Risk Returns

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against the impact of tropical storms, typhoons, sea surge and

tsunamis.

For example, it was estimated that in Kien Thuy

District, a four-metre-high storm surge resulting from Typhoon

Damrey (2005), was reduced to a 0.5m wave by extensive restored

mangrove forests.

Since the mid-nineties, mangrove afforesta-

tion programmes have been undertaken by the Government,

the VNRC and various INGOs. Mangroves have also improved

the ecological environment and ultimately reduced local levels

of poverty.

Disaster preparedness and response

The ‘Four on-the-spot’ motto

(which advocates providing leader-

ship, human resources, means and logistics on the spot) developed

from experiences in protecting and strengthening the dyke system

in the 1970s. To ensure the safety of the system and reduce the

risk of flooding, leaders needed to be able to organize, coordinate

and mobilize resources at the local level. The motto has since been

expanded into all aspects of DRM and since 2006 it has been a

legal requirement.

There are many examples of small-scale projects undertaken by

the nongovernmental sector in partnership with local government

and the private sector. Combining early warning, preparedness and

infrastructure development, one recent example

is the work of

Challenge to Change (CtC), a small British NGO.

Joint initiatives for ongoing action

The Government has made significant efforts to reduce disaster

risk through legislation, institutional frameworks and a combi-

nation of structural and non-structural measures.

Knowledge enhancement regarding resilience and

the need to improve livelihoods of vulnerable house-

holds in disaster prone areas is ongoing. The task

of helping communities to build resilience, reduce

vulnerability and adapt to climate change can best be

undertaken through innovative partnerships involving

Government, nongovernmental agencies, the private

sector and local communities themselves.

Children playing on the dyke in Dai Hop commune, Hai Phong province, close to a 7-kilometre stretch of dyke protected by 1,000 hectares of mangroves

(planted in 1998)

Image: Dang Van Tao, IFRC, 2011

Safe anchorage for small fishing boats

In 2009, CtC provided technical support for a broad-based

hazard, capacity and vulnerability assessment aimed at

improving safe anchorage during storms for small boats in Da

Nang. In close collaboration with fishing communities, local

government and technical experts, CtC supplied a boat winch in

the Tho Quang harbour of Son Tra District, Da Nang. The winch

directly benefits over 300 fishermen and has indirect benefits

for a further 1,500 people. The project demonstrates how

community initiatives for DRR can complement government

policies and programmes. In this case, the government early

warning system provides warnings 48 hours before a storm,

then 24 hours later and each hour thereafter. The winch

system goes into action at the first signal.

In 2010, officials from Binh Thuan province visited Son Tra

District to learn about the winch design and are now reported

to be constructing and installing similar winches. The

American Red Cross is also funding a cost-benefit analysis of

the winch system, to establish its suitability for scaling up.