Disaster Risk Reduction and Crisis Response

International News

2023 Global Survey Report on Persons with Disabilities and Disasters. “The results show limited progress in disability inclusion over the past 10 years, with no significant differences across the regions. [...] The world must act on unacceptable failures to protect persons with disabilities from disasters” (Oct, UNDRR)

How can we enhance inclusivity in warnings? 5 elements of ensuring early warnings of disasters inclusive. (Jul, Prevention Web)

Disability should not be a death sentence: global disaster response must be inclusive. (Jun, The BMJ)

Midterm Review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030: a position paper on disability. And takeaways from the midterm review. (May, CBM Global)

Towards more inclusive disaster risk-management policies (2022, World Bank)

Leave No One Behind a report on people with disabilities and older people in climate-related disasters. An overview of recent evidence and experiences directly from disabled people themselves. (2022, Human Rights Watch)

Feature on why are people with disabilities left out of disaster planning? (2022, Aljazeera)

Guidance Note on Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Management Operations An Exploration of Good Practices and Resources. (2022, Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery)

Including Persons with Disabilities in Disaster Risk Reduction: A Research Study from Eight Countries around the world:

“The study revealed that most disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction initiatives come from non-governmental stakeholders, rather than government agendas aimed at prioritizing and institutionalizing disability inclusion. These initiatives are often reactive (following disaster responses by governments and I/NGOs) or project-based (externally funded instead of being included in the annual budget planning), which raises concerns about the sustainability of these actions and the DiDRR itself.” (2022, Relief Web)

Short video on The Importance of Disability Inclusive Disaster Preparedness (2022, CBM Australia)

UNDRR webinar Disability inclusive disaster risk reduction – still a tick marking exercise? (2022)

High Risk in Conflicts for Children with Disabilities “Armed conflict takes a devastating toll on children with disabilities, yet governments and the UN have not done nearly enough to protect them." (2022, Human Rights Watch)

Working paper on the The Risks and Outcomes of Getting Help for Marginalised People: Navigating Access to Social Assistance in Crises. Includes a section on persons with disabilities. (2022, IDS)

A brief on Inclusion of Marginalised Groups in Social Assistance in Crises (2022, IDS)

Analysing Intersecting Social Inequalities in Crisis Settings (2022, IDS)

Bridging the divide understanding collaborative action in disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction through socio-cultural activity theory: exploring the collaboration between people with and without disabilities. (2022, Emerald)

UNDRR page on disability inclusion in disaster risk reduction including description of how disability is included in its Strategic Framework 2022-2025. (2022)

Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction (DIDRR) Critical Insights and Good Practices from the Field (link to pdf, 2022, CBM)

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Asia-Pacific

Disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction and measuring progress against the Sendai Framework. (2022, The Interpreter)

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Kenya

We have ignored the plight of persons with disabilities (2022, Nation)

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Nigeria

A Bleak Future Awaits Abuja’s Disabled Community After Fire Incident
(2022, HumAngle)

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Bangladesh

Volunteers evacuate people with disabilities ahead of Cyclone Mocha. (May, Relief Web)

Interview with CBM Programmes director on how peer groups have enabled disabled people to participate in disaster risk reduction (2022, CBM Australia)

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India

Status of Disability Inclusion in Disaster Risk Management (2022, The Sangyan)

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Indonesia

UNDP's DX4Resilience project in Indonesia: leveraging digital technologies for collecting disability-disaggregated data in disaster risk assessment. (May, UNDP)

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Pakistan

The hidden victims of Pakistan’s floods: the elderly. (2022, Aljazeera)

In response to the floods: Rapid Needs Assessment of Older People. “87% of older people in flood-affected areas of Pakistan have a health condition, but only 51% have access to health care, while government and UN assessment reports are largely ignoring their needs and rights.” (2022, HelpAge)

Women, disabled, and poor more vulnerable during natural disasters. (2022, South Asia News)

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Syria

Two blind men speak about experiences of the earthquake and life afterwards. (In Arabic, with English subtitles, Jun, Institute for War and Peace Reporting)

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Europe

Flooding: Disability Inclusion must be a priority in Disaster Risk Reduction. (2022, EDF)

Review of Disability-inclusive Disaster Risk Reduction Policy across Europe and Central Asia. As well as countries with informal links with organizations of persons with disabilities, Italy and Serbia have disabled people's representatives engaged formally in working groups on disaster management. No country systematically disaggregates information by disability in DRR information systems. See also a collection of further resources on disability-inclusive disaster risk reduction. (2021, EDF)

EDF welcomes regional roadmap to resilience on the adoption of the European Forum for Disaster Risk Reduction (EFDRR) Roadmap 2021-2030, which recognises persons with disabilities are more at risk during such crises. (2021, EDF)

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Italy

Death toll mounts in Italy’s worst flooding for 100 years Older and disabled people trapped in homes as rescuers battle harsh conditions in Emilia-Romagna region (May, the Guardian)

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Canada

Cyclone Fiona: people with disabilities need more support in extreme storms (2022, the Conversation)

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United States

Disabled first responders are shifting priorities in disaster relief “Disability inclusion in emergency preparedness and response doesn’t just mean supporting disabled victims of extreme weather—it also means including disabled communities in disaster relief strategy” (Aug, Prism)

What People With Disabilities Know About Surviving Climate Disasters Those with disabilities have long been ignored in emergency planning, despite the higher risks they face. Extreme weather is making this gap more deadly. “We’re not given survival mechanisms. So of course, we don’t survive.” (Jun, Bloomberg)

Disability and disaster: Federal lawsuit charging the city of San Antonio with discrimination by “by denying equitable opportunities, outcomes, or even consideration in disaster and emergency planning, response, and recovery programs” (May, Deceleration)

Disabled people face worse outcomes after natural disasters. “March data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Household Pulse Survey shows that, of people who had been displaced in the last year by a natural disaster, people who have a lot of difficulty walking or climbing stairs, like Jaimes, are more than three times more likely than people with no difficulty walking to experience unsanitary conditions one month after the disaster.” (Apr, Earthbeat)

Majority of disabled people never go home after disasters. “Census Bureau data released Thursday shows that people with disabilities are far more likely than anyone else to face major hardships including displacement from their homes due to a major disaster.” (Jan, E&E News)

California’s power outages are a life-and-death issue. The impacts of storms for people with disabilities, powerfully illustrated by Alice Wong's own experience and potential harm she would face during a power outage. (Jan, High Country News)

How California’s emergency plans fail disabled communities (Jan, High Country News)

New Interactive Maps Help Inform Disability-Inclusive Disaster Planning (2022, Mathematica)

Many of Hurricane Ian’s Victims Were Older Adults Who Drowned. (2022, New York Times)

Texans with Disabilities During Winter Storm Uri. A qualitative study that shows:

“the hardships people with a wide range of disabilities experienced during this cascading disaster, including the inability to power life-giving medical equipment and the intensification of pain and health problems due to the loss of heat and water. Findings also show that participants were not passive victims in the face of these life-threatening challenges; disabled people and parents of those with severe disabilities went to extraordinary lengths to survive and to help others survive the disaster, including providing and receiving critical forms of care from family and community members during the storm.” (2022, Natural Hazards Center)

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Australia

Flood Response Failed to Protect Most at Risk. “Human Rights Watch found that New South Wales and local authorities did not provide adequate flood warnings, evacuation, or rescue support, leaving older people, people with disabilities, and those who were pregnant facing life-threatening circumstances with little government assistance.” (2022, Human Rights Watch)

Floods can worsen inequality. Here are 4 ways we can ensure people with disabilities aren't left behind (2022, the Conversation)

Disability sector demands inclusive disaster preparedness (2022, Probono)

Pleas for NSW flood survivors with disability to be prioritised for urgent housing, care. (2022, ABC News)

"I'm about to drown": one phone call Sam Connor received during the recent floods. (2022, Hireup)

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Pacific

Australian NGOs enabling disability-inclusive disaster prep in Pacific (Mar, Pro Bono)

Pacific Disaster Ready: Disability inclusion tip sheets. (2022, CBM Australia)

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Chile

Pudahuel applies tool for inclusion of persons with disabilities. The municipality used a disaster resilience scorecard's criteria on disability inclusion. (May, Making Cities Resilient)

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