Objectives of DRP-CLV for Vietnam

According to the Introductory section of the Inception Report, "The DRP-CLV's plans and activities for Vietnam will focus mainly on the development of short- and medium-term strategies on community disaster management awareness program for the flood prone areas in Central Vietnam." The report continues

Detailed Activities for Vietnam

1. Development of Short- and Medium-Term Strategies on Community Disaster Management Awareness Program for the Flood Prone Areas in Central Provinces of Vietnam.

2. Conduct a pilot community disaster management awareness program [sic] focus on communities' safe places and flood preparedness plan in selected districts and communities to verify effectiveness of selected element(s) of short-term strategies.

Rationale for the Project
The need for a project of this kind is underscored by many reports, fact-finding and project based, governmental and non-governmental, on disaster preparedness and mitigation in Vietnam. Apart from recognition of the need to move from relief assistance alone to both preparedness and relief assistance, another paradigm shift is also taking place. The past focus for water related disaster preparedness in Vietnam has been on structural/physical measures such as building dykes. Experience now indicates that, for a more holistic approach, non-structural solutions such as education, public awareness and risk communication are important supplementary and complementary activities in the roster of disaster preparedness programs. As their worth is being understood, non-structural solutions are gaining footing and being recognized as having critical utility in fighting natural disasters. These solutions empower communities and individuals, returning at least partial decision making to them, rather than create a dependency within these individuals on institutions and systems. Hence capacity building in non-structural solutions is increasing, and this project falls squarely within this framework.

Specific micro-level data are available that support this move to couple non-structural solutions with structural measures. For example, data from the 1999 floods indicate that people were unaware of the dangers of flooding. People became trapped in their attics, which are generally considered safe places by them for storage of paddy, etc. Several lost their lives in attempting to save property or rescue others.

In general, people have little awareness of water safety and proper rescue behavior, and swimming skills are rudimentary. Also, villagers do not know how to interpret the information (example, the three storm levels) that is provided to them when a water related disaster occurs. The quality of this information may also be questionable because it does not provide clear directions for preparation or evacuation.

The particular non-structural orientation outlined above (i.e., risk communication) is critical in and of itself but is also supported by government priorities. One of the main objectives of the government for water disaster preparedness in Central Vietnam is "training and education to improve community awareness-basic knowledge regarding floods and storms and effective measure for preparedness should be propagated broadly to villages, families units [sic] and individuals" (from material ADPC sent, no source cited). Strategies to meet this objective include both awareness programs in communities and education programs in schools with some emphasis also on community responsibility.

Two issues however need to be kept in mind. First, it needs to be recognized that for non-structural solutions to work effectively, corresponding structural solutions must be in place. For example, if the public is taught to recognize the three levels of warning, then the warning system needs to be in place and timely in issuing warnings. Second, it is critical that where and when appropriate non-structural solutions are planned and implemented with input from and involvement of local people, namely the target audience and local implementers, to create a sense of ownership of and investment in these solutions. The people then feel that they are part of the solution--its creation and its implementation and therefore also its maintenance post-project completion. This not only creates a sense of empowerment which is necessary for project success but also, particularly in a decentralizing economy such as Vietnam's, develops confidence and ability among local leaders and the public in localized problem solving and decision making. Finally, the life skills they learn in the process, while intended for coping with the vagaries of nature, are not limited in their benefit to this purpose; rather, the skills may be applied by them to solve other problems at other times.