Disaster and Crisis Management
in the Americas
www.ifrc.org Saving lives, changing minds.
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
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Colombian Red Cross Cover Photo: Search and rescue actions hours after the earthquake in the most affected city, Pedernales, Ecuador. Ecuadorian Red Cross
Peruvian Red Cross provides assistance to 244 families in the settlements of Catacaos, Los Polvorin and Nueva Esperanza. Fernando Gandarillas / IFRC
Disaster and Crisis Management in the Americas The Americas region is prone to a variety of potentially destructive events, whether of natural origin, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, tropical storms, hurricanes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and droughts; biological such as dengue, zika, chikungunya and cholera epidemics; or man-made such as fires, chemical and oil spills, water contamination, industrial accidents, migration related crises, social unrest and social violence. The region has seen an increase in vulnerability to disasters, compounded by the harsh reality of 189 million people living in poverty, and the highest rates of inequity and violence in the world. A segment of the population sees irregular migration
or moving to unsafe areas as options, which is evidenced by intensive urbanisation, occupation of inadequate areas, informal construction, environmental degradation, and inadequate land and watershed management. Large-scale disasters have marked the region in the past, but more recently, the impact comes more from periodic phenomena such as El NiĂąo and La NiĂąa. Climate change and epidemics are producing regular and recurrent small small-scale disasters. These smallerscale disasters cumulatively affect more people every year than the larger events portrayed in the media (see table on next page).
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
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The following table shows the number and type of operations in the Americas, the number of people assisted, and the budget of these response operations managed by the IFRC in the Americas over the past five years.
Operations budget required
30 25 20 15 10 5 0 Numbers 2011 of Ops
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
Number of people assisted in the emergency
30M
600,000
25M
500,000
20M
400,000
15M
300,000
10M
200,000
5M
100,000
0
0
CHF
Ben.
Anthropic
Epidemic
(Chemical spill, River spill, Wildfire)
(Chicungunya, Cholera, Dengue, Zika)
Hydrometeorologic
Earthquake, Landslide, Volcano
(Drought, Flood, Severe winter)
Hurricane, Storm, Tornado 4
Disaster and Crisis Management in The Americas
Pop. Movement, Civil unrest
The 35 National Red Cross Societies that are members of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in the Americas, take on the daily challenges faced by vulnerable people, families and communities in their countries The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is the world’s largest volunteer-based humanitarian network. With 190 member National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies worldwide, the Red Cross is in virtually every community reaching millions of people annually through long-term services and development programmes, as well as reaching other millions of people through disaster response and early recovery programmes. When an emergency occurs, the National Red Cross Societies (NS) activate a series of tools available to them through the overall Red Cross Red Crescent system. This action is coordinated by NS with the support of the IFRC regional office. Specific regional and global emergency response tools are quickly and effectively activated depending on the nature or severity of the disaster or crisis. In all cases, the Red Cross Red Crescent coordinates with government response systems, as well as with external actors, such as the United Nations system, other humanitarian organisations and the corporate sector. In terms of financing disaster and crisis management, international emergency appeals can be launched for disasters of medium and large scale that require support from the international community. The Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF), allows for rapid operational response as well as response to smaller-scale events that require external support.
Humanitarian relief supplies are transported to one of the Red Cross warehouses in Haiti. IFRC
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
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Actions in communities as part of the Panamenina Red Cross response to the zika virus. Marc Belanger / IFRC
Our Challenge - Achieving Operational Excellence What this means
In the Americas, the IFRC prioritizes on the following strategies to develop the disaster management capacities its National Red Cross Societies:
The Red Cross acts before, during and after disasters and health emergencies to meet the needs and improve the lives of vulnerable people.
• Ensure that response operations are managed to quality humanitarian standards, measuring the impact and learning from each operation to ensure continuous improvement
The IFRC ensures the disaster and crisis management system provides relevant, timely, quality and coordinated response and recovery to affected communities, facilitates the role of National Societies within national systems, and contributes to increased community resilience. In order for the IFRC to better focus its efforts towards attaining lasting outcomes, it set out four specific strategies of implementation to guide how it supports its members and be able to comply with its mandate established in the Strategy 2020. The four strategies of implementation set the course of IFRC’s interventions worldwide, and include: • Strengthen National Societies • Ensure effective international disaster management • Influence others on the fact that the Red Cross is a leading strategic partner • Ensure a strong IFRC 6
Disaster and Crisis Management in The Americas
• Establish a coordination mechanism for the regional response system that is swift, inclusive and participatory and based on well-defined procedures, protocols and roles and responsibilities • Guarantee adequate response to the needs of people affected by disasters and crises through international appeals and requests for support from the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) • Develop a regional disaster management system that facilitates coordinated decision-making • Redefine, systematise and make the most of endogenous and regional resources, facilitating the deployment mechanisms of intervention teams and the distribution logistics of humanitarian assistance that favour mutual collaboration of National Societies and the strengthening of institutional preparedness for response • Strengthen the legal frameworks for the effective achievement of international humanitarian action
Vladimir Rodas / Ecuadorian Red Cross
Contact information:
IĂąigo Barrena Head, Disasters and Crisis ci.barrena@ifrc.org Felipe Del Cid Continental Operations Coordinator felipe.delcid@ifrc.org Julie Hoare Head, Partnerships and Resource Development julie.hoare@ifrc.org
Š International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. 2017