Logo

Components of an Integrated Program for Flood Vulnerability Reduction and the Development of Local Warning Systems in Central America

POLICIES TO REDUCE VULNERABILITY

Establishment at regional, national, and local levels, of goals and objectives for reducing the flood vulnerability of small river basins.
Coordination among the organizations responsible for economic and social development, the reduction of vulnerability, and disaster response in their various facets; in particular, among four key sectors:

Participants at the workshop

Participants at the Hydrological analysis, Monitor, and Prediction of Floods Training Workshop
(San José, Costa Rica)

  1. Municipal governments and national, public, and local entities for planning, health, water resource, and emergency management;
  2. Economic sectors, such as agriculture, transportation, and energy;
  3. Local and national non-government organizations, and private voluntary organizations active in the management of the environment, community development, infrastructure, and humanitarian assistance;and
  4. Regional and international organizations with interest in sustainable development and the reduction of natural disasters.

PLANNING PROCESSES FOR MANAGEMENT AND RESPONSE

Inclusion of analysis of the vulnerability of the population and of the economic and social infrastructure of the river basins.

Identification of basins most likely to suffer damages from flooding.

Development of mitigation programs based on the history of regional natural disasters, analysis of vulnerability to floods, and the design of structural and non structural mitigation activities.

Site selection for the instalation of measurement instruments
Selecting sites for the instalation of
water measurement instruments in the Banano River Basin

(Costa Rica
)

Instalation of a water gage

Instalation of a water gage with participation of community volunteers from Bajo Lempa
(El Salvador
)

 

DAMAGE MITIGATION PROJECTS IN RIVER VALLEYS

Execution of projects to reduce vulnerability to floods, and development of local warning systems in minor river basins. Such projects should be multi-sectorial, multi-disciplinary, and of a participatory nature. In order to be qualified as integrated management projects, they must include activities in the following five thematic areas:

  1. Hydrological analysis, design of warning systems, and flood forecasting models at the river-basin level;

  2. Hydrological measurement, local monitoring and flood warning systems;

  3. Analysis of the vulnerability of the river basin to floods;

  4. Planning for vulnerability reduction and the implementation of mitigation measures; and

  5. Community preparation, emergency plans, management of flood events and rehabilitation.

COMMUNITY PREPAREDNESS FOR EMERGENCY WARNING AND RESPONSE

Implementation of warning systems and local response in the river basins identified as vulnerable. This objective requires:
  1. The participation of local and national entities involved in the management of emergencies, education, and public health, as well as community leaders and volunteers at the local level; and

  2. The implementation of a preparedness program, presented in the form of local workshops and response simulations.

 

Up

Instalation of scales

Instalation of scales to measure the increase in the river flow of the Lempa River
(El Salvador
)