| We have recurring natural disasters, seasonal in | | | | developing a contingency plan to address realistic |
| their patterns, just like the floods in the monsoon | | | | threat scenarios, all the concerned stakeholders |
| season. That's when things could wrong with | | | | should form strategic partnerships and maximize |
| damages to structures, property, and even loss | | | | all resources to ensure that when activated its |
| of life. With natural disasters intensifying to | | | | implementation is one concerted effort by all. |
| greater scale and their destructive force getting | | | | Local authorities with limited knowledge of disaster |
| worse, there's a dire need to ensure that we | | | | contingency planning have the options of choosing |
| have a Contingency Plan devised for such | | | | a strategic partner with demonstrated emergency |
| circumstances to be prepared for anything that | | | | preparedness experience. In this context, apart |
| could happen. Contingency planning for natural | | | | from the available civil society organizations |
| disasters call for specific strategies and actions to | | | | experienced in humanitarian assistance, the Red |
| deal with particular problems like floods, landslides, | | | | Cross Red Crescent Societies have excellent |
| fires, and typhoons. Contingency Plans include a | | | | resources for creating effective disaster |
| monitoring process and phases for activating | | | | contingency plans. Their experience bear them in |
| planned actions.(i) | | | | good stead as regards best practices for |
| Natural disasters can happen anywhere, anytime, | | | | developing contingency plans, reducing potential |
| with little or without warning. Our chances of | | | | damages, and especially protecting vulnerable |
| surviving natural disasters improve greatly with | | | | groups (elderly, women, and children) during a |
| the application of common sense and some | | | | crisis. |
| preparation.(ii) Although for some countries, they | | | | Once the contingency plan is formulated, |
| are less prone to natural disasters, the present | | | | dissemination is crucial to communicate the crisis |
| decade tells a different story of emerging trends | | | | response and actions necessary to all partners. |
| at increasing weather-related disasters. These | | | | Rapid response and appropriate steps to manage |
| trends have been attributed to climate change | | | | the emergency can make all the difference during |
| notably global warming. The massive floods in | | | | disasters. The essence of contingency planning is |
| Malaysia in 2006-2007, the impact of Typhoon | | | | that the safety and security of community |
| Morakot which hit Philippines and continued its | | | | members should never be left to chance. |
| destruction in Taiwan recently are indicative of | | | | Building capacity for contingency planning calls for |
| the increasing intensity these natural disasters | | | | collaboration between international agencies with |
| brought. With these recent disasters, an important | | | | the local authorities especially in Training of |
| question crops up. Despite the recurring floods, | | | | Trainers (TOT) in Contingency Planning. (iv)The |
| the bad experience with the natural disasters and | | | | cascading effect of having these trainers organize |
| the economic loss therein, where do we stand | | | | contingency planning sessions within their |
| with natural disaster safety guideline especially to | | | | respective departments and states will serve to |
| the communities living in disaster prone areas? | | | | enhance the capacity on a broader platform. |
| Events such as Typhoon Morakot epitomize the | | | | Apparently, there has been positive progress in |
| unpredictable nature of our world. Without proper | | | | there areas. With the massive floods of |
| Contingency Planning, many countries and | | | | 2006-2007 still fresh in our minds, there have |
| communities are left vulnerable to disaster. | | | | been intense discussions on preparing contingency |
| Contingent evacuation planning has become an | | | | plans. Working in close collaboration with the state |
| operational necessity during floods to ensure | | | | authorities the Red Cross Red Crescent societies, |
| safety of the vulnerable groups in the affected | | | | together with other concerned parties have |
| communities. For most of the countries in the | | | | developed impressive documentations which will |
| Asia-Pacific region, the increasing number of | | | | serve as guidance in outlining the framework of |
| natural disasters poses one of the gravest | | | | response and actions. Where the collaboration is |
| threats. Obviously, contingency planning have to | | | | effective, effective governance could ensure the |
| move with the times, never static, always | | | | formulation of a common strategy in handling |
| updated to accommodate new or increased risks. | | | | natural disasters. |
| The International Strategy for Disaster reduction | | | | References:- |
| observed that the number of storms, droughts, | | | | (i) Wikipedia. Contingency Plan. Relief web. Unicef |
| and floods has increased threefold over the past | | | | Contingency 2000 |
| 30 years. As these natural disasters increased, so | | | | (ii) Emergency Preparedness: Contingency Planning |
| did the number of those affected - a fivefold | | | | in Today's Unpredictable World, Tuesday, January |
| increase in the same period. (iii) | | | | 15 2008, David McCown. |
| So how do communities reconcile these risks? In | | | | (iii) OCHA. Resources, Contingency Planning. |