Community based disaster risk management

Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) is a process, which leads to a locally appropriate and locally "owned" strategy for disaster preparedness and risk reduction. RedR India’s course on Community Based Disaster Risk Management explores the different dimensions of the CBDRM approach and has been designed to improve the effectiveness of specialist and non-specialist professionals in disaster response, helping them to link the disasters with risk reduction and development in a sustainable manner. This course can be made modular to focus on different topics like Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP), Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTS viz. First Aid, Search and Rescue, Psychosocial Support, Early Warning etc.), Community Contingency Planning (CCP) and Organisational Level Disaster Preparedness (OLDP).

This course introduces the significance, nature & scope of Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction and Management, and further delves in to understanding the essentials of preparedness planning. Further, it explores the process of capacity and vulnerability analysis, participatory planning and risk assessment tools, predictability, forecasting and early warning systems, use of Sphere standards in community based disaster preparedness, family level preparedness and relief and rescue, long term disaster mitigation & preparedness measures and asset building for the same. It also covers a community-based approach to project and programme planning for relief, recovery and resettlement.

The overall aim of the course is to introduce participants' to the potential scope of disaster preparedness strategy and issues around generating a locally appropriate and locally “owned” strategy for disaster preparedness and risk reduction.

By the end of the course, participants will be able to:

• Understand the concepts underlying CBDRM, in the context of the Disaster Management Cycle;
• Understand key elements of a comprehensive disaster preparedness strategy;
• Carry out the participatory facilitation of hazard, vulnerability, capacity and risk assessment of individuals, families and communities;
• Undertake stakeholder analyses of communities and their environment;
• Plan and design effective community disaster awareness initiatives, including training and rehearsals.