Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM)

With increasing trends of disasters, communities as well as the institutions engaged in disaster management were compelled to be proactive to reduce the impact of disasters. Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) approach gained wider acceptance by the Sri Lanka government and other DM actors as a key strategy to develop community capacity and resilience. SLRCS has been identified as one of the key actor in implementing CBDRM interventions in the Government Road Map and the National Disaster Management Plan.

In line with the government framework, SLRCS CBDRM interventions focused on conducting participatory risk profiling through hazard, vulnerability and capacity assessments followed by developing community risk reduction plans, organizing community as village disaster management committees, training community level response teams and equipping with response gear, identifications of safe evacuation routes, installation of signboards, conducting simulation exercises/drills, identifying and implementing small scale community managed mitigation activities, carrying out DM awareness programmes and distribution of information, education and communication materials.

School programme is implemented as part of the CBDRM programme to develop a culture of preparedness among the school community.   This includes formation of school based disastermanagement unit, formation and training of safety teams, development of school level disaster risk reduction plans and maps, implementation of school level disaster mitigation and preparedness activities and carrying out mock drills.

As a result of the CBDRM interventions of SLRCS DM Department the Vulnerable communities are more resilient to disasters, have better capacities to prepare for, cope with and mitigate disasters with higher self-reliant sense; the SLRCS has CBDRM more integrated with other programmes (Watsan, LLH, PSP, etc.) in coordination with other organisation. During last 4 years after tsunami 2004 SLRCS has implemented its CBDRM programme in 18 districts covering 185 communities and 189 schools covering 161,869 families. SLRCS DM programme has planned to its CBDRM in few more districts namely Anuradhapura, Polonnaurwa, Vavuniya, Jaffna, Kandy, Hambantota, Ampara, Trincomalee, Ratnapura, Nuwaraeliya, Gampaha and Matale during next 3 years.