Below is my new multi-hazard quiz using youtube clips of hazards to test your knowledge..careful, some are times so no cheating!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
This clip of flooding should be shown as a "Do's & Don'ts" for floods in UK
I saw his on the BBC news site this morning...Can you spot where people have concreted EVERYWHERE and then try to drive through the floods only to get stranded....Education also needs to reach adults!
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7781388.stm
Have the Pitt Review people seen this by the way? This is a REALLY useful way of showing how flooding can be exacerbated by making the wrong decisions, from concreting your 'garden' to driving through flooded areas only to need 'rescuing'. This is also a great resource for educators and teachers. Show it to your students and then ask them to spot why some people were flooded more severely than others
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
FEMA Launches Children-In-Disasters Initiative With IAEM, Save The Children but misses the point
An initiative to beintroduced by FEMA and Save the children to reduce their vulnerabilities in the event of a disaster has been launched, but fails to really hit the mark in my opinion. An extract published below from the press statement sounds rather grand, but is disappointing as it does not recognise the capacities of children in any way:
My response to this on the CYD-NET list serve was:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) is teaming up with the International Association of
Emergency Managers (IAEM), Save the Children Foundation and the American Red
Cross to launch an initiative that will enable the emergency management
community to better address the needs of children in disasters.
"This initiative will involve concrete steps to focus attention on the needs
of children in disasters and help the emergency management community address
children's special needs in the emergency planning process," FEMA
Administrator Paulison said. "Although this initiative is a
work-in-progress, we're committed to a course of action that involves
assessing and adjusting disaster response services for children."
The course will be designed to help state and local emergency
managers incorporate the needs of children into the emergency planning
process and standard Emergency Operations Plans. It will be based on Save
the Children Foundation's emergency management guide, The Unique Needs of
Children in Emergencies, a Guide for the Inclusion of Children in Emergency
Operations Plan.
"Children are extremely vulnerable during an emergency and evacuation," said
Mark Shriver, vice president and managing director of Save the Children's
U.S. programs and chair of the National Commission on Children and
Disasters. "It is crucial that communities plan ahead for disasters, with a
special focus on assisting children."
My response to this on the CYD-NET list serve was:
Dear Colleagues,
Although this is an encouraging initiative, it is important that the capacities of children are not overlooked in this instance. It is important that education involves children, rather than them being passive observers, they understand and are aware of the potential dangers as well as being able to know what to do, where to go and how to get there. They need to understand that they play a role in being safe. We teach children how to cross the road safely, how to wear a seatbelt, not to talk to adult that they don't know etc, but we don't yet address how they can be safe in an emergency.
I have recently been an observer in the Southern California shake-out exercise in which more than three million school children took part in drop, cover and hold, and many were involved in school evacuations. Although there was dissemination and feedback with staff involved in these exercises there was hardly any dissemination or discussion with the students that had also taken part. Had they understood why? Was it just another drill? When I asked the students what educational activities they had done prior to the drill the answer was that they had not. In other words it was not tied to the curriculum in any way, but was seen as an 'abstract' exercise with limited learning outcomes. This needs to change for these experiential activities are to be effective they need to have proper time for reflection and evaluation so that it becomes truly part of the 'experiential learning cycle'.
I also asked the students if they had an emergency kit at home, in the car etc, and in a group of twenty, there was one response of, "I think my mom does..." It is clear that these students (of high school age by the way) did not think it was their responsibility. We must move on from 'top down' approaches and be truly inclusive which means involving children in their own preparedness and safety through creative curricular and experiential learning that builds on evaluation and reflection. We also need to move on from didactic education and make it fun and experiential with an emphasis on practical action that can be taken by all (including children) to be prepared.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Edu4hazards.org now available in Chinese
Following the success of translating the entire site into Spanish and in an effort to cover the major written languages of the world, www.edu4hazards.org is now also available in Chinese (simplified). While you may also notice that this site has had a redesign, so has http://edu4drr.ning.com which I have done in an effort to get members to do the same! I want member sto use the site more and I thought that if I 'pimped' the site, they might do the same thing!
Monday, September 01, 2008
Effective Education for DRR - It's NOT Rocket Science...
This short video shows what can be done by teachers to initiate effective education for DRR in schools and the communities around them. These are VERY young children and yet thay are learning how to respond, where the hazards are in their area, how to avoid them and where the safe places are to evacuate to. They make their OWN hazard maps and share these with their pers and with adults. They are NOT scared or scarred by this experience, but they do LEARN and DISCOVER. According to proponents of experiential learning this will also perform part of a cycle where the children will reflect on what they have learned and apply it to a similar learning experience in the future. So what is MOST important is that great initiatives, lessons and learning are built upon and revisited in just a creative a way. Examples like this are inpiring to me as both a teacher and researcher of effective education for DRR and I wanted to share it with you. BY the way the original video of this was longer but I have edited out some of this in order to keep the important and simple message this film has to offer. The original film was made by the Insurers of Japan.
www.edu4hazards.org in Spanish
My edu4hazards site is now completely translated into Spanish. It took me about ten hours to change all the graphics in photoshop and edit and upload all of the html files. I have even changed the META tags so that someone searching on google in a Spanish speaking country will be able to find it! Pretty tiring but I am PLEASED with the results. Next I plan to translate into simplified Chinese using google translate! And talking of translating websites, I now have a clever little series of flags on the edu4drr.ning.com site which when pressed translates the entire site using google translate! I have to say having used google translate it is pretty good. However you really have to read through careully as any 'untranslatable' words stay in English. The trick the is to rephrase it slightly and then cross-check by translating back from Spanish to English (in this instance)
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Script for Earthquake Preparedness Radio Adverts
So there was a message on the EN-DRR list serve today from the Kazakhstan wanting input on a script for earthquake safety. The advert was obviously aimed at engaging families in taking protective measures to reduce their vulnerability to disasters. When the script first came to me it was a little leaden and didn't necessarily reinforce the important messages for earthquake preparedness. Below is my reply with the edited version of the scripts. I have completed script one and two of four now:
Dear Tashkent DRR Team,
I have looked through your scripts and think that reaching people via radio commercials is a very good idea. It is VERY important to make sure that the advice is consistent with lessons learned elsewhere. It is doubly important that any radio commercial makes it very CLEAR what to do as there is no visual reference. I will attempt to change all four scripts to meet this criteria, but have changed the first one to what you see below! Explaining what an earthquake is quiet abstract and I am unsure of the level of education about this with the general public in Kazakhstan. However, I have tried to address this in the script below. I hope this helps and I am sure that there are others on the mailing list that will be willing to help you.
Kind Regards,
Justin Sharpe
Clip 1
There are three characters in this jingle: mother, father and 10-12 years old child.
Kid: Daddy, what is an earthquake?
Father: Earthquake’s are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth’s crust.
Mommy: Most of the time, you will notice an earthquake by the gentle shaking of the ground. You may notice hanging plants swaying or objects wobbling on shelves. Sometimes you may hear a low rumbling noise or feel a sharp jolt.
Kid: And how to act during an earthquake?
Father: The most important is not to panic!
Mother: The second most important thing to remember during an earthquake is to DROP, COVER and HOLD ON. So remember to DROP to the floor on your knees and get under something such as a table for COVER and HOLD ON during the shaking.
Father: If there is no table or bed to get under drop down onto your knees against a wall away from things that might fall on you. Stay away from windows bookcases or heavy furniture. Try to cover your head and neck.
Mother: And of course, you have to stay at your place until the earthquake stops.
Father: And when it is over, move carefully and look out for fallen things.
Dear Tashkent Team,
I have written out clip two below. It is important to REINFORCE a consistent message about certain key points, so you will see information about drop cover and hold on, again in this clip. I have expanded (slightly) the rest of the clip too, but all of this will be below 30 seconds still! I hope this helps,
Kind Regards,
Justin
Clip 2:
Kid: Mommy, why are there sometimes victims when earthquakes happen?
Mother: Well, first of all, because people began to panic, which is strongly not recommended.
Father: And second of all, in order not to be a victim of an earthquake it is important to be prepared for it.
Kid: But how can we be prepared?
Mother: Do you remember what we have been practicing at home?
Kid: You mean when we DROP, COVER and HOLD ON. I get under a table, drop to my knees and hold on to the table leg!
Father: Well REMEMBERED!
Mother: But we should be prepared in other ways too.
Kid: How so?
Mother: The most dangerous places in the house should be identified, for example near the windows, big and heavy things which can fall down. You need to stay away from these if an earthquake occurs!
Father: We should also know how to switch off the gas and electricity in order to avoid a fire starting.
Mother: There must be a first aid kit in the house which is easy to access and won’t get lost in an earthquake.
Father: Moreover, it is important to have copies of necessary documents.
Mother: Each member of the family should know exactly appointed place for meeting after the earthquake, as well as how to get there safely!
Dear Tashkent DRR Team,
I have looked through your scripts and think that reaching people via radio commercials is a very good idea. It is VERY important to make sure that the advice is consistent with lessons learned elsewhere. It is doubly important that any radio commercial makes it very CLEAR what to do as there is no visual reference. I will attempt to change all four scripts to meet this criteria, but have changed the first one to what you see below! Explaining what an earthquake is quiet abstract and I am unsure of the level of education about this with the general public in Kazakhstan. However, I have tried to address this in the script below. I hope this helps and I am sure that there are others on the mailing list that will be willing to help you.
Kind Regards,
Justin Sharpe
Clip 1
There are three characters in this jingle: mother, father and 10-12 years old child.
Kid: Daddy, what is an earthquake?
Father: Earthquake’s are the shaking, rolling or sudden shock of the earth’s surface. Earthquakes happen along "fault lines" in the earth’s crust.
Mommy: Most of the time, you will notice an earthquake by the gentle shaking of the ground. You may notice hanging plants swaying or objects wobbling on shelves. Sometimes you may hear a low rumbling noise or feel a sharp jolt.
Kid: And how to act during an earthquake?
Father: The most important is not to panic!
Mother: The second most important thing to remember during an earthquake is to DROP, COVER and HOLD ON. So remember to DROP to the floor on your knees and get under something such as a table for COVER and HOLD ON during the shaking.
Father: If there is no table or bed to get under drop down onto your knees against a wall away from things that might fall on you. Stay away from windows bookcases or heavy furniture. Try to cover your head and neck.
Mother: And of course, you have to stay at your place until the earthquake stops.
Father: And when it is over, move carefully and look out for fallen things.
The Second Script & e-mail:
Dear Tashkent Team,
I have written out clip two below. It is important to REINFORCE a consistent message about certain key points, so you will see information about drop cover and hold on, again in this clip. I have expanded (slightly) the rest of the clip too, but all of this will be below 30 seconds still! I hope this helps,
Kind Regards,
Justin
Clip 2:
Kid: Mommy, why are there sometimes victims when earthquakes happen?
Mother: Well, first of all, because people began to panic, which is strongly not recommended.
Father: And second of all, in order not to be a victim of an earthquake it is important to be prepared for it.
Kid: But how can we be prepared?
Mother: Do you remember what we have been practicing at home?
Kid: You mean when we DROP, COVER and HOLD ON. I get under a table, drop to my knees and hold on to the table leg!
Father: Well REMEMBERED!
Mother: But we should be prepared in other ways too.
Kid: How so?
Mother: The most dangerous places in the house should be identified, for example near the windows, big and heavy things which can fall down. You need to stay away from these if an earthquake occurs!
Father: We should also know how to switch off the gas and electricity in order to avoid a fire starting.
Mother: There must be a first aid kit in the house which is easy to access and won’t get lost in an earthquake.
Father: Moreover, it is important to have copies of necessary documents.
Mother: Each member of the family should know exactly appointed place for meeting after the earthquake, as well as how to get there safely!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Lesson Starters - What NOT to do in an earthquake!
Your lesson starter is incredibly important. Whether you are in a classroom or undertake projects in other locations, if you can use multimedia resources it can REALLY help captivate your audience! I work with11-18 year olds who can often come across as cynical, so to get them interested and engaged I often use photographs or short film clips. You could do worse than use THIS VIDEO as a starter! There are so many lessons from this video for students and teachers...
Find more videos like this on Edu4drr
Find more videos like this on Edu4drr
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Genius Video, shame about the website
The video posted below is brilliant! Watch for yourself and see what I mean. If you want to get across a clear message about preparing for an earthquake I think this is excellent - especially for the teenage/young adult demographic. However, and it is a BIG however, the website that it suggests the viewer visit is VERY dry! I think teens and young people may see this and visit the website, and then be put off immediately. Now I can't speak for every teen and young person, but the information is NOT presented in this format. But if you're dad who is in his 30's or 40's it would be a good place to visit!
Any way check the video out, as it deserves to be watched and make your own decision about the website, which has some very useful information on it including video's on preparing. Alternatively I have designed a website aimed at children and youth at www.edu4hazards.org which is useful for those in the 9-14 age range. I suppose there is a gap for the twenty something demographic, which I will try and address next!
In the meantime, it would be useful if those attempting to raise awareness examined their own awareness of the younger market!
Any way check the video out, as it deserves to be watched and make your own decision about the website, which has some very useful information on it including video's on preparing. Alternatively I have designed a website aimed at children and youth at www.edu4hazards.org which is useful for those in the 9-14 age range. I suppose there is a gap for the twenty something demographic, which I will try and address next!
In the meantime, it would be useful if those attempting to raise awareness examined their own awareness of the younger market!
Using Second Life as an educational Resource for DRR
I have been playing around in Second Life and examining its application for educational use. There's quite a community in there and it is possible to set up one for an organization or educational establishment. I wanted to set up a UNISDR island starting with educational stuff, links to podcasts etc. I believe this to be a great opportunity to reach a lot of people in an unconventional way. I know the US EPA have a boat in Second Life for instance which has been rendered precisely like one of their research vessels, but this is of limited educational use. I have also discovered that NOAA have an island in second life I want to attempting to create a disaster island scenario, which is almost like a disaster themed 'fun park' where hazards occur and you have to react in the most appropriate way...flying would have to be disabled for people's avatar's (their second life persona) and rewards given for reacting appropriately and surviving...There are ways of embedding url's ino second life and I have already done so in the technology educators island. There is an opportunity to do this with a group of islands in second life known as the scilands If anyone wants to be involved in this exciting project let me know and we can start creating!
Sunday, July 06, 2008
Edu4hazards.org available in Norwegian - More translation needed.
Over a year ago I designed and built a website aimed at enabling
children and youth to know what appropriate measures to take before
during and after a hazard event. The initial idea came about because
the students I teach often travel abroad on holiday or visiting
family in areas where there are high risks of earthquakes, tornadoes
and hurricanes. Consequently the design of the site reflects this and
the front page of the site is a suitcase with eight labels that say
'earthquake', 'hurricane' etc. Once clicked on the main information
about how to react to the hazard appears. It i purposely not too
wordy and the advice is simple and widely accepted. The site has been
very successful and without marketing generates 50,000 hits monthly
and growing. I have used the site to deliver DRR messages in schools
in London very successfully; using the site as a stimulus and then
carrying out some of the advice with children such as 'duck, cover
and hold' for earthquakes, practising the 'lightning crouch' and
deciding what other action may be taken in the event of a thunder and
lightning storm. Students have made their own films in a wide variety
of languages - Mandarin Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Urdu, Punjabi,
French, German and English in order to show what action to take for a
wide variety of these hazards. These are available through youtube
teacher tube and as video podcasts through the itunes store (type in
'edu4hazards').
The site and the multimedia techniques that I have been pioneering
have been accepted well in the international community of those
involved in DRR and was included as an example of good practice in
the UNISDR publication earlier this year. This is all well and good
and I am glad to receive recognition, but this was never the reason
for me carrying out this project. I wanted to make a difference and
highlight what I thought was lacking in education for DRR in
mainstream education - experiential learning techniques that make a
real impact on children and youth, allowing them to be prepared and
not scared. I have come to the attention of the UK Government, the
Council of Europe and many emergency managers in many local
authorities, where I have given presentations about this project.
However when I have asked for help for site translation their has
been an initial buzz followed by a hiatus, followed by a negative
response at a later date. But following my presentation at the
Council of Europe Meeting on Disaster Reduction at school, a
Norwegian colleague, offered to translate the site into Norwegian.
The main information on each one of the hazard pages has now been
translated, although the further information parts have not been. The
site will automatically come up in Norwegian if you are in Norway,
whereas the rest of the world currently gets the English site, but it
does not have to be like that! I am attaching a word document with
this principal information on and would appreciate any help that
colleagues could give in translation. I would add a link on the site
as I have done from the Norwegian version of the site to that
person's organisation! The Norwegian site can be viewed at: http://
www.edu4hazards.org/index_no.html
There has been a lot of discussion on this forum about education and
how to motivate children and youth to become agents for change for
DRR and I have seen this site coupled with the activities alongside
it do just that. Children show me there Emergency go-bags for
instance and I have even had parents talk to me about what to include
in them (there are photograph's on the site). There is now a
teacher's page on the site where teachers can explore how to use the
site with lesson plans and resources as well as a link to the new
social network for teachers wanting to make a difference in disaster
prevention at: http://edu4drr.ning.com
Please contact me if YOU can help make a difference, as doing this by
myself is not easy!
children and youth to know what appropriate measures to take before
during and after a hazard event. The initial idea came about because
the students I teach often travel abroad on holiday or visiting
family in areas where there are high risks of earthquakes, tornadoes
and hurricanes. Consequently the design of the site reflects this and
the front page of the site is a suitcase with eight labels that say
'earthquake', 'hurricane' etc. Once clicked on the main information
about how to react to the hazard appears. It i purposely not too
wordy and the advice is simple and widely accepted. The site has been
very successful and without marketing generates 50,000 hits monthly
and growing. I have used the site to deliver DRR messages in schools
in London very successfully; using the site as a stimulus and then
carrying out some of the advice with children such as 'duck, cover
and hold' for earthquakes, practising the 'lightning crouch' and
deciding what other action may be taken in the event of a thunder and
lightning storm. Students have made their own films in a wide variety
of languages - Mandarin Chinese, Turkish, Russian, Urdu, Punjabi,
French, German and English in order to show what action to take for a
wide variety of these hazards. These are available through youtube
teacher tube and as video podcasts through the itunes store (type in
'edu4hazards').
The site and the multimedia techniques that I have been pioneering
have been accepted well in the international community of those
involved in DRR and was included as an example of good practice in
the UNISDR publication earlier this year. This is all well and good
and I am glad to receive recognition, but this was never the reason
for me carrying out this project. I wanted to make a difference and
highlight what I thought was lacking in education for DRR in
mainstream education - experiential learning techniques that make a
real impact on children and youth, allowing them to be prepared and
not scared. I have come to the attention of the UK Government, the
Council of Europe and many emergency managers in many local
authorities, where I have given presentations about this project.
However when I have asked for help for site translation their has
been an initial buzz followed by a hiatus, followed by a negative
response at a later date. But following my presentation at the
Council of Europe Meeting on Disaster Reduction at school, a
Norwegian colleague, offered to translate the site into Norwegian.
The main information on each one of the hazard pages has now been
translated, although the further information parts have not been. The
site will automatically come up in Norwegian if you are in Norway,
whereas the rest of the world currently gets the English site, but it
does not have to be like that! I am attaching a word document with
this principal information on and would appreciate any help that
colleagues could give in translation. I would add a link on the site
as I have done from the Norwegian version of the site to that
person's organisation! The Norwegian site can be viewed at: http://
www.edu4hazards.org/index_no.html
There has been a lot of discussion on this forum about education and
how to motivate children and youth to become agents for change for
DRR and I have seen this site coupled with the activities alongside
it do just that. Children show me there Emergency go-bags for
instance and I have even had parents talk to me about what to include
in them (there are photograph's on the site). There is now a
teacher's page on the site where teachers can explore how to use the
site with lesson plans and resources as well as a link to the new
social network for teachers wanting to make a difference in disaster
prevention at: http://edu4drr.ning.com
Please contact me if YOU can help make a difference, as doing this by
myself is not easy!
Monday, June 23, 2008
Edu4Hazards site in Norwegian!
The Edu4Hazards site has now been translated into Norwegian, or at least the pages with the most relevant information about how to prepare for and react to all eight of the hazards is! This graphic tells you how to react to an earthquake for instance!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
New social network by and for teachers who want to make a difference in disaster prevention.
I have created a social network by and for teachers who want to make a difference in disaster prevention. There are many teacher carrying out disaster prevention worldwide, using a variety of different techniques and pedagogical approaches. This new site is to highlight examples of good practices and while allowing teachers to upload resources or plans and attach them to their discussions. When we have a reasonable number of teacher signed up, we will host a series of live chats where practitioners and teachers can share experiences and ideas. Vist the site and sign up for an account. It is free and easy to get going! http://edu4drr.ning.com
Sunday, April 06, 2008
New UK based Education and DRR Social Tagging Site
In order to collate what projects are, have been or will be going on in the UK in terms of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) so that the curriculum materials that I am developing will use current best pracice as well as new ideas and methods, I have created a social tagging site called edu4drr, which can be found at: http://www.geo-world.org/edu4drr/ - I will eventually move it onto its own site but for beta testing, this is fine.
I am very excited about this mainly because I have never used PHP before, but have even managed to adapt and use the open source scuttle social tagging code as well as the del:icio:us API to do some other cool things. The idea is not mine though, and wsa developed initially about 6-9 months ago by UNISDR for the purpose of gathering good practice worldwide on DRR in general. As you can imagine the site is getting more users and there are 25 pages for DRR education alone. I thought about using their site and just filtering with a UK tag, but have learned a lot more by doing it this way!
I have also added it as an rss feed to this site in the menu on the right »»»
I am very excited about this mainly because I have never used PHP before, but have even managed to adapt and use the open source scuttle social tagging code as well as the del:icio:us API to do some other cool things. The idea is not mine though, and wsa developed initially about 6-9 months ago by UNISDR for the purpose of gathering good practice worldwide on DRR in general. As you can imagine the site is getting more users and there are 25 pages for DRR education alone. I thought about using their site and just filtering with a UK tag, but have learned a lot more by doing it this way!
I have also added it as an rss feed to this site in the menu on the right »»»
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
DRR Education with 'new' families
I was thinking to day about DRR materials and education in particular as I was teaching a class too my 17 year old students, highlighting the need for education but also acknowledging that despite knowledge about earthquakes etc, simple safety advice is often ignored or people 'put off' doing anything about it. As part of my literature review for my PhD I have been examining psychology texts related to people making hazard adjustments in and around the home after public education programmes: "Much of the empirical research carried out in the USA, has examined how people rate their vulnerability in relation to the risks. In particular it has been found that many are aware of earthquake risks, for example, but that this is rated much lower in importance than perceived risks from crime and pollution. However anxiety about earthquakes coupled with an internal locus of control can lead to an increased rate of adjustment adoption. Additionally being married and having children also leads to greater adjustment adoption, but length of time lived in a place where hazards exist lead to less. This tends to beg the following question: Why haven’t Disaster Risk Reduction practitioners targeted ‘new’ families through ante and neo-natal groups, for instance, showing how simple adjustments can protect both them and their young family?"
Is this a fair question and are there any examples of this being carried out and if so what were the results? Is there any evidence for a change in hazards adjustments as a result?
Is this a fair question and are there any examples of this being carried out and if so what were the results? Is there any evidence for a change in hazards adjustments as a result?
Friday, February 01, 2008
New categories on edu4hazards site
I’ve added an avalanche (http://www.edu4hazards.org/avalanche.html ) and a lightning strike (http://www.edu4hazards.org/lightning.html ) category to the edu4hazards.org website. While carrying ut the research for the lightning strike pages I came across advice about the lightning crouch (http://www.edu4hazards.org/lightning_crouch.html ) which I didn’t know about initially but have since researched in more depth. I decided to ask many teachers and Emergency Planning Officers in the UK about what they would do and many thought that lying down was the safest thing to do if caught out in the open....apparently not the advice given to the US Army, or by NOAA! What you should do is follow the instruction given on the lightning crouch pages that I have put up! It seems that this is a real gap in knowledge and there seems to be a lot of ‘assumed knowledge’ about the safety if cars - people think its the rubber tyres and not the metal cage that will save lives and are consistently giving bad advice about what to do. I found this both interesting and shocking and am now carrying out further research among PE and geography teachers in the UK as well as outdoor education specialists to poll their knowledge and correct any misconceptions! Watch this space for more updates soon...
Friday, January 11, 2008
Response to the Pitt Review of Flooding in the UK 2007
Disaster and Development centre, University of Northumbria.
Response to the Pitt Interim Review on the 2007 Floods.
Following the Pitt Review of the 2007 floods, the Disaster and Development Centre would like to outline its position regarding the vulnerabilities and capacities of children and how this can be addressed through simple and cost effective education.
Within the interim review, children are highlighted as being part of the vulnerable population alongside the elderly and disabled, but their capacities and resilience at such a time is not made explicit. Research has shown that children are not only aware of the dangers within their environment, but they are full of ideas for preparedness. (Twigg, 2005, Sharpe 2007). Additionally, research has also indicated that children have the capacity to perceive high-risk, low-probability disasters (including flooding) and that they are able to communicate these risks in a way that can influence the actions of those around them (Ronan & Johnston, 2003; Sharpe, 2007).
This capacity should be encouraged and implemented through the schools curriculum and outside of school in community and youth groups such as through the Scouts movement for instance. There are already websites set up to offer advice specifically for children who are at risk from a range of natural hazards such as www.edu4hazards.org and www.fema.gov/kids. Consequently, children and youth are better informed about preparedness than their parents. This should not only be recognised but utilised further.
Within the report, there were two stories of community spirit involving children and youths who are often seen as ‘ruffians’(sic) but who waded through floodwater distributing supplies and water, for instance. These community acts can be made less risky with advance training. In countries where natural hazards are very much part of daily life, youth teams have been trained in first aid, community liaison and preparedness, including making and sharing hazard maps within their communities. (e.g. Plan, El Salvador)This has earned them both the respect of their peers and others in the community, while providing an invaluable service in terms of Disaster Risk Reduction. The result is that awareness of such events are increased and although the outcome of the next major hazard event is not known the community are better prepared. It would also put children and youth back at the heart of the community, making them feel less disenfranchised with society and less likely to be a cause of both perceived and real nuisance.
This is borne out by youth-oriented projects in the USA - http://www.certla.com/links/teensert.htm for example - that address community preparedness to disaster threats. Specifically they argue that, skills in first aid and disaster event response are taught to teenagers, but that this also fosters the ability to address other challenges, to create a community which works together irrespective of the threat, and to apply values and attitudes to any societal challenge. This holistic approach has also been carried out in Turkey (http://www.ahep.org/ev/egitim5_0e.htm) and many other countries around the world. Examples of good practice can be seen in the UNISDR publication, Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School (http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdf )
The United Kingdom Government gives aid packages to countries struck by natural disaster through the Department for International Development (DFID), in which a tranche of the aid must be spent on future mitigation and education projects. However we are currently not doing the same within our own borders. We must be able to learn from such events and implement good practice sooner rather than later. In other words striking while the flood is still very much in the minds of those affected by it. After the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami there was a raft of education programmes implemented by NGO’s working in the field as well as governments. Government money should be spent on mitigation and preparedness that go beyond structural measures, allowing those living on the flood plain to understand the risks and be better prepared for future events, which could come as early as this winter.
The word ‘education’ was mentioned once in the entire document, but within the context of public education about flood insurance. Although this is a useful contribution to future preparation and mitigation, it is not necessarily the most practical and cost effective step for householders to take. The first chapters make note of the events and the impact on communities, highlighting the lack of preparedness regarding access to clean water. But it is clear that people did not stock pile water for drinking and for other uses before the floodwaters arrived, and it is not clear whether this message will be clear and accessible in the future.
Furthermore, it was noted by Sir Michael Pitt, the reports author, that people should prepare by having emergency flood kits including a battery operated radio, mobile phone etc, but this is of limited use if adequate drinking water is not kept aside as well – something NOT highlighted by the report or put forward as one of the 72 Interim Conclusions! The message from the government needs to be clear and consistent and made accessible to every home, including children and the elderly – a ‘generic emergency kit’ may not be sufficient – different people have different needs – but the basics should be known by all. This can be achieved by communicating with those working within the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Education, such as the authors of this response and implementing their advice with regards to preparation, mitigation and planning. Many have worked in the field for may years both in the UK and abroad and have learned and written about what makes for good practice and knowledgeable about how to implement such practices here in the United Kingdom.
To conclude, it is clear that children and are vulnerable to hazard events, but that does not mean that they cannot be prepared. Simple first aid and DRR training alongside practical advice given through the citizenship and geography curriculum’s can be implemented alongside clear advice given to all sections of society about how to prepare for and cope with a natural hazard event.
It has long been argued that hazards needn’t become disasters and that it is human interaction and in some cases inaction within the environment that allows such disasters to develop. Education is key to reducing the impact of hazards on the community, while being both sustainable and cost effective. Children can be involved in problem-solving and planning for both urban and rural flood risk reduction, through careful land-use planning, community-based early warning systems, and contingency planning for livelihood asset protection. This education does not need to be didactic, but should be practical, useful and a focal point for rebuilding communities that have lost much in the floods.
References:
Ronan, Kevin. R. & Johnston, David. M. (2001), School Children’s Risk Perceptions and Preparedness: A Hazards Education Survey in The Australian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies
Ronan, Kevin. R. & Johnston, David. M. (2003), Hazards education for youth: A quasi-experimental investigation in Risk Analysis vol. 23, no5, pp. 1009-1020 [12 page(s) p 1011
Sharpe, J.E. (October 2007) How new media for Disaster Risk Reduction Education can be used effectively as a tool for and generating educational materials by children and youth, for children and youth. European and Mediterranean Workshop on Disaster Reduction at School.
Twigg, J (March 2004) Disaster Risk Reduction: Mitigation and Preparedness in Development and Emergency Programming. Humanitarian Practice Network Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, UK
Response to the Pitt Interim Review on the 2007 Floods.
Following the Pitt Review of the 2007 floods, the Disaster and Development Centre would like to outline its position regarding the vulnerabilities and capacities of children and how this can be addressed through simple and cost effective education.
Within the interim review, children are highlighted as being part of the vulnerable population alongside the elderly and disabled, but their capacities and resilience at such a time is not made explicit. Research has shown that children are not only aware of the dangers within their environment, but they are full of ideas for preparedness. (Twigg, 2005, Sharpe 2007). Additionally, research has also indicated that children have the capacity to perceive high-risk, low-probability disasters (including flooding) and that they are able to communicate these risks in a way that can influence the actions of those around them (Ronan & Johnston, 2003; Sharpe, 2007).
This capacity should be encouraged and implemented through the schools curriculum and outside of school in community and youth groups such as through the Scouts movement for instance. There are already websites set up to offer advice specifically for children who are at risk from a range of natural hazards such as www.edu4hazards.org and www.fema.gov/kids. Consequently, children and youth are better informed about preparedness than their parents. This should not only be recognised but utilised further.
Within the report, there were two stories of community spirit involving children and youths who are often seen as ‘ruffians’(sic) but who waded through floodwater distributing supplies and water, for instance. These community acts can be made less risky with advance training. In countries where natural hazards are very much part of daily life, youth teams have been trained in first aid, community liaison and preparedness, including making and sharing hazard maps within their communities. (e.g. Plan, El Salvador)This has earned them both the respect of their peers and others in the community, while providing an invaluable service in terms of Disaster Risk Reduction. The result is that awareness of such events are increased and although the outcome of the next major hazard event is not known the community are better prepared. It would also put children and youth back at the heart of the community, making them feel less disenfranchised with society and less likely to be a cause of both perceived and real nuisance.
This is borne out by youth-oriented projects in the USA - http://www.certla.com/links/teensert.htm for example - that address community preparedness to disaster threats. Specifically they argue that, skills in first aid and disaster event response are taught to teenagers, but that this also fosters the ability to address other challenges, to create a community which works together irrespective of the threat, and to apply values and attitudes to any societal challenge. This holistic approach has also been carried out in Turkey (http://www.ahep.org/ev/egitim5_0e.htm) and many other countries around the world. Examples of good practice can be seen in the UNISDR publication, Disaster Risk Reduction Begins at School (http://www.unisdr.org/eng/about_isdr/isdr-publications/11-education-good-practices/education-good-practices.pdf )
The United Kingdom Government gives aid packages to countries struck by natural disaster through the Department for International Development (DFID), in which a tranche of the aid must be spent on future mitigation and education projects. However we are currently not doing the same within our own borders. We must be able to learn from such events and implement good practice sooner rather than later. In other words striking while the flood is still very much in the minds of those affected by it. After the Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami there was a raft of education programmes implemented by NGO’s working in the field as well as governments. Government money should be spent on mitigation and preparedness that go beyond structural measures, allowing those living on the flood plain to understand the risks and be better prepared for future events, which could come as early as this winter.
The word ‘education’ was mentioned once in the entire document, but within the context of public education about flood insurance. Although this is a useful contribution to future preparation and mitigation, it is not necessarily the most practical and cost effective step for householders to take. The first chapters make note of the events and the impact on communities, highlighting the lack of preparedness regarding access to clean water. But it is clear that people did not stock pile water for drinking and for other uses before the floodwaters arrived, and it is not clear whether this message will be clear and accessible in the future.
Furthermore, it was noted by Sir Michael Pitt, the reports author, that people should prepare by having emergency flood kits including a battery operated radio, mobile phone etc, but this is of limited use if adequate drinking water is not kept aside as well – something NOT highlighted by the report or put forward as one of the 72 Interim Conclusions! The message from the government needs to be clear and consistent and made accessible to every home, including children and the elderly – a ‘generic emergency kit’ may not be sufficient – different people have different needs – but the basics should be known by all. This can be achieved by communicating with those working within the field of Disaster Risk Reduction and Education, such as the authors of this response and implementing their advice with regards to preparation, mitigation and planning. Many have worked in the field for may years both in the UK and abroad and have learned and written about what makes for good practice and knowledgeable about how to implement such practices here in the United Kingdom.
To conclude, it is clear that children and are vulnerable to hazard events, but that does not mean that they cannot be prepared. Simple first aid and DRR training alongside practical advice given through the citizenship and geography curriculum’s can be implemented alongside clear advice given to all sections of society about how to prepare for and cope with a natural hazard event.
It has long been argued that hazards needn’t become disasters and that it is human interaction and in some cases inaction within the environment that allows such disasters to develop. Education is key to reducing the impact of hazards on the community, while being both sustainable and cost effective. Children can be involved in problem-solving and planning for both urban and rural flood risk reduction, through careful land-use planning, community-based early warning systems, and contingency planning for livelihood asset protection. This education does not need to be didactic, but should be practical, useful and a focal point for rebuilding communities that have lost much in the floods.
References:
Ronan, Kevin. R. & Johnston, David. M. (2001), School Children’s Risk Perceptions and Preparedness: A Hazards Education Survey in The Australian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies
Ronan, Kevin. R. & Johnston, David. M. (2003), Hazards education for youth: A quasi-experimental investigation in Risk Analysis vol. 23, no5, pp. 1009-1020 [12 page(s) p 1011
Sharpe, J.E. (October 2007) How new media for Disaster Risk Reduction Education can be used effectively as a tool for and generating educational materials by children and youth, for children and youth. European and Mediterranean Workshop on Disaster Reduction at School.
Twigg, J (March 2004) Disaster Risk Reduction: Mitigation and Preparedness in Development and Emergency Programming. Humanitarian Practice Network Overseas Development Institute (ODI), London, UK
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