Role Of Media In Disaster Management Areas Where Media Can Contribute Role Of Youth Volunteers

1. ROLEOF MEDIA IN DISASTER MANAGEMENT
The mediaplaysan importantrole indisastermanagementthroughthe coverage of natural andman-
made disasters,approachingthe eventstothe widersociety,creatingpublicdiscourse andmobilizing
donations.Indoingsoit iscrucial to pay attentionto the waysin whichmediaportraysrepresentations
of conflictandhumansufferingaswell asthe size of the scope inthe coverage of such events. To help
the media fulfil these roles, direct and effective working relationships between the media and
disaster management organizations should be established and maintained. Experience shows
that regular interactions with the media before a disaster strikes, aids the effective flow of
information and lays the groundwork for effective working relationships in the aftermath of a
disaster.
AREAS WHERE MEDIA CAN CONTRIBUTE:
Since disastersare a significantsource of newsandcapture the attentionof populationsworldwide,the
media provides tremendous visibility for disaster-related issues and, if usedproperly,canaidthe
processof disastermanagementveryeffectively. Some of the areaswhere mediacancontribute
include:
Aid prioritizationof Disaster Risk Issues-The media can influence the government toprioritize
disaster risk issues, thereby ensuring that “self -serving” political interests are notemphasized at
the expense of the wider population. For example, the media may expose excessive and
inefficient expenditure to relocate persons from vulnerable areas just before a general election
witha viewtosecure votes,while littleornoattentionisgiventoreplenishingthe stock of relief
supplies in the national warehouse for distribution in the event of a disaster.Thiskindof exposure
facilitatesmore prudentandbalancedprioritizationof disasterriskissues.
Facilitate creation of Early Warning Systems: Owingto the extensive outreach -the media can help
disaster mitigation experts create EarlyWarning Systems by providing information on risks and
existing technologies that can aid the developmentof usefulconceptsandsystems. EmergencyAlert
System(EAS),whichusesradio,TV and cable services across the country in United States for
transmittingearly warning,hasbeenveryeffective.
Increase international donations: The mediacan triggerdonationsfromthe international community
subsequenttothe occurrence of national disasters,as well as push the government to increase
budgetary allocations fordisasterresponse programs.
Improve coordinationof risk assessmentactivities: The mediacan improve the coordinationof risk-
assessmentactivities betweenpolicymakersanddonorcommunities.Thisintegrationof effort should
resultinincreasedavailabilityof resourcesand improved work programs geared towards saving lives
of affected populations and vulnerable communities.

3. Engaging youth volunteersduringall phasesof disaster risk reduction,disasterresponse,
preparedness,recovery,riskmitigation and prevention
There are innumerable examples of youthvolunteersgettinginvolvedindisasterresponse.Apart
from search and rescue, youth volunteersare often involved in various other emergencyresponse
activities like distribution of relief materials, shelter management, healthcare management, debris
clearance, etc. However,youthcanalsoplay an importantrole indisasterpreparedness,mitigationand
prevention,therebyreducingdisasterrisks.
There are a number of ways in which youthvolunteers can be engaged in disaster riskreduction.
a) Engaging Youth in Community-based Disaster Risk Management Planning:
Engagingyouthincommunityriskassessmentandpreparationof community-baseddisasterresponse
and preparednessplanscango a longway inbuildingthe resilienceof communitiestodisasters.
Community-Based Disaster Risk Management(CBDRM) practices provide ample opportunityto
harnessthe potential of youthtoprepare the community to effectively respond to disastersas well
as to implement various mitigationmeasures.CBDRMhelpstoaddress:
• Addressingthe physiological and safetyneeds of the community during a disaster so that the
communityisable tosurvive andrecover:This will include engaging youth volunteers inproviding
basic needs (water, food and shelter) and ensuring personal safety, health safety andprotection
againstillnessandaccidents.
• Preparing the community to effectively respond to disaster events: This will include development of risk
information, risk mapping and preparation of effective disaster preparedness and response plans.
• Strengthening community cohesion: This will include building local leadership, networks and community
groups so that the community can work together to fight a disaster and gain normalcy.
Volunteers can play an active role in doing the following actions:
• Disaster awareness: Create awareness on various disasters, their impacts and basic dos and don’ts
.• Community risk mapping: Assess community level risks, generate risk information and map them.
Identify the vulnerable population in villages, slums or other areas.
• Community resource mapping: Identify existing resources in the community which could be used
during disasters.
• Preparation of community-based disaster management plan and disaster response teams:
Mobilize community members and check their preparedness and response plans. Support the community
to form disaster management teams to perform various functions such as early warning dissemination
and communication, search and rescue, relief distribution shelter management, healthcare services, etc.
• School safety preparedness: In the area of disaster preparedness, NYKS and NSS volunteers, along
with other local youth volunteers, can play an active role in school safety preparedness and response.
(b) Advocacy for Disaster Risk Mitigation: This will include creating awareness on various risk
reduction measures such as construction of hazard resistanthousesindifferenthazard-proneareas,

4. conservation of water bodies, rainwaterharvesting, organizing flood preparedness kitsathousehold
level,maintaininghygienetoavoidwater-borne diseases after floods, using flood-tolerantseedsfor
cultivation,alternate croppingpracticesandriskinsurance measures. With increasing risks of climate
change and climate variability affecting the agricultural sector, NYKS and NSS volunteers can play
an active role in spreading awareness aboutvarious alternative cropping methods, new varieties
of seeds and water managementpractices.
Role of insurance in disaster management
Disasters caused by natural hazards can place significant pressure upon public finances, with
major fiscal implications in the short-term and wider long-term implications for development.
Risk transfer offers the possibility of not only easing the immediate fiscal burden, but also
reducing or avoiding long-term costs to public financial stability, economic growth and human
development. Should a disaster occur, the insurance pay-out frees up public resources that
would have otherwise been channeled towards response and recovery for other productive
investments or further risk-reducing efforts.
Prevention and preparedness
Forecast-based insurance
Making insurance pay-outs according to forecasted hazards is a potential function of index
insurance. This is an important possibility, as it would mean the pay-out could finance risk
prevention and risk reduction, hence avoiding or significantly mitigating the chance that the
eventual hazard will manifest as a disaster.
Data generation and sharing of risk information
Riskassessment,acore functionof insurance approaches,requiresthe identificationof hazard
potential,exposureandvulnerability.The tools,analysisanddatainvolvedare of highvalue to
governmentsindesigningpoliciesfor disasterriskmanagementandclimate change lossanddamage,
and alsofor individualsandbusinesses.
Mandatory conditions
Riskaggregators,suchas meso- andmacro-level institutionsandinsurance companies,oftenmandate
compliance withparticularcriteriaasa conditionof offeringcover.InIcelandandmostSwissCantons,
insurance coverage of floodriskismandatoryforall residential andcommercial buildings.
Financial incentivestoreduce risk
An importantfeature of insurance isitspotential toprovide financial incentivesforriskpreventionand
riskreduction.Bypricingrisk,andtranslatingthatprice intopremiumschargedtopolicyholders,
insurance providesanimportantprice signal thatcanraise riskawarenessandincentivize risk-reducing
behavior.

5. Response and recovery
Rapidresponse
A widelycitedadvantageof insurance isitsrapidpay-outfunction,providingbadlyneededliquiditysoon
aftera disasterhasstruck.Timelinessandreliabilityare twofeaturesthatmaybe critical installinga
rollbackindevelopmentgainsandpreventingvulnerable non-poorpeople fromslippingbelow the
povertyline.Whetherinsurance deliversonthispotential dependsfirstlyonthe nature of the policy
(andin the case of index-basedschemes,the clarityandqualityof the index)andthe capacityof the
insurance company – and,secondly,incasesof meso- andmacro-insurance,uponthe speedatwhich
cash deliveredinthe premiumpaymentisconvertedintodisasterresponseactivities.
Povertyreductionand strengtheningresilience atthe householdlevel
Evidence suggeststhatinsurance cancontribute togreaterfinancial stability,developmentopportunity
and copingcapacityfor vulnerableindividualsandhouseholds. While itisgenerallyacknowledgedthat
risk-takingreinforceseconomicgrowthatthe macro level,atthe microlevel there appearstobe less
certaintyaboutthe relationshipbetweenriskexposure anddevelopmentorwellbeing−in particular,
the questionof whetherthe greaterriskexposure will be mitigatedbythe greaterresilience linkedwith
higherincomes.Inmuchof the literature,the ‘higherrisk’counterpartof the ‘higherprofit’outcomeis
not questioned –butthis isto ignore importantimplicationsforriskandresilience.

6. REFERRENCES
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• http://www.ruralmonitor.in/nlmreport/BNVs-Assessment_13-14_Phase-I.pdf.
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• “Climate Change andIndia- 4*4 AssessmentReport,Ministryof EnvironmentandForests.”
• http://www.fema.gov/community-emergency-response-teams.
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