Community Response

Following a disaster, the most effective response tends to be local, because they are on the scene immediately and know the community and area best. The reality is that often, locals have no choice but to respond, as external assistance can be slow to arrive. The most effective community response occurs when pre-disaster planning has created and maintained skilled local teams flexible enough to deal with a variety of circumstances. Wide-ranging teams assist in overcoming the limitations of community response.

Creating and continuing successful disaster risk reduction requires support and action from individuals to global organizations. Top-down support, impetus, and guidance is useful, especially for providing resources, [Page 80]setting and enforcing legal frameworks, and standardizing methods and definitions. But wide involvement and strong initiatives at the ...