Saving lives through better preparedness

Climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events which is threatening lives, livelihoods, and food security. Australia is helping to mitigate these devastating consequences by supporting coordinated preparedness efforts to better anticipate, respond and recover.

Every year in Sri Lanka, hazards such as floods and landslides cause a loss of lives and destroys livelihoods, resulting in millions of rupees in damage. Over the years, these hazards have become more severe, straining the coping mechanisms of affected families, influencing the decisions and trade-offs made by them, and negatively impacting nutrition and food security.

Effective emergency preparedness allows for efficient and timely response in times of crisis. Early action, coordination and appropriateness of response are critical to saving lives, alleviating suffering, and ensuring those who are affected do not have to resort to negative coping mechanisms.

Several years of consecutive climate-related disasters, including floods and landslides in 2015 and 2016, prompted the government to conduct a disaster response needs assessment in2016. Findings indicated gaps in emergency preparation and response with urgent action required to bolster disaster risk management.

Through the partnership withDFAT, WFP has supported government authorities with disaster risk management initiatives such as conducting simulation exercises. This important exercise provides local disaster management responders with insight into their roles and responsibilities during a response situation and a chance to see how policies work in practice.

A simulation exercise was held in the Akuressa Division that faces many incidents of widespread flooding and landslides. The initiative included a tabletop exercise to understand the decision-making process alongside a practical demonstration on how to run a safety centre in line with global standards.

The exercise was an eyeopener for us, to connect many missing dots in the emergency management process, which is the important outcome of this event
-Divisional Secretary, Akuressa.

This simulation exercise helped them prepare for the upcoming monsoon season, during which they experienced an onset of continuous downpour of torrential rains which wreaked havoc in the Akuressa Division, bringing strong flash floods that swept away homes and farmlands. TheDivisional Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) anticipating the imminent flood, immediately activated the divisional emergency management plan, putting into practice what they had learnt during the simulation exercise. Early warning messages were disseminated to the communities by megaphone as soon as weather reports showed the impending rainfall. The awareness helped to successfully evacuate communities to pre-identified safety centres in time, before the disaster struck. WFP and the Divisional Secretariat officers jointly developed risk and scenario maps of the area, and the Search and Rescue teams were well-coordinated with the EOC. Divisional authorities managed the safety centres without delay, while sub committees handled their tasks effectively.

Knowing what to do and when to do it was the key factor that led to the success of the Akuressa Division’s emergency response, proving yet again, the value and significance of emergency preparedness, simulation training and activation of procedures and protocols in time before a disaster.

As the world we live in becomes even more volatile, complex, and fast paced, preparing for emergencies and planning a response to it is critical to ensure people have access to food, even in times of emergencies. The generous support from Australia has been pivotal to the success of these disaster risk management initiatives.