Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

Project:

Community Resilience in Urban Areas (CRUA)

Margot SteenbergenJuly 21, 2015

Climate Training Kit. Module 1a – Climate change science and impacts

1) Red Cross Red Crescent

Climate Centre (RCCC)

2) CRUA Project description

3) RCCC work on Games

Overview Presentation

1. Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre

SCIENCE

POLICY PRACTICE

�Climate change is already

happening

�It is mostly caused by man

�It will continue

�The rate of change is alarming

�Extreme weather is getting

more frequent

�It is urgent to stop further

warmingIPCC Fifth Assessment Report, 2013

AMCDRR 2012

2. CRUA Project Description Why?

The research

identified good

examples of local

resilience initiatives

in areas that have

experienced

repeated flooding.

Participants spoke of

the “need to do

something” for

themselves because

of the slowness of

response.

General background

• Why? Since 2004 in Europe, over 1,000 have been killed

and more than 3.4M affected by flooding.

Projections are for this to intensify. Without

action, up to half a million additional people will

be affected every year by 2080.

• Who? Individuals and urban communities

• Where? Northern Ireland, Hungary, Denmark

• When? 2015-2016

General background cot’d

• Aim Target group being better prepared for flooding

(cohesion + clarity)

• Actions?

1) Review, adapt and further develop a range of

innovative tools for improving resilience in urban

community groups

2) The Red Cross Psychosocial Support Centre will lead the development of a psychosocial (emotional) resilience model to support affected urban communities

3) Development a Serious Game to examine current

situations and simulate new realities based on extensive work in developing countries facing a more extreme change in weather

The problem Unpacked – Cohesion

• 1. Sense of “community” less prevalent in urban areas :

– People work long hours and when they return from work are not necessarily interested in volunteering

– People presume that the authorities will come and help out, people rely on authorities. However, during a disaster, the emergency services are overwhelmed. Actions the government can’t do :

• Evacuate vulnerable people

• Reach people who need medication

• Protect individual properties

• Communicate clearly / honestly on certain risks

• Guarantee that everyone who needs psychological help gets it

– There is some fingerpointing of whose job a certain action is.

– In ‘normal times’, there is a lack of a opportunities (even stressors) to generate that common sense of purpose.

– Identifying volunteers, and instilling a sense of trust

The problem Unpacked – Clarity

• 2. A lack of clear flood preparedness & response plans with clearly

defined roles at the family and community level.

– Unnecessary chaos

– Actions missed that could reduce suffering and damage

– Vulnerable groups are not reached

• Children, Elderly, Isolated people, People with disabilities:

mental / physical, People in distress, People in poverty, People

who avoid authority: homeless, drug addicts, etc, People who

distrust science, People who live in very hazardous situations

COMMUNITY RESILIENCE

• Good Practices - Community / family plans:

– Raise awareness of available information, help people

understand risk

– Identification and removal of personal possessions

– Check on vulnerable neighnours – making sure no one

is missed

– Prepare resilience kits, including contact details, torch,

phone, batteries, first aid kit, etc.

• Community Engagement: rely less on authorities,

be faster and more efficient / effective

• Story: an urban flooding is complex, many things are happening.

• Goal: showing volunteers or potential volunteers that there are many different roles. They can bring some kind of competence.

Assistance welcome:

Helping to create a digital platform for calculations / calibrations

Serious Game idea so far - Assistance Welcome!

Margot Steenbergen

steenbergen@climatecentre.org

1. Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre (RCCC)

2. RCCC work on Games

3. Project description

4. Sub-project description

5. Learning what we think about Games

6. Questions?

Overview Presentation sample

www.climatecentre.org

Margot Steenbergen

steenbergen@climatecentre.org