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Older People Important Actors in Disaster Prevention
HelpAge Germany
World
April 7, 2010
According to the organization HelpAge Germany, older people face particular threats from the increasing number of natural disasters, but are normally not identified as a vulnerable group. HelpAge believes older people's rights, needs and capabilities must be recognised in all emergency programmes and they must be integrated into local disaster management systems.
Relief agencies should consult with, and actively engage, older people in decision making and programme design and delivery, to improve the appropriateness of service delivery and preventive measures. Programmes must be inclusive and accessible by all, and inter-generational approaches and the use of older people’s committees are both techniques that can assist in achieving this.
HelpAge Germany and the German Federal Foreign Office supported an innovative project in disaster affected areas of Bangladesh. A recently finished one-year project in the Bagerhat district of Bangladesh – severely affected by the cyclone 'Sidr' in 2007 and regularly affected by floods – supported the creation of 180 ward level Older People’s Associations and 20 union level Older People’s Committees, training older people and their representatives in vulnerability and capacity assessment, developing and implementing disaster risk reduction action plans and organizing mock demonstrations for older people and their communities. Volunteers were trained in order to support older people in case of a disaster. More than 2,000 older people engaged in the local and union level committees, more than 1,300 participated in trainings and workshops and more than 12,000 people in mock demonstrations.
Specific attention was centred on the sensitization of political decision-makers and media personnel thus supporting the inclusion of older people’s concerns into public disaster management policies and media coverage. More than 200 participants from the central and regional government and a variety of print media were reached through workshops and seminars.
These events demonstrated a growing sensitivity for mainstreaming ageing into disaster risk reduction plans and disaster management systems. Important recommendations were also developed by the participants aiming to achieve:
- increase of intergenerational solidarity in disaster situations
- inclusion of older people in all disaster management measures
- utilization of older peoples experience in disaster risk reduction
- making relief distribution systems more older peoples friendly
- taking older people friendly rehabilitation measures
- using cash support in emergencies
The cyclone 'Aila,' which took place during the project period already proved the increased engagement of older people in relief activities and the growing recognition by the local and regional administration.
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