The Americas
From HFA-PEDIA
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Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas
The Americas encompass 35 sovereign nation states (and 15 overseas territories and house approximately 14% of the human population in about 28% of the Earths land surface. It is made up of the following subregions: North America, Central America, South America comprising both the Andean region and the Southern Cone, and the Caribbean. While UNISDR's regional unit was previously for Latin America and the Caribbean, this was extended to include Canada and USA in 2007, thus leading to the current focus of UNISDR Americas as the regional unit for the hemisphere.
The Americas is a region exposed to multiple hazards with dynamic and complex patterns of social, economic and environmental processes that are heightening levels of disaster risk. In particular, population growth and rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and climate change are important aspects that represent great challenge to disaster risk reduction in the Americas.
Independent countries of the Americas:
Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenadines, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay and Venezuela.
Overseas territories:
Anguilla (UK), Aruba (Netherlands), Bermuda (UK), British Virgin Islands (UK), Cayman Islands (UK), French Guiana (France), Guadeloupe (France), Martinique (France), Montserrat (UK), Netherlands Antilles (Netherlands), Puerto Rico (USA), Saint Barthélemy (France), Saint Pierre and Miquelon (France), Turks and Caicos (UK), United States Virgin Islands (USA).
All nations states in the Americas with the exception of Canada, the USA, and the overseas territories are developing countries. According to the human development aggregates (UNDP, 2006), 14 countries scored within the high human development group (Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Bahamas; Barbados; Canada; Chile; Costa Rica; Cuba; Mexico; Panama; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Trinidad and Tobago; United States and Uruguay); 20 countries are included in the medium human development group (Belize; Bolivia; Brazil; Colombia; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Ecuador; El Salvador; Grenada; Guatemala; Guyana; Honduras; Jamaica; Nicaragua; Paraguay; Peru; Saint Lucia; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; Suriname; and Venezuela). Only Haiti falls within the Least Development Countries (LDCs).
All types of natural hazardous events occur in the Americas. From landslides to volcanic eruptions, from hurricanes to earthquakes, wildland fires, floods and drought, the Americas constitutes a multi-hazard scenario, where combined with socio-economic and environmental vulnerable conditions, results in numerous and widespread small, medium and large disasters. In the last three decades alone, an estimated 160 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean were affected by disasters associated to the occurrence of natural hazards.
Recent advances in DRR in the Americas
Making Cities Resilient to Disasters: My City is getting ready!
A regional launch of the Making Cities Resilient to Disasters: My City is getting ready! was held in the Americas in Lima, Peru on 31 May 2010 hosted by the Andean Community of Nations in partnership with UNISDR. Among cities that have signed up from the Americas are: Bogota (official communication), Quito (official communication), Santa Tecla (official communication), Port-au-Prince (certificate signed), Santa Fe (nomination form), Larreynaga-Malpasillo (certificate signed), Quezalguaque (certificate signed), Telica (certificate signed), Mexico City (certificate signed), as well as San Jose and Concepcion having made verbal commitments.
“We understand that there is an urgent need to come together in a campaign that will help us to better share ways to reduce urban risk, and therefore save lifes,” said Marcelo Ebrard, the mayor of Mexico City and chair of the World's Mayors Council on Climate Change.
Enrique Gomez Toruño, the mayor of Larreynaga-Malpaisillo, said: “It is fundamental that we as local leaders are conscious about the risks. We learned a lot during the recent influenza epidemics and before that from Hurricane Mitch, floods and landslides. We learned we have to invest more time, more capacities to reduce our risks.”
300 people were invited to the regional launch. The ceremony’s participants included General Luis Felipe Palomino, head of the National Civil Defense Institute of Peru; Dr. Ricardo Mena, head of the regional office of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR); Yves Jason Muscadin, Mayor of Port-au-Prince, Haiti; Luis Arturo Flores, Mayor of Cusco, Peru; Oscar Ortiz, Mayor of Santa Tecla, El Salvador; and representatives from other municipalities in Latin America and from different sub regional disaster management agencies: CEPREDENAC/SICA for Central America, CDEMA/ACS for the Caribbean, CAPRADE/CAN for the Andean nations, and REHU/MERCOSUR for the Southern Cone countries. Ricardo Mena, head of UNISDR’s regional office for the Americas, explained that “the overall goals of the 2010-0211 World Disaster Campaign are to ensure that as many local authorities as possible are prepared, and to develop an active, worldwide network of cities of different sizes, characteristics, and risk profiles. The campaign is aimed at increasing political commitment to disaster risk reduction and adaptation to climate change by local governments and mayors, using the media, conducting public awareness-raising activities, and developing technical tools for capacity building.”
A press release was also prepared surrounding this event.
Caribbean Community (CARICOM)
In the aftermath of the Haiti earthquake, OCHA for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs collaborated closely with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) - the disaster management body of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) – in search and rescue efforts, joint planning and assessments.
OCHA engages mainly with regional organisations including CDEMA regularly participate in regional events that are organized by OCHA. For example in June 2010, OCHA organized a workshop on Humanitarian Country Teams in Central America and the Caribbean, where CDEMA actively participated. This workshop brought together UN humanitarian entities, Red Cross/Crescent Movement, international NGOs and regional organisations to exchange best practices and lessons learnt on humanitarian coordination in Haiti and Chile. CARICOM - CDEMA also participated in the third Regional Meeting on Enhancing Humanitarian Partnerships (Latin America and the Caribbean) held in Buenos Aires, from 16 -18 June 2010, co-organized by Argentina and OCHA. Disaster response mechanisms; national and regional preparedness; and strengthening coordination between international agencies and national authorities were the principal elements discussed during the meeting.
In July 2008, the Heads of Government of CARICOM signed an agreement establishing the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Council on the transition agenda for the inception of CDEMA. This change from CDERA to CDEMA, effective as of September 1, 2009, represents the concretization of an organizational transition and strategic shift in focus from disaster preparedness and response to comprehensive disaster management. The first meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) of CDEMA was held in Nassau, Bahamas in May 2010 with support of UNISDR.
Central American Integration System (SICA)
The XXXV Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Central American Integration took place in Panama City, on the 28-30 June 2010, with the participation of official delegations of Member States in which the Central American Policy for an Integral Disaster Risk Management was presented by the Central American Coordination Center for Natural Disaster Prevention (CEPREDENAC) and approved by Heads of State. This policy responds to the need to update the regional commitments aimed at reducing risks and preventing disasters, thus contributing to a vision of integral and safe development in Central America.
MERCOSUR
The Presidents of the MERCOSUR State Parties, on the occasion of the XXXVII Meeting of the Common Market Council in July 2009, recognized the need to socialize, streamline and strengthen the efforts in the region for humanitarian assistance in disasters of natural or anthropic origin, agreeing to promote the "Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015" and allowing for a comprehensive approach to disasters, prevention, mitigation and recovery efforts. They decided to strengthen national systems for prevention, mitigation and disaster management, by promoting multisectoral, interdisciplinary, interagency risk management policies at local, national and regional levels through the establishment of an institutional mechanism for prevention coordination and cooperation.
The Declaration of Florianópolis was approved by the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean participating in the Second Regional Meeting on Enhancing International Humanitarian Partnerships, in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brazil, on 2-4 September 2009.
Andean Community of Nations (CAN)
CAPRADE has been promoting greater coordination among regional intergovernmental agencies within the region of the Americas, working more closely with CEPREDENAC, CDEMA and REHU.
CAPRADE continues to promote the Andean Strategy for Disaster Prevention and Relief as the main policy instrument for disaster reduction in this sub-region. The Andean Strategy has been the result of an intense work that gathered 280 entities and more than 450 national practitioners and experts in round tables and workshops, conducted in every member country.
Hemispheric level - Organization of American States (OAS)
The first session of the Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was held in Panama City, Panama from March 17-19, 2009 with the purpose of establishing a formal multi-stakeholder mechanism at the hemispheric level. The Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas is expected to become the main regional forum for all parties involved in disaster risk reduction and the ISDR system, namely the Governments of the 35 sovereign States, United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, regional bodies, civil society, the private sector, and the scientific and academic communities.
From 14-16 April 2010-07-06, approximately 250 participants gathered in Santa Marta, Colombia for the Second Hemispheric Encounter on National Mechanisms and Networks for Disaster Risk Reduction: “Encounter of Santa Marta: From Theory to Practice”. The Encounter of Santa Marta was convened and organized by the Government of Colombia, through the Ministry of the Interior and Justice and its Directorate for Risk Management for Disaster Prevention and Relief (DGRPAD), the General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS), through its Department of Sustainable Development (OAS/DSD), and UNISDR Americas. The main objective of this Encounter was to foster the sharing and exchange of successful experiences and good practices in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation, as implemented by existing National Mechanisms and Networks in the hemisphere and to advance the establishment and strengthening of National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
Participants included national DRR and climate change focal points as well as representatives from the different sectors, civil society and the public and private sectors, regional intergovernmental organizations, international cooperation agencies, development banks and donours; NGOs, the academic sector and technical specialists.
The main objective of the Encounter was to foster the sharing and exchange of successful experiences and good practices in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change Adaptation, as implemented by existing National Mechanisms and Networks in the hemisphere. The ultimate goal was to advance the establishment and strengthening of National Platforms for Disaster Risk Reduction under the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).
Thematic sessions were successfully held surrounding: i) Financing: Risk Transfer, Resource Management, Public and Private Investment, Financing Instruments; ii) Institutionalization (sectorial agendas, planning at different government levels, decentralization, civil society participation); iii) Disaster Risk Management and Adaptation to Climate Change (Watershed Management, Environmental Management, Use of Climate Change Scenarios); iv) Land-use Planning (Codes and Standards, Geographic Information Systems, Territorial Planning, Resettlement Programs, Urban and Rural Human Settlements); and v) Preparedness, Early Warning and Education: (Early Warning Systems, Emergency Preparedness, Mutual Aid Protocols, Public Education and Awareness Raising).
Special Sessions were also held surrounding a session on HFA Progress Reporting, on Creating a Segment of Universities to train Policy Makers in Risk Management and Development and a Session of the SPIDER Thematic Partnership LAC Space-based Applications for Managing Risk Reduction and Emergency Response in Latin America and the Caribbean. 110 good practices were compiled prior to this meeting, several of which were presented at the meeting in Colombia. The good practices will be made available in a systematized way for which UNISDR Americas is currently in the process of recruiting a consultant to oversee this and ensure follow-up.
2007 Reports
Findings from the 2007 Regional Report for Latin America and the Caribbean (May 25, 2007)
The continual challenge of inadequate regulatory policies or effective implementation of existent controls, combined with inadequate urban and environmental management, and social inequality make Latin America – and many parts of the Caribbean too - the region with the World’s greatest disparities between poor and rich. This adversely affects large segments of society who live in substandard conditions. Additionally, inadequate ecologically-oriented controls result in overexploited and damaged environment which adds to increasing social and environmental vulnerability in many parts of the region.
Environmental degradation is affecting the overall foundation for disaster risk resilience in the region. Almost 200,000 hectares of forest has been lost in the last 30 years in Latin America and the Caribbean. Over one quarter of Central America is affected by soil erosion, while South American figures in general are on the rise while currently totaling 14%.
The Americas is a multi-hazard scenario where some dynamic and complex patterns of social, economic and environmental processes are
worsening levels of disaster risk. In particular, population growth and rapid urbanization, environmental degradation, and climate change are current, and likely future, influences of immense challenge to disaster risk reduction in the Americas.
Disaster risk management today: global contexts, local tools
This new publication provides state of the art information on selected areas of disaster risk reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean. The contents are tailored for a broad audience, including professionals, policy makers, practitioners, as well as those who generate policies for action. The Hyogo Framework for Action and its implementation serves as the overall reference for the publication, which focuses on local sustainable development, land use planning and risk management at the municipal level.
Index of full text document (Spanish only)
Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)
CRED Annual Disaster Statistic Review 2007
In 2007, there was a high level of disaster occurrence in the Americas, particularly in the Caribbean and Central America. These two regions were badly affected by a large number of meteorological and hydrological disasters. The number of meteorological disasters was especially high in the Caribbean, where the number of reported tropical cyclones in 2007 (16) was almost double the 2000-2006 average (8.4).
In terms of human impact, the number of reported victims in 2007 was well above the average. South and Central America were the worst affected. Together they accounted for over 85% of the total number of victims in the Americas. These regions experienced exceptional hydrological and climatological events. Mexico, Colombia and Bolivia, for instance, suffered several record floods affecting more than 1.6 million people in Mexico and Colombia and more than 800 000 in
Bolivia. More than 1 million people suffered from a drought in Brazil and more than 800 000 others were affected by a prolonged period of cold in Peru, Argentina, Chile, and Bolivia. In terms of mortality, the earthquake that hit the south of Peru in August, with 519 people reported killed, was the Americas deadliest disaster in 2007.
The amount of economic damage reported in the Americas in 2007 was highly influenced by a few major events, such as the flood in Mexico, a wildfire and a winter storm in the USA, and the earthquake in Peru. These caused damage worth US$ 3, 2.5, and 2 billion respectively.
Meteorological disasters remained the major source of economic damage (8 US$ billion), accounting for more than 45% of all the damage reported in the region. It is difficult to compare the 2007 figure for economic damage caused by meteorological disasters with the average for earlier years, because, the exceptionally high economic damage caused by hurricane Katrina in 2005 inflated this average. Excluding Katrina, the annual average was US$ 20 billion.
Although the USA was the country most badly hit in 2007, the share of its population affected was low compared to that in other major countries in the Americas. Bolivia, Peru and Colombia were also particularly badly affected this year.
Previous advances
For detailed information on previous disaster risk reduction activities:
Americas Regional Overview 2005-2006 elaborated in preparation for the 2007 Global Assessment Report.
Hyogo Framework in the Latin American Region – Priorities for Action & Initiatives (2005), and
Implementation of the HFA: Institutional Arrangement in the Great Caribbean
Related documents
A regional case study on the role of the affected state in humanitarian action
Patricia Weiss Fagen, Georgetown University
HPG Working Paper
October 2008
See also
Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas: on HFA-Pedia or Webpage
