Community based Disaster Preparedness: Affordable and replicable model for Disaster Management Authorities in

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is prone to several natural disasters, particularly drought, flood, landslides, cyclones and tsunami - the 2004 Asian Tsunami was the worst natural disaster in Sri Lankan history causing 35,000 deaths, affecting millions of people and causing extensive damage and loss. Sri Lanka also has a recent history of armed conflict, causing large-scale loss and multiple displacements for the civilian population. With the end of the war in 2009 more than 350,000 people became internally displaced from the north and east of the country, with the subsequent resettlement and recovery process only now starting to come to a close The conflict may be over but the risk posed by natural disasters remains, particularly in the north and east where people’s levels of vulnerability is also significantly higher due to the displacement. The Ministry of Disaster Management and the Disaster Management Centre were established in early 2005 (post-tsunami) and a road map for a safer Sri Lanka was developed to guide the disaster preparedness planning and implementation process in the country. At the district, sub-district and community levels, disaster risk reduction institutions were established to implement the road map. Throughout the country, but particularly in the north and east, both the technical and leadership capacity of the district level Disaster Management Unit (DDMU) has always been a concern. This capacity challenge has created a vacuum where the coordination and communication with stakeholders at district, sub-district and community levels remains low resulting in low levels of engagement in disaster preparedness activities. Oxfam GB and Practical Action are implementing DIPECHO in the northern and eastern provinces of Sri Lanka, working directly with returnee communities that remain highly vulnerable to natural disasters, as well as with disaster risk reduction institutions at the community, sub-district and district levels – including the DDMU. In Mannar district, to support the DDMU and strengthen their DRR capacity, Practical Action adopted a Coaching Methodology since it was believed this would be a more active and thereby more effective strategy than the conventional, more passive skills transfer mechanism (training, workshops). To facilitate this approach the Practical Action field staff relocated to the DDMU office in Mannar. Adopting the coaching methodology helped to bridge the gap between the staff of Practical Action and of the DDMU, strengthen relationships and created a better mutual understanding of each other’s mandate for DRR. No formal training was given for the DDMU staff, but daily briefings were given on the DIPECHO programme and Practical Action staff started participating in DDMU monthly planning meetings and involving themselves in activity implementation. Natural space began to emerge to involve the DDMU more and more in the DIPECHO programme with the Practical Action staff constantly encouraging DDMU to lead on DIPECHO activity implementation and coaching them through the process. This encouragement and coaching built confidence in the DDMU ability to lead DRR processes, at the same time as they were learning to implement them. It created a more thorough and deeper understanding among DDMU staff on DRR process, rather than focusing only on the outputs. Finally, and most importantly, the coaching methodology allowed the DDMU to coordinate and harmonize DRR initiatives within the district and to advocate for the replication of the Community Based Disaster Preparedness (CBDP) model. Mannar district has five sub-districts/divisions - Practical Action works in two of these divisions. With the experience that they gained on DRR through the coaching offered by Practical Action, the DDMU decided to work in the other three divisions. To do this they identified other organisations working in these areas and facilitated a consultative process to implement the CBDP model in parallel to DIPECHO. The DDMU also influenced the district administrative authority (District Secretariat) to issue a request that all the DRR stakeholders should work in consultation with them. This enabled the DDMU to replicate the community based disaster preparedness (CBDP) model with these other stakeholders and ensure a more standardised DRR methodology. The DDMU is now working independently in these two sub-districts implementing the DRR process and model that they learned through DIPECHO. They have developed a plan for ‘100 Days of Action’ which includes CBDP activities, and is a common work plan for the entire district, using the CBDP methodology and tools to reach out to all communities. The 100 days action plan is the basis for continuing the CBDP model in Mannar. The DDMU has now incorporated the DIPECHO process into their annual planning and budgeting cycle, building upon the momentum which has already started to be built. The budget and human resources available for the DDMU for implementing CBDP may not be as intensive as in DIPECHO, but it is certainly good enough to start the process and replicate the methodologies in an affordable manner. In collaboration with the Disaster Management Centre, UNDP and OCHA are implementing an AusAID funded programme of capacity building for DDMUs in five districts in the north and east of Sri Lanka. DIPECHO is aligned with this programme and the Mannar model is being shared. The Mannar experience reflects that CBDP can be replicated by the government DRR institutions if the methodology, tools and approach do not demand high-end resource investment. This model may not be as qualitative in its outcome but it does help to ensure the appropriateness, continuity and sustainability of the CBDP approach.