Everyday disasters and everyday heroes: how frontline finds out from local people what threats they face

This document draws on the experiences of Visions from the Frontline (VFL), a shared action aimed at provide a local perspective of progress of the Hyogo Framework for Action by undertaking interviews with community members, civil society organizations and representatives of local government. Frontline is a tool to gather and share local knowledge to be used at different levels, this knowledge enables communities and individuals to protect and enhance their lives, livelihoods and assets.

Billions of people at the frontline of disasters face multiple threats of all kinds, both extraordinary and everyday, that impact their lives and livelihoods. Many of these risks are poorly understood or documented. Local communities are often left to deal with disasters through self-organisation and self reliance. They develop detailed knowledge of the threats they face, the consequences of these threats, communities' capacities to address threats, and the underlying factors that create barriers to this. This local knowledge must be the starting point for action at all levels; whether at the local, national or global.