This document discusses community-based disaster management. It explains that a community contingency plan identifies activities the village will take before, during, and after a disaster to prevent loss of life and property. The community maps out hazards and risks in the village and identifies vulnerable groups and assets. They also identify local resources that can help during an emergency. The plan involves forming action groups responsible for warning, shelter, evacuation, medical care, and other disaster response and recovery tasks. The overall goal is to empower communities to prepare for and respond to natural disasters through collective participation and planning.

1. PRIYA RANJAN SAHA
COMMUNITY BASED DISASTER
MANAGEMENT

2.  The process of mobilizing a group of
people in a systematic way towards
achieving a common risk reduction
objectives which takes in a geographically
defined area .

3.  Keeping the frequent natural disasters that
devastate life and property in West Bengal
there is a growing realization among village
communities to be better prepared to face
them. They have realized the need to work
out a plan to prevent losses and at the same
time enable faster recovery in the event of an
emergency situation.

4.  The aim of this Community Based Disaster
Management is to try and give guidelines
according to which a community can make its
own contingency plan to safeguard lives,
livelihoods and property. Besides, it also
defines the roles and responsibilities of the
entire community i.e., the individuals,
families, community leaders, village
authorities etc.

5.  Enable the vulnerable member of a
community or society to obtain the benefits
that they desire and expect from their
collective participation in the identification,
planning, implementation and evaluation of
risk reduction projects.

6.  The Community Based Disaster Management also
attempts to find answer to the following questions
that would lead to reveal major steps in making
such plan:
1. What is Community Contingency Plan?
2. How is the plan made ?
3. Who is responsible for preparing a
Community Contingency Plan ?
4. What precautions and rehabilitation activities
are required for the village ?
5. Who is responsible for carrying out these
activities ?
6. When are this activities carried out ?

7.  People are the primary agent of change.
 Community organizing respects the primary
role of the society.
 Organizing is a means but not a solution.
 Start simple.
 Transformation through peoples’ collective
strength.
 Encourage people’s participation and
control.

8.  Steps entry and rapport building.
 Identification of local leadership.
 Feed back of results of community situation
analysis.
 Identification priority of their problems and
Issues.
 Community goals and aspiration.

9.  Focus on Disaster Management Plan.
* National Level.
* State Level.
* District / Block Level.
* GP / Gram Samsad / Community
Level.
 Mitigation Programme at different levels.
 Use of early warnings.
 PARADIGM SHIFT towards Relief to Preparedness.

10.  A community contingency plan is a list of
activities a village decides to follow to prevent
loss of life, livelihoods and property in case
an emergency. It also identifies well in
advance, actions to be taken by individuals in
the community so that each can is aware of
his / her responsibilities when an emergency
warning is received.

11.  A community contingency plan, as the name
suggests, has to be made by the inhabitants
of the village itself, irrespective of class,
caste, sex and occupation including
community based organizations.

12.  The preparation of a Community Contingency plan
involves the following five stages:
State What Who Method
I Review & Analysis Community Group
Discussion
II Situation Analysis Community GD/ Social
Mapping
III Hazard Mapping Community Social Mapping
IV Risk Mapping Community Social Mapping
V Opportunity Mapping Community Social
Mapping

13.  The community to discuss their experience in
the last disaster that hit in the village. The
content of the discussion should be what
happened before, during and after the
disaster in terms of warning and precautions,
effects of warning, extent of severity and
damage, the nature and extent of self help
etc.

14.  The participants including community, youth volunteers,
people’s representatives and other Government and Non-
Governmental persons draw a map of the village identifying
the following characters:
Mark on the map the geography and topography of the
village.
Mark on the map the habitations in the village and where they
are located, for example number of houses-thatched, tiled,
pucca RCC etc.
Mark a list of population i.e., number of families- men /
women / children, caste, the disabled, the terminally ill,
pregnant women, mothers, so on.

15. Mark on the map the natural resources in the village, for example :
* Lands and fields.
* Forests / Trees.
* Tanks and ponds / Tube Wells / Wells etc.
Make a list of various livelihoods and assets of the community, for
example:
* Boats and fishing crafts.
* Different livelihood practiced in the village, for example fishing,
farming, weaving, wage labour work and so on.
* Irrigation facilities of farmers.
* Food grains stores and other inventories.
* Looms and potters, wheels of artisans.

16. Mark the map with existing safe and risk prone infrastructure in the
village where they are located, for example:
* Flood / Cyclone shelters if any.
* Temples or any community buildings that can be used as a
shelter house.
* Drinking water facilities.
* Primary Health Care units.
* School and Education facilities.
* Village Roads, carts etc.
* Risk prone embankments & safe embankments.
* Power installations.
* Telephone.
* Post office / Bank / Insurance office / Cooperative Society etc.

17.  The community to identify, based on the past
experiences on natural disasters, the most
vulnerable areas as regards destruction to
life, property, infrastructure and economic
activities. These are to be marked on a
separate map.

18.  The next stage is identifying vulnerable population and
property / assets in the village. The community based on the
experience of the previous disasters to identify these groups
and people who are most vulnerable in the village. A
vulnerability list is made to be marked on the hazard map.
Vulnerable populations are :
* Elderly people and the disabled.
* Children and pregnant women.
* Sick and ailing people.
* Widows and single women.
* Families living near river / sea.
* Fishermen.
* Other such group.

19. Vulnerable Property / Assets are :
* Cattle and livestock.
* Valuable documents of the family.
* Houses and week structure.
* Livelihood assets such as boats, nets, etc.
* Pump sets & other installations.
* Looms and such properties.
* Standing crops, horticulture trees and
plantation.
* Village water sources.

20.  The community identifies those resources existing in the village, which will
help to reduce risk to life and property. A list of these resources is made and
marked on the village map.
Vulnerable Property / Assets are :
* Safe house and building for shelter.
* Elevated and up-lands and other natural barriers for livestock
protection.
* Safe evacuation routes that will not be disrupted in case of an
emergency.
* Existing health, medical and sanitation facilities that can be used and
strengthened in the event of disaster.
* Sources of funds to carry on contingency and preparedness activities.
* Identification of motivated and responsible volunteers and their
training.
* Village water sources.

21.  Motivated community people / volunteers by formation of different action
groups. Each group is given a particular responsibility like :
* Warning.
* Shelter Management.
* Evacuation and Rescue.
* First Aid and Medical.
* Water and Sanitation.
* Carcass Disposal Group.
* Counselling Group.
* Damage Assessment Group.
* Relief & Coordination.

22.  Culture of Preparedness.
 Culture of Quick Response.
 Culture of Strategic Thinking.
 Culture of Mitigation.