WDR2009-chapter 2:chap05 3/23/09 11:24 AM Page 43
Figure 2.1 The basis of community-based early warning (a) Community involvement in early warning
Build knowledge
Risk assessment
Early warning
(b) Community involvement in early warning and development
Improve well-being, motivate people
Build knowledge, capacity and resilience
Verify indicators, improve technology
Early warning, action and response
author with survivors of the Mozambique floods of 2000 suggested that whether someone heeds the warning or not may depend on influences as diverse as knowledge, power, culture, environmental attachment, flexibility of lifestyle or simply personality (Collins and Lucas, 2002). The challenge of engaging those people who remain outside the system of early warning and action, who are also often more marginalized and not part of the development process, is called the ‘last mile’. Last mile is a term that has been adopted by some disaster managers because it expresses the sentiment that warnings and the means to respond to them often do not reach those who need it most – those within the last mile. They may be people who, for reasons of age, gender, culture or wealth, are not reached by disaster preparedness programmes. In order to achieve the last mile, early warning systems need to engage all people at community level, to be locally owned and shown to be cost-effective. Incidentally, systems that are inclusive lead to improved well-being and development of communities at many levels (see Box 2.2).
People-centred risk assessment Pride and satisfaction were apparent in the smiles of the leader of Munhava’s risk committee in the Mozambican town of Beira. During a community-based evaluation in his area, as part of the infectious disease risk management programme (Collins World Disasters Report 2009 – People-centred approach and the ‘last mile’
43