APFM has published new tool for Integrated Flood Management, Risk Sharing in Flood Management.
Flood managers have traditionally focused on structural interventions that, in the majority of cases have succeeded only in shifting impacts downstream or upstream. Meanwhile, however, the analytical tools for flood risk assessment and the risk management practices offer a far greater variety of options. The Tool introduces flood risk management based on a judicious combination of measures that address risk reduction, risk retention and risk transfer through a strategic mix of structural and non-structural measures for flood preparedness, response and recovery. Risk reduction options also include the questions how the cost of risk reduction measures such as structural flood management options can be equitably shared in society. It attempts to provide rapid access to information on risk sharing mechanisms for flood managers and in particular those that are involved in formulating flood management strategies and policies. As such it intends to provide a conceptual “bridge” between the classically engineering focused flood management professionals and the sectors specialized in risk management, such as the insurance and re-insurance as well as capital market actors hedging against certain hydro-meteorological risks.
We would appreciate your comment on the tool.
Early warning for saving lives
Mon, 05/10/2010 - 23:01 — GS RadjouOne way to reduce vulnerabilities is through increase of lead-times for early detections of Natural hazards or disaster. Also, the use of software modelling acting in the same way. Predicting far ahead a water hazard to materialize is the best prevention. Early warning Systems are at the forefront (with the long horizon line predictions) of the preparedness system. Another way to improve emergency systems and their rescues is through the preparedness and the interventions. This works well depending of the influence of people participation, speed-up, responsiveness and proactiveness matters (Community response to hazardous risks can really become embedded in daily lives through training, motivation...When there is a natural hazard or disaster, all the community is really at war against the God event as shown in the example of risk vunerability reduction in Nepal.
http://practicalaction.org/video/view/ews_savinglives/
The culture of risk sharing
Fri, 04/16/2010 - 14:23 — GS RadjouThe culture of risk sharing is an education one. For a longtime one was told that risk was the job of boardroom people and ordinary people were looking after their wages. That is set. Today, we leart with the risk sharing there is a mitigation being made at all levels of the hierarchy with the use of tool like the insurance -macro and micro- and modern tools like the debt policies. In addition, main actors would be the middle manager, the middle policy...
So, it is nice to have the middles... applied by the middle men because of increasing risks and mitigation costs. There are these insurances and the micro credits that would help in addition to the technologies. I think still if all is very expensive, we would not forget the debt burden and the sharing risk culture that would be on strong segments of societies for instance through taxes and perhaps not unfavoured people.
Tools
Tue, 04/06/2010 - 15:09 — GS RadjouThe book is full of tools and knowledge that one just need to grasp with their hands and deciphered. As it is rightly said, there is a mix of mission organizations and functional weather and hydrolgy services to cater individuals, households, businesses, governments and NGOs.It is true, leaving in a complex world, and perhaps complicated still we have the tool for it, we don't want to make it too basic as it would be more cahotic/slippy. Globalization, cannot flatten the world. That time this would be a real mess (If we consider flood is also good for farming)What to make would be for instance to have the right indicators, designs and manufactures with an appropriate mix, the sustainability principle, technologies, cultural values, CSR, contractual agreements and individual choices. I think, it would be a great management!At the end it, it like riding a bike (or a speed-boat. You are heading where you are looking (or opposite to where you are looking).
(georges_radjou_wb@hotmail.com)