September 2013 IntoAction 4 2012 RISK Award Making the city of Beira resilient to floods and cyclones People-centered early warning Edited by Christian Barthelt in the urban context and Thomas Loster Published by the IntoAction 4 / Beira Page 2 Contents Overview – Beira project 3 About the RISK Award 3 Why is there a need for action Duration 3 Guiding principles August 2012 – March 2013 4 The RISK Award partners 5 RISK Award 2012 Continuation “Early warning in urban areas” The project was part of a national 5 Thirty-eight applications from scheme initiated by the GIZ Mozambique all over the world 6 Members of the RISK Award jury and the National Institute of Disaster 7 RISK Award goes to the city of Beira, Management, INGC. The town of Beira Mozambique was also directly involved. This ensures 8 Natural disasters in Mozambique 2000–2013 the continued and sustainable operation and expansion of the flood- 9 The city of Beira 9 Poor people developing greater warning system. resilience to floods 10 The vulnerable poor suffer the most Project management 10 Partnerships for disaster risk reduction Munich Re Foundation: 11 Project areas in Beira Christian Barthelt, Thomas Loster 12 Why people-centred early warning is important On site 13 The technical system – Martin Becher, Camille Laude, Schematic diagram 14 Preparation IP Consult / AMBERO 16 Official legitimation 18 Practical application – emergency training 20 Lessons learned 20 Conclusion 21 Excursus: The Buzi model – Early warning in rural areas 22 Three questions put to João Ribeiro, INGC Director in Mozambique 23 Facts on Beira 24 Project partners and references IntoAction 4 / Beira Page 3 About the RISK Award Guiding principles Why is there a need for action? The risks posed by population development, We draw attention to the fact that risk environmental and climate change are increasing. and disasters threaten development and security. The resilience of people and Complex technical systems and infrastructures communities must be improved and are additional risk factors. The RISK Award partners disaster risk management (DRM) must recognise the need to address this development. become a major global concern. We hold recent disasters, such as the floods We underline the fact that the world’s across Germany (2013), Hurricane Sandy (2012), growing population combined with expanding urbanisation and the exposure the earthquake and tsunami in Japan (2011), of people and values to risk has aggravated the earthquake in Haiti (January 2010), the floods the risk potential for communities and in Pakistan (2012, 2010) and in Australia (January nations. Climate change is exacerbating the risk situation. 2011), the heat wave and wildfires in Russia (2010), to be indicative of the increasing devastation We believe that in order to support preven- tion, intervention and fast recovery from and variety of disasters the world is facing today. unexpected events, it is crucial to promote The RISK Award has been set up to help improve projects and programmes in the field of risk reduction and disaster management by Risk Reduction and Disaster Management along the guidelines of the Hyogo Frame- providing financial support to projects dedicated work for Action strategy. to this topic. We know that a key is to be found in the communities themselves. Local knowledge and coping strategies must be included in prevention strategies. Gaps must be identified. Knowledge must be communi- cated and blue print examples of successful prevention must be multiplied and scaled up. In addition to this bottom-up approach, global strategies and frameworks such as the Hyogo Framework for Action are also needed (top-down). The RISK Award is conferred in partnership with UNISDR and the GRF Davos. The photo- graph shows the presentation of the winning project “Beira” during the closing ceremony of the 4th Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in Geneva in May 2013. IntoAction 4 / Beira Page 4 The RISK Award partners UN International Strategy Global Risk Forum Davos (GRF) Munich Re Foundation (MRF) for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) The GRF Davos Foundation aims The Munich Re Foundation is an ISDR is a strategic framework to bridge the gaps between science, independent, non-profit organisation adopted by United Nations Member administration, the private sector, founded by Munich Re in 2000. States in 2000 and is aimed at risk-management professionals People are ultimately at the core guiding and coordinating the and the public in regard to risk of what the foundation’s work is all efforts of a wide range of partners reduction, disaster management, about. The foundation’s task is to to substantially reduce disaster and climate change mitigation and prepare people for the risks they are losses and build resilient nations adaptation. GRF Davos is the organ- exposed to and to minimise these and communities as a fundamental iser of the International Disaster risks wherever possible. It clarifies condition for sustainable develop- and Risk Conference (IDRC). IDRC issues and provides support, also in ment. UNISDR is the secretariat is a global gathering of experts on developing countries. In dialogue of the ISDR system. It comprises risk reduction, disaster management with partners worldwide, Munich Re numerous organisations, states, and climate change adaptation Foundation stimulates ideas and intergovernmental and non-govern- and is held as a biennial conference creates perspectives. mental organisations, financial in Davos, Switzerland. institutions, technical bodies and civil societies working together and sharing information to reduce disaster risk. Prize and awarding ceremonies Dominican Republic and Cuba Reduce risks through science and society The RISK Award, endowed with Caritas Germany, Caribbean up to € 100, 000 in prize money, is assigned to operational projects in the field of risk reduction and disaster risk management. The first prize was announced on 13 May 2011 at the 3rd Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction organised by UNISDR in Geneva. The prize was awarded on 26 August 2012 at the 4th International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC) organised by GRF in Davos. Brazil Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Civil Defense of the City of Community alarm and alert system IntoAction 4 / Beira RISK Award 2012 “Early warning in urban areas” Thirty-eight applications from all over the world In view of the increasing settlement of exposed areas on a global scale, the first RISK Award focused on early warning in urban areas in keeping with the long-standing UNISDR campaign, “Making my city resilient”. A jury chose the winning proposal. There were 38 applications from countries and cities all over the world including Singapore, Accra (Ghana), Yerevan (Armenia), Manila (Philip pines), Aquino (Haiti), Chennai (India), Teheran (Iran), Rio (Brazil) and Lagos (Nigeria). The topics covered in the various DRM proposals were moreover rich in variety and addressed a wide diversity of natural hazards and capacity building efforts. Page 5 - The map shows the ten best project proposals for the 2012 RISK Award. They were selected by the international jury and received an honorary certificate. The project topics also reflect the diversity of the proposals submitted. Ghana Early flood warning in Accra OXFAM GB, Ghana Bangladesh Prepare people for cold waves Center for Participatory Research and Development-CPRD, Bangladesh Vietnam and Bangladesh People-centric early warning system for hydro-meteorological risks Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, Vietnam Mozambique Making the city of Beira resilient to floods and cyclones Vietnam Association IP Consult / Warning systems at community AMBERO Consulting, Mozambique Sri Lanka level in Danang city Tsunami risk assessment for early warning Committee for Flood and Storm Control — Department of Civil Engineering Search and Rescue of Danang city, Vietnam University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka Indonesia Philippines Development of warning system Social media alert response training models for multiple risks Lyon Associates, Inc., Philippines KOGAMI, Indonesia IntoAction 4 / Beira Page 6 Members of the RISK Award jury Walter Ammann David Cadman Anisya Thomas Fritz Thomas R. Loster is the founder and president is the president of ICLEI and a is a cofounder of the Fritz a geographer, was a member of GRF Davos, a foundation former Vancouver City councillor. Institute where she served as of the GeoRisk Research focused on risk reduction, David was the Vancouver City Managing Director from its Group at Munich Reinsurance disaster management, resilience councillor for three terms. He inception in 2001 until July 2007. Company, Munich, the world’s increase, sustainable develop- was first elected in 2002 and During her tenure, Fritz Institute leading reinsurance company, ment and climate change, organ- re-elected in 2005 and 2008. He developed the award-winning for 16 years. He was in charge of iser of the biennial IDRC Confer- served for six years as a coun- Humanitarian Logistics Software issues relating to weather perils, ence in Davos and director of cillor with COPE, the Coalition of (HLS) and its successor HELIOS, climate change and climate the GRF Risk Academy, an Progressive Electors. He has also launched the sector-wide Certifi- policy. Mr. Loster was appointed institution offering knowledge served at national and interna- cation in Humanitarian Logistics chairman of the Munich Re management, R&D and con- tional level in the United Nations (CHL) and spearheaded the Foundation in July 2004. The tinuous