1. Integrating Disaster Risk into Development
Hazards and Opportunities
Adrian Sayers

2. Presentation Focus
Show relevance of disaster mitigation to development in the Western Cape
Show the opportunities & hazards in integrating disaster mitigation into prov. structures and processes
Show the hazardous impact of past perceptions on disaster risk management
Underline importance of strategic advocacy in aligning disaster risk with other human security issues and provincial structures/processes

3. Background Information on the “Cape of Storms”
Population approximately 4 million
Total land area of 1.3 million km2 , km coastline
Vast socio-economic disparities
Exposure to extreme weather conditions
Diverse ecosystems, including desert interior and coastal forests

4. The ‘Hazard’ of Past Perceptions of Disasters
Inadequacy of past approaches in C.M.A. (in just one year, from Aug ’99-July 2000)
1 x tornadic storm
1 x major wild fire
Thousands of informal settlement fires

5. The ‘Manenberg Tornado’ August 1999
Picture Source:

6. The South Peninsula Fires (January, 2000)
Picture Source:

7. Informal Settlements at-Risk (Floods)
Photo source: Cape Argus, August 2001

8. Developmental Impact of these events
Direct and indirect economic loss (diversion of funds from development priorities)
Environmental loss (impact on tourist income & increased erosion/landslide risk)
Lost lives, livelihoods, housing, impacts on health and sense of security

9. governance and civil responsibility
These losses illustrate how past perceptions about disasters have effectively disengaged our management of disaster risk from other aspects of development planning, responsible
governance and civil responsibility

10. ….because, in the past we
Focused mainly on large, but rare economically costly disasters
Considered that disasters were events that should be managed, rather than being a civil responsibility to prevent/mitigate
Compartmentalized different disasters according to constituency-specific and sector-specific categories

11. The Implications from an Institutional Perspective
Difficulty in determining ‘true’ developmental cost of repeated disaster incidents across sectors & communities
‘Fragmentation’ of government, non-governmental, private sector and other responses
Marginalisation of the field from mainstream of development planning

12. Strategic Advocacy: “Moving Disaster Risk into the Mainstream”
It needs:
Clarity on disaster risk & its developmental relevance
Understanding political process, incl. Prov. planning, budgeting, institutional structures
Political receptivity & opportunity for civil society to engage
Organized civil society response

13. In the Western Cape,
Disaster risk reduction is increasingly viewed as a priority for human security (like crime prevention & health promotion)
It now features as a key priority of the Province’s next 3-4 yr Strategic Plan, with likely budget commitments
Perceived as a ‘transversal’ function
It promotes focused consultation between government and civil society, & adds value to processes of cooperative governance

14. Sustainable development in our “Cape of Storms”
Cape requires commitment to promote both:
a “culture of responsible local governance”
and
a “culture of disaster prevention”