Working with communities to prepare for disasters and reduce their impact.
IFRC Disaster Response and Preparedness
IFRC Go aims to make all disaster information universally accessible and useful to IFRC responders for better decision making.
Disaster preparedness refers to measures taken to prepare for and reduce the effects of disasters. That is, to predict and, where possible, prevent disasters, mitigate their impact on vulnerable populations, and respond to and effectively cope with their consequences.
Disaster preparedness provides a platform to design effective, realistic and coordinated planning, reduces duplication of efforts and increase the overall effectiveness of National Societies, household and community members disaster preparedness and response efforts. Disaster preparedness activities embedded with risk reduction measures can prevent disaster situations and also result in saving maximum lives and livelihoods during any disaster situation, enabling the affected population to get back to normalcy within a short time period.
Disaster preparedness is a continuous and integrated process resulting from a wide range of risk reduction activities and resources rather than from a distinct sectoral activity by itself. It requires the contributions of many different areas—ranging from training and logistics, to health care, recovery, livelihood to institutional development.
Reducing risks
Vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA)
Disaster preparedness tools
Recent additions to the resources library
The Training Toolkit for Community Early Warning Systems is an operational manual that aims to strengthen early warning systems in a developing country context. It accompanies and should put into practice the guiding strategic principles found in the C …
Based on the knowledge of the Red Cross Red Crescent in disaster risk management and additional experience gained by partners through pioneering programs such as Partners for Resilience, the Minimum Standards for local climate-smart DRR have been devel …
The IFRC network is in a unique position to advise on, advocate for, and implement community-based climate action and disaster risk reduction. Our ongoing presence in communities enables greater trust, which is critical to ensure the sustainability of …
News stories
By Dr. Michael Charles All countries in the Southern Africa are currently experiencing pockets of dryness. Worryingly for the sub-region, Angola, Botswana, Namibia and Zimbabwe have declared state of emergencies due to looming drought. The United Natio …
Today South Africa marks Women’s Day. Much like the women being commemorated for the march to the Union Buildings on 9 August 1956, women in southern Africa today may well hold the same flint that lights a “new movement” – climate change. Southern Africa is one of the regions projected to experience the most serious consequences of global warning and the El Niño effect. In 2019, we experienced one of the worst disasters the region has ever seen – Cyclone Idai ravaged communities in Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe and continue to rebuild their lives.
By Agnes Ndaaba The rainy season in Uganda brings mixed feelings and reactions. To some, it is welcome while to others, it spells doom and awakens very bad memories. In April, Buyende District was at the receiving end of Mother Nature following heavy r …
Red Cross volunteers in the Indian state of Odisha are ramping up efforts to warn 20 million people of the imminent and potentially deadly arrival of Cyclone Fani. Fani is predicted to make landfall on India’s east coast on 3 May. It is expected to bri …
