Emergency Preparedness Planning Workshop

Islamabad, July 31, 2006

Aim and Objectives

Aim: To initiate practical measures that SC Alliance can undertake to

better prepare for future emergency work in Pakistan.

Objectives:
• To gain a better understanding of SC’s approach to emergency
preparedness planning and of the principle elements addressed.

• To build linkages for further collaboration between the SC Alliance

members in emergency planning through initiating development
of joint emergency preparedness plan for Pakistan.

• To develop an action plan for joint SC US, SC UK and SC Sweden

preparedness planning in Pakistan with identified timelines, staff
roles & duties.
• Parking Lot – issues that should
not be forgotten
• Norms – ground rules for
working together
An Emergency is …

an extraordinary situation in
which peoples lives and well
being are at such risk that
urgent action is required to
ensure their survival, protection
and well being.

ERM, Intro page 3

Types of Emergencies

terrorist
Rapid
onset

earthquake attack
volcano chemical plane crash
spill
flood

cyclone epidemic
war
onset
Slow

drought civil unrest

famine

Natural Manmade
Our experience with
emergencies in Pakistan

• Get in groups
• Label each card with date and
region of event on top
– Yellow = Man-made
– Green = natural
 Our experience with
emergencies in Pakistan
Manmade
Rapid
Slow

1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s

Rapid
Slow

Natural
Discussion

• Why does Save the Children need to

be prepared for emergencies?

• Save the Children will respond to any emergency

that puts at great risk the survival, protection, and
well-being of significant numbers of children,
where addressing the needs and well-being of
those children is beyond the indigenous coping
capacity, and where SC is able to mobilize the
financial and human resources to take urgent
action on their behalf. ERM, Intro, pg 2
Why Emergency
Preparedness
Planning?

• During the actual emergency,

quick and effective action is
required;
• However, this action often
depends on having plans in
place before the disaster
strikes.
• If response is delayed, lives will
be lost needlessly.
Aim of SC’s Emergency
Preparedness Planning

To ensure readiness at country/regional

level to respond to both natural and
complex political emergencies in our
programs, through collection of
information, analysis and planning.
The Planning Process
• Planning emergencies is a
process; its not a one-time
event.
• Planning is ineffective if all
affected parties are not
included.
• Therefore a team approach is
desirable.
• SC should communicate with
and coordinate their plans with
those of government agencies
The Planning Process
cnt’d
• This will improve planning
• Reduce duplication of efforts
• Make plans more realistic
• Increase overall effectiveness of
disaster response.
• Agencies can divide responsibilities
for different operations and plan
their actions accordingly.
• It may serve as a basis for
coordination among agencies.
Methodology Used in Planning

Emergency preparedness should be

undertaken through a thorough
consultation PROCESS between the SC
Alliance members involving as many
relevant staff as possible, with the aim of
inculcating the entire country programs
with an understanding of and
commitment to emergency readiness.
Main Points Of an EPP

• Planning is a process
• Communication and
coordination of plans
• Plan elements and Priorities
• Activities to ensure the plan is
implemented
• EPP outline sample
Principal Elements of
Preparedness

• Risks and Vulnerabilities

• External Preparedness

• Internal Capacity

• Preparedness Actions
Risks and Vulnerabilities

Vulnerability
is the propensity (susceptibility or
tendency) of people and things to be
damaged by a hazard. A person or group’s
vulnerability therefore depends on their
capacity to anticipate, cope with, resist and
recover from the impact of a hazard.

Risk
is the likelihood of a disaster happening to
a particular group of people, and can be
estimated by the frequency and severity of
a hazard when combined with the
vulnerability and capacity of people to
meet that hazard.
Risks and Vulnerabilities

In analysing Risks and Vulnerabilities

Save the Children focuses on children
and on households.

The highest risk factors are obviously

those that have a high probability of
occurring, and will have a large impact
if they occur.
Next - Based on the hazards drown on
the wall group them by types and fill
out the matrix.

Hazard Geographi Probabilit Likely HH Special

c Area y Impact Needs Needs for
Children
Next - Based on the matrix agree on
the scenario to be address during the
emergency preparedness planning
- Describe an emergency scenario that the emergency preparedness plan
addresses by taking into the consideration of highest risks and vulnerabilities
focused on children and households.

Suggested elements of the scenario to be considered are:

• Scenario Planning Assumptions (e.g. no warning, large population centers

affected, critical infrastructure seriously damaged or destroyed)

• Populations Affected (e.g. number of displaced, injured, fatalities)

• At Risk Populations (e.g. children, elderly, impoverished)

• Issues and Concerns (e.g. Evacuation of civilians to temporary shelters will

be required, food expected to be a problem)

• Duration of Emergency (e.g. 18 months for the most vulnerable of the

displaced population, 3 – 6 months for the rest of the affected population)

• Likely Triggers
External Preparedness

External
Stakeholders
External Preparedness

• Do they have prior experience in responding

to disasters?

• Which organisations have the capacity to

mount an emergency response in the areas of
health, food and nutrition, education, HIV,
and “social services?”

• Which organisations are likely to collect

disaster-related information and data on
affected populations (impacts in those areas)?
External Preparedness

Likely Gaps/Weaknesses in
Response
External Preparedness

Coordination

 How is an emergency response coordination

insured in Pakistan?

 What is the Save the Children link to the

officially recognised coordination body?
External Preparedness

• Identify your local partners that would

be willing/able to undertake an
immediate emergency response.

• Identify support they might need and is

there scope for Save the Children
collaborating with them.
External Preparedness

Major Constraints in Emergency

Response
Funding/Donors

• Identify Emergency Response Funds

Available Locally

• Identify Preferences of Local Donors

• Identify Possible Emergency Donors

Not Currently Present in Pakistan
Media

• What is the media coverage likely to be

in identified disaster scenario?

• Who in your offices, in addition to the

Field Office Director, is best suited to
articulate Save the Children’s position
to the media during an emergency?

• What elements of your ongoing

advocacy work could be usefully
integrated with emergency related
media messages?
Internal Capacity

Technical Areas of Competence

Internal Capacity

How do these areas of

competence correspond to the
likely gaps/weaknesses in
emergency response identified
above?
Internal Capacity

• What can Save the Children undertake

as an immediate response in Pakistan?

• Identify additional/new technical

competence required to introduce as a
component of your program’s
emergency response.

• Identify additional assistance/support

from the wider organisation or Alliance
that your office/country program would
require to respond.
Internal Capacity

• Does your program keep any reserve

stocks of materials that could form a
component of an emergency response?

• What types of materials would the field

office be able to procure on an
emergency (i.e. rapid) basis and to
what scale?
Internal Capacity

 Human Resources

 Finance

 Security
Identifying
Preparedness Actions

Risks & Vulnerabilities

.

External Internal
preparedness capacity

Areas for action

Preparedness actions
Identifying
Preparedness Actions

Areas for Action

Identifying
Preparedness Actions

Preparedness Actions
Preparedness - Action
Plan
Make it a Consultative/Participatory Process

 Persons in Charge of developing the joint SC Alliance Emergency

Preparedness Plan

 Delegation of Roles & Duties among those Staff in Charge of the

joint EPP

 Roles & Duties of the Rest of the Team Represented

Preparedness – Action
Plan
Timelines

 The first draft of the EPP to Soso– August 21, 2006

 Feedback on the first draft of the EPP – August 28,
2006
 Final adjustments/refinement made to the EPP by
the Alliance in-country team –Sept 8, 2006

 Approval by the Area Directors and Headquarters

Staff – Sept 30, 2006
Preparedness – Action
Plan
Timelines

 Implementation of the Preparedness Actions –

Ongoing

 Further Adjustments/Refinements to the EPP – As

Required

 Update the joint SC Alliance Emergency

Preparedness Plan – Every Two Years