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THEMATIC AREA 4

DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

 5.0       Introduction

Disaster risk reduction shall involve efforts aimed at minimizing the potential impact of disaster on humans, socio-economic activities and the environment. It shall be the integration of holistic disaster strategies into policy development for solving broad range social, economic and environmental problems.  Disaster risk reduction shall:

  1. integrate disaster management planning as a strategic priority.
  1. Outline approaches for scoping and developing disaster risk reduction plans, projects and  programmes in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
  2.   Address the integration of disaster risk reduction initiatives into strategic disaster management    structures and processes.
  3.  focus on the implementation and monitoring of disaster management programmes and activities.
  4.  Establish mechanisms that ensure transparency and accountability in the utilization of resources

 5.1       Objectives

 This thematic area shall have the following objectives:

       i.      Raisin community awareness on natural and human-induced disasters

  1.   Ensuring the commitment of government at all levels including stakeholders to reduce risk to man, community life, social and economic infrastructure and environmental resources
  2.  Increasing community participation in planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of disaster risk reduction activities, and strengthening partnerships to broaden disaster risk reduction networks.
  3.    Building community resilience and improving community capacity to cope with the incidence of      disasters peculiar to their environment
  4.     Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction into educational curriculum at all levels.
  5.     Ensuring effective and workable contingency plan at all levels towards disaster risk reduction in collaboration with relevant stakeholders.
  6.  Ensuring effective community based early warning systems

 5.2       Disaster Risk Reduction Planning

 NEMA, SEMA and LEMA shall collaborate with other stakeholders to ensure that coherent and relevant disaster risk reduction planning is undertaken at all levels, including the community.  This shall ensure that the State and Local Government disaster risk management plans are consistent with the National disaster risk reduction management plan.

 5.2.1.  Disaster risk reduction planning shall:

  1.  Involve the participation of all relevant stakeholders, and establish basic institutional arrangements for disaster risk reduction.
  2.  Define appropriate vision and approaches to disaster risk reduction. 
  3.  Specify appropriate arrangements for disaster risk reduction and contingency planning.
  4.   Establish a coordinated information, education  and communication system for disaster risk           reduction.
  5.  Identify and establish appropriate initiatives for effective public enlightenment programmes.
  6.   Develop sustainable capacity building initiatives for disaster risk reduction
  7.   Define funding sources

 5.3       Disaster Risk Management Plan

NEMA, SEMA and LEMA shall be responsible for facilitating the development of Disaster Risk Management Plan (DMP) in their areas of jurisdiction.  The emergency management agencies shall collaborate with relevant stakeholders to develop, review and update DMPs in their areas of jurisdiction.

 5.3.1   Disaster risk managment plan shall:

  1.   make disaster reduction a development priority with strong institutional basis
  2.   Improve identification, assessment, monitoring of disaster risk and early warning
  3.   use knowledge to build safer and more resilient communities
  4.  Reduce underlying risks
  5.   strengthen preparedness for effective response

 5.3.2   Principles of Disaster Risk Management plan.

Disaster Risk Management plan shall be based on the following principles:

  1.  Establishment of clear goals and targets linked to implementation, monitoring and evaluation criteria to ensure achievements of set objectives.
  2.    Using researches, disaster risk assessment findings and VCA for focused efforts on risk reduction.
  3.  Establishment of relevant stakeholders and disciplinary teams to address disaster risk reduction programmes.
  4. Ensuring comprehensive community involvement in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation.
  5.  Planning for changing risks conditions and uncertainty due to socio-economic and climate change factors.
  6.  Ensuring community ownership and sustainability of disaster risk reduction programmes, plans and activities.

 5.3.3   The VCA and Contingency plan shall be used as tools for disaster risk management plan.  The      VCA shall be used as a diagnostic instrument for providing analytical data to support informed     decisions on the planning and implementation of risk reduction measures. It shall have the                       capacity for identifying:

  1.     National Priority Disaster risks
  2.     State Priority Disaster risks
  3.     Local Government and community Disaster risks

5.3.4   The development of the disaster risk management plan by communities, LGAs,  States and Federal government shall, with the aid of VCA, carry out the following activities:

i)   Build local capacity to efficiently and effectively identify, develop, manage and sustain disaster risk management through the use of appropriate tools and available resources.

ii)  Assess existing and required capability with respect to prevailing and foreseeable hazards

iii)    provide a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in the areas of vulnerability and risk profile development.

iv)    Strengthen local capability in utilization of available resources.

v)     Identify and provide support to States and local governments for the development of vulnerability and risk profile.

 5.3.5.  The contingency plan shall be a tool of disaster risk management that provide detail information on:

  1.     General situation and scenario
  2.     Strategic objectives of intervention
  3.      Relevant stakeholders required for intervention, and their roles and responsibilities
  4.      Priorities and activities of interevention
  5.      Resources needs and capacities relevant to intervention, such as, facilities, personnel, funding     and logistics services
  6.       Feedbacks and future actions in intervention.

 5.4.      Mainstreaming Disaster Risk Reduction

Disaster risk reduction shall be mainstreamed into developmental efforts at all levels of governance.  This shall be integrated, amongst other things, into:

  5.4.1     Spatial development planning:

NEMA, SEMA, LEMA and other stakeholders, shall ensure the inclusion of spatial planners, Geographic Information System (GIS) experts in all phases of disaster risk reduction plans and programmes.

 5.4.2     National Development Plan.

Disaster risk reduction strategies shall be integrated into governmental medium and long term goals of the National Development Plan.

 5.4.3     Educational Curriculum

Disaster risk reduction strategies shall be incorporated into education curriculum at all levels (Primary, Secondary and Tertiary) to inculcate the required knowledge, attitude, and skills in the youth.

 5.5       Disaster Risk Reduction Mechanism

The critical components of effective disaster risk reductions shall be the various regulations, standards, by-laws and other legal enforcement instruments. The Federal, State and Local Governments shall ensure adherence to the legal enforcement instruments, some of which include:

  1. Land use regulations.
  2. Urban planning and development standards.
  3. Standard for Environmental Impact Assessments.
  4. Building codes.
  5. Fire codes
  6. Enabling Acts/Laws/Bye-Laws of the Legislature on Health and Environmental issues.
  7. Relevant International Conventions and Treaties signed by the Government of Nigeria e.t.c.

  5.6       Guidelines to be disseminated

  1.    National Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction
  2.    State Disaster Risk Management Plan
  3.    Local Government Disaster Risk Management Plan
  4.    Community Disaster Risk Management Plan
  5.    Vulnerability Capacity Analysis of Nigeria
  6.    Relevant regulations, standards, codes and by-laws
  7.    National Educational curriculum