warning system in practice 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 »
Urban Risk Assessments: Understanding Disaster and Climate Risk in Cities (World Bank, 2012) provides a practical framework for analyzing and managing disaster and climate risks in urban areas. Designed for city officials, urban planners, and development practitioners, the resource introduces the Urban Risk Assessment (URA) methodology, which integrates three core pillars—hazard impact, institutional capacity, and
Urban risk assessments: Understanding disaster and climate risk in cities Read More »
This research report, published by the German Committee for Disaster Reduction (DKKV) and authored by researchers from the United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), examines how existing methods and tools of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) can be enhanced and adapted to better address the growing challenges of Climate Change Adaptation (CCA).
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