User:WilyMango/sandbox2

Second sample page, building the 2016-2017 Zimbabwe floods overview and lessons learned sections. This is my sandbox to collect references and ideas.

Lessons Learned

The Government of Zimbabwe, UN agencies, NGOs, international experts, and academics studied the flooding event, disaster response, and recovery, prompting recommendations to enhance preparedness and the effectiveness of future actions.

Strengthen Monitoring and Early Warning Systems

Zimbabwe’s Meteorological Service Department operates an emergency warning system that broadcasts weather forecasts and emergency messages by mobile phone, radio, and newspaper. However, not all areas of the country are monitored by weather stations, warning messages are not always timely and in a language spoken by audiences, nor do they provide actionable instructions to follow. Post-disaster analyses recommended strengthened early warning systems that communicate clear emergency instructions promptly, including by SMS at no charge to receivers, that are tailored to each hazard zone and audience in an appropriate language.

Decentralize Authority and Supplies

Disaster Risk Management (DRM) authority is centralized within the national Department of Civil Production (DCP), an agency which devotes limited resources to provincial and district levels. Post-disaster assessments recommended building capacity for disaster response within communities to enhance preparedness and recovery. Community volunteers understand local contexts and can respond quickly to help their communities recover. Reallocating emergency supply stocks, including shelters, clothing, WASH materials, medicines, and construction supplies to hazard zones where they are most likely to be needed ahead of disasters will improve the speed and effectiveness of response.

Consider Women, Children, and Vulnerable Populations

Most people displaced by the floods were women and children. Post-disaster assessments found that women, children, and other vulnerable populations like the elderly and disabled were disproportionately burdened by the disaster, yet their needs were not adequately considered by responders.

Access to safe water and sanitation has a significant impact on women and girls, who experience difficulty with menstrual hygiene management, leading to the increased risk of disease and physical violence. Restricted water access is a double burden for women in Zimbabwe, who are culturally responsible for walking longer distances to collect and carry it to their families from safe sources. Temporary shelter accommodations are crowded, poorly lit, and lack privacy, increasing the risk of gender-based violence and sexual assault of women and children.

Prioritization of gender considerations is recommended in all aspects of disaster planning and response. These include improved privacy for women and children, more lighting and police presence in shelter camps, including sanitary kits for women in emergency supplies, identification and protection of unaccompanied minors, and prioritizing nutrition and humanitarian aid provided to women, children, and other vulnerable populations.

Increase Available Budgets and Resources

Zimbabwe's national budget does not allocate funds for disaster resource management, therefore the DCP must request funding annually from the treasury and on an ad-hoc basis through contingency accounts as disasters occur. This slow and bureaucratic process results in insufficient and delayed funding, which focuses entirely on disaster response rather than preparation and risk management.

DCP received an annual budget of US$286,000 in 2017, (.004% of the national budget). The 2011 Disaster Risk Management Act bill, designed to overhaul the nation's disaster risk management to be better in-line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction and provide a minimum of 1% of the national budget for DRM, has yet to be signed into law.

Recognizing that the government was in a financially stressed position with poor liquidity, multiple analyses concluded that additional funding is necessary for disaster preparedness and response activities. Reports recommend that budgets consider the long-term needs for recovery and possible relocation of affected populations, not limited to the immediate disaster response. Distribution of funds to local levels further support community disaster response capacity building and engagement in preparation and post-disaster recovery. Approval and enforcement of the Disaster Risk Management Act bill is recommended by the reports as a positive step towards providing financial stability and structural reforms that will improve access to resources for disaster risk management.

Integrate Disaster Risk Management with Development

Rain from Cyclone Dineo caused 140 private and communal dams to breach, exacerbating flooding conditions as overflowing water inundated downstream communities. This negative impact of human development on the disaster's effects demonstrates how integrating disaster resource management with development is critical for building resilience, reducing vulnerabilities, and fostering sustainable growth. Pre- and post-disaster analyses of Zimbabwe's disaster readiness reveal that disaster risk management techniques are not known in government ministries outside of civil protection, including those responsible for infrastructure and economic development. They recommend involving those involved in development policymaking and planning, such as regional economists, receive training on disaster resource management, including indigenous knowledge systems used by local communities, as a part of long-term development strategy.

Source Materials

Mubaya paper finding that engagement across climate and emergency stakeholders is necessary for effective disaster management, specifically referencing these floods, ie., don't work in a silo. It's not a slam dunk but possibly helpful.

Paper by Mugambiwa finds that human activity influences the severity of flooding events in Zimbabwe, but that rural villages have also created adaptation strategies. This also mentions the downstream health impacts of flooding in Zimbabwe, which may be useful in other sections.

Tshuma paper that discusses the outcomes of WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) programs aiding victims of flooding in the Tsholotsho District (our flood zone), which may be referenced as a response to repeated flooding. Survey respondents include those relocated from the 2016-2017 flood season (p4).

Second Tshuma paper about the community response; recommends need to adhere to building codes (good idea), finds that socioeconomic status, health condition, age, and gender contribute to vulnerability.

Nyoni academic interview with survivors of the floods, three years later. This mostly discusses long-term health outcomes but also concludes with government failures (housing, water/sanitation, alternative livelihoods) as a lesson learned.

The Red Cross produced an Emergency Plan of Action analysis report for this event, which includes a summary of the event, Red Cross activities, and also a detailed lessons learned section, which includes findings from a workshop dedicated to the topic. The Lessons Learnt workshop identified 8 key lessons (my interpretation -- see the document):

1. Floods are long-term events. Response plans and budgets must consider the needs of long-term recovery, and relocation, where appropriate.
2. Communication with the victims improves awareness of activities/plans and ultimately recovery results. Communities may not understand the severity of the situation. Note: literacy may be an issue, reducing the effectiveness of signage/bulletins.
3. Capacity building in local community groups is advised to develop a force of volunteer emergency responders in disaster prone areas. (decentralization of response theme)
4. Effective coordination among actors is necessary to share information and efficiently procure/use resources in a timely manner that achieves greater economies of scale.
5. Emergency supplies must be located in disaster prone communities, not housed in far away warehouses or awaiting procurement. (decentralization of response)
6. Weather / disaster monitoring systems are necessary to quickly mobilize response teams and warn affected populations before disaster strikes. (proactive rather than reactive theme)
7. Disaster plans must consider the sanitation needs of women/girls, which are often ignored in disaster response. Note: arguably this them may be expanded to include elderly, or disabled (reference needed).
8. Development plans must consider disaster impact. The Red Cross report cites that the breaching of 140+ community dams during the event exacerbated flooding as they were toppled by the storm. This matter is also discussed (arguably predicted) by Mavurha in 2016.