27/06/201402/07/2014 by Jelenko Dragisic

Eight Takeaways from Eight Cities

This is a very interesting ‘must-read’ by Lizzy Chan from 100 Resilient Cities Centennial Challenge initiative by the Rockefeller Foundation.

Around the world, our first 32 cities are kicking off their 100 Resilient Cities Challenge engagements with workshops, and we’ve had great conversations about the cities’ urban challenges and resilience opportunities. There’s a lot more information to come from each of these cities, but eight overarching takeaways from some of our first workshops have stood out so far:..READ ON

18/06/201413/06/2014 by Jelenko Dragisic

Those old dudes knew a thing or two!

By Bruce Grady

I am not just referring to those of us with a little grey, or little at all, hair. I am going way back – to the 17^th Century and renowned French philosopher, mathematician and inventor Blaise Pascal.

Pascal was a genius, inventing the first calculating machine while still a teenager. As well as making major contributions to mathematics he also invented the first syringe and the hydraulic press.

Pascal was a prolific writer and perhaps his most influential work was the ‘Pensees’ (translated as ‘Thoughts’) – an examination of philosophy, human values and faith.

In the Pensees Pascal wrote “We do not chose as captain of a ship the passenger who is of the best family”. While he was writing about the politics of the time this simple, but powerful, idea is still as applicable today. It is also particularly relevant to the way we approach crisis management.

disaster management leadership for all seasons…

What Pascal is saying is that we should always select the most skilled and proficient person for the most critical jobs. This is fundamental risk management. A king can steer a ship – at sea, in fair weather. He may also host outstanding dinners at the Captains table. But in a big storm, or navigating reefs or icebergs I would be much more comfortable with a highly skilled and experienced old sea-dog on the bridge.

All too often in disaster management leadership we see people appointed to formal crisis roles based on their position. Little thought is given to the attitudes, skills and experience needed to be effective in times of crisis. While I understand that the low frequency of crisis is likely the cause of this approach: I cannot condone it. A crisis is potentially the biggest single risk to an organisations bottom line, and more importantly its reputation. The days of accepting the gifted amateur in a crisis are over. Customers, stakeholders and the broader community expect, and deserve, more.

There is a dilemma here. Often the most experienced emergency managers do not hold positions of authority, do not control budget or resources. In short to make key decisions they would have to seek permission! Those in key crisis roles must have both the responsibility and the authority to commit resources and execute strategy. Real action must occur without delay, as delay or in a crisis equals distress. Unnecessary delay or public relations ‘spin’ equals real or perceived incompetence: incompetence equals a trashed reputation. Now would be a good time to reflect on BP’s Deepwater Horizon oil spill response?

The strategic level disaster management arrangements in Queensland (Australia’s disaster capital) require that the CEO of every government department must be a member of the peak disaster committee. Each of those CEO’s has to have been trained in disaster management, and are regularly exercised in disaster management scenarios. This committee also comes together regularly, irrespective of the threat – the All-Hazards approach. No matter if the cause is a flood, cyclone, oil spill, pandemic or biosecurity threat the same committee deals with strategy before, during and after. The most senior leaders are well trained, exercised and practiced.

In the scheme of billions of dollars of disaster damage annually to Queensland’s infrastructure and economy this is a small commitment to being prepared, but it requires a commitment nonetheless. If a major crisis befell your organisation are the people who will really make the decisions properly engaged and capable within your crisis arrangements. Have they been exposed to your arrangements and the nature of crisis management and decision making?

In a crisis are you really confident your team is capable of making timely, appropriate and effective decisions every time? Or might they be all at sea?

Prior to his current position as Principal of RISKdimensions Bruce held the position of Assistant Director-General leading Emergency Management Queensland. Bruce is also an active member of the Global Resilience Collaborative.

13/06/201405/06/2014 by Jelenko Dragisic

New collaboration explores technological solutions to urban resilience

(source: http://unhabitat.org/new-collaboration-explores-technological-solutions-to-urban-resilience/)

Barcelona, 3 June 2014: UN-Habitat’s City Resilience Profiling Programme and the Autonomous University of Barcelona’s School of Engineering have announced a new collaboration to work together in the design and construction of software to increase cities’ resilience to disasters.

One of the main objectives of this collaboration is transforming the City Resilience Profiling Tool into a more robust and user friendly Web Application with greater potential. The software developed will generate urban resilience indicators based on data provided by the partner cities of the programme. These cities are: Balangoda (Sri Lanka), Barcelona (Spain), Beirut (Lebanon), Dagupan (Philippines), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Lokoja (Nigeria), Portmore (Jamaica), Concepción/Talcahuano (Chile), Tehran (Iran) and Wellington (New Zealand). Speaking about the collaboration, Dan Lewis, Chief of Urban Risk Reduction at UN-Habitat said: “This is a great opportunity to start working on information technology innovations in urban resilience”. One of the core objectives of City Resilience Profiling Programme is sharing knowledge and developing contents on urban resilience as well as providing access to tools and resources.

The programme also works with different universities and online Masters courses to develop modules on urban resilience.

08/06/201402/06/2014 by Jelenko Dragisic

Editorial: Investing in resilience

TEMPERATURES are soaring, there has not been substantial rain so far, the bulk of rain in the farm areas are through seeding. How long will there be clouds dense enough to be seeded, we do not know as the temperature just keeps on increasing, hitting levels that we once only knew as fever pitch on human bodies, not in the environment.

Those who know weather and typhoons also know that hot weather brings stronger typhoons when they come since heat streams serve as typhoon highways. The past major weather-induced disasters showed how crippling this is to the general economy and to the livelihood of the people. Resilience, thus, becomes more than just being able to hang on to hope and work for the best but to be able to rise up as fast as possible, whether it be the individual, the community, the region, or the country.

This is the topic of Asian Development Bank President Takehiko Nakao in his article in ADB’s Development Asia magazine May 2014 issue with the title “Investing in Resilience”. There, he pointed out that the Asia-Pacific faces the challenge to create a different kind of resilience, that of disaster resilience, at the national and regional level.

“By disaster resilience, I mean the capacity of countries, communities, businesses and households not just to absorb shocks, but to anticipate them, thereby ensuring that they don’t jeopardize economic growth and development,” he wrote.

Since typhoon Ondoy, every disaster that passed took both the people and the government by surprise. Obviously, there is dire lack of resilience at this level. While a lot has been done since the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 in terms of warning systems and evacuation procedures, very little has been done to “embed resilience into national development”. “The potential for an earthquake and tsunami, for example, to wipe out crucial public and private infrastructure should influence decisions on design and positioning. Jobs programs should include measures to diversify livelihoods so communities are not reliant on one vulnerable industry,” he wrote.

But in a country still gasping from the extent of corruption of the rich and powerful, we see no hope yet in truly embedding the systems, procedures, measures, and policies that will truly prepare our country for any major disaster, that of late, has been hitting us every year. We can’t even do without corruption in every contract bid for disaster relief and rehabilitation, how can we expect decisions on design and positioning of infrastructure not to have shortcuts just so the rich and powerful and their lowly minions can still have their share?

Indeed, the greatest challenge yet is to create disaster resilience, but the greater challenge in creating that is freeing our government funds and actions from the grasp of the corrupt few.

“Our region faces a future of frequent and severe natural hazards. But if we act quickly, and we act together, there’s nothing inevitable about the losses that may accompany them,” Nakao wrote. He could very well be talking to us, the people. To act together in making sure that our country becomes disaster resilient, even if it takes our concerted effort to boot each one that needs to be booted out. This we can do if we act together.

Article source: SUN STAR Davao http://www.sunstar.com.ph/davao/opinion/2014/05/21/editorial-investing-resilience-344089

02/06/2014 by Jelenko Dragisic

Global Resilience Collaborative launch party

The Global Resilience Collaborative (GRC) was formally launched at Parliament House Brisbane on 29 May 2014. The event was the first full opportunity for members of the collaborative to meet and celebrate the alliance. The presence of colleagues from the corporate, not for profit, university and government sectors made the evening very memorable and enjoyable. While the majority of members were present, we also acknowledge those who were unable to attend and also our overseas colleagues, who we hope to meet in the not too distant future.

The new logo for the GRC was unveiled on the night, with thanks to Peter Lynch, one of our members.