Risk Wise

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Peacetime Strategies for

Disaster Risk Mitigation

Hassan Ahmad, Alicia Wong and S.R. Shiever, Mercy Relief, Singapore

atural disasters are inevitable, and they often occur with

little or no notice and require an immediate and effec-

tive response in order to prevent further damage or loss

of life. Cyclones, earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons are all

forces of nature. Environment abuse has led to the increase of

natural disasters. The process of environmental degradation and

damage can only be delayed. With the decline in global climate

due to environmental and human factors, disaster and risk miti-

gation has taken on an unprecedented importance.

Environmentally focused solutions have limitations and require total

global cooperation. There must be resources, education and train-

ing before they can be put into place. More importantly, the

community and the affected peoples must be able to see the rele-

vance of the proposed solutions. Why should fishermen plant

mangroves that will stop them from accessing the sea for the daily

catch that would feed their families? International

experts are brought in with scientific and technical

knowledge that has little relevance and connection to

the local community. Very often, the proposed solutions

are too narrowly focused on the single problem at hand

and do not take into consideration the challenges faced

by the affected peoples in their daily lives; or offer any

alternatives when an environmental solution takes away

the only means of livelihood the community has.

In the introduction chapter of the

World Disasters

Report 2005

, Markku Niskala, the Secretary-General of

the International Federation of Red Cross and Red

Crescent Societies (IFRC) said:

“Three things need to happen. First, we must under-

stand what enables people to cope with, recover from

and adapt to the risks they face. Second, we must build

Meulaboh: history helps – Personnel from Mercy Relief (MR) and the Tentera Negara Indonesia (TNI) delivering supplies to Meulaboh in a Singapore Armed Forces’

(SAF) Chinook just days after the tsunami. From left: Iwan Subrata (MR’s Medanese partner); Hassan Ahmad (MR’s Chief Executive) and Dr Iskandar Idris, (MR’s

medical volunteer) with other volunteers in the background

Image: Ernest Goh