Disaster Risk Reduction Day: No progress in last decade to help people with disabilities cope with disaster, UN reports

There has been a shocking lack of progress on government policies to protect people with disabilities during natural disasters in the last decade, according to a new global survey.

The findings of the survey done by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) was particularly alarming because it showed that the vulnerable population group has been left out of disaster management planning despite the previous survey in 2013 stressing on the need for its inclusion.

Moreover, the international law under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities mandates that countries have defined mechanisms to provide safety to people with disabilities.

Of the 6,000 people from 132 countries covered in the 2023 survey, around 84 per cent of the respondents said they were not aware of evacuation routes, shelter homes or that they should have a package of emergency supplies – all of which are part of personal preparedness plans, the authors of the report noted. “In 2013, this figure was 71 per cent.”

The analysts wrote:

Only 11 per cent of respondents reported being aware of a disaster management plan in their local area, down from 17 per cent in 2013. Less than half of respondents (44 per cent) were unaware of the availability of disaster risk information in accessible formats.

The report was released just ahead of the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction observed on October 13, 2023. This year, UNDRR has highlighted the importance of removing inequalities to reduce disaster risk, which refers to the probability of death, injuries or damage due to natural disasters.

As much as 16 per cent of the world’s people have some form of disability and are killed by disasters two-four times more often than the rest of the population, the report noted. "In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, persons with disabilities were twice as likely to die," UNDRR noted citing Rehabilitation International, an international disability rights organisation.

This becomes all the more important with the world projected to face some 560 disasters every year by 2030, according to UNDRR.

The share of people who felt excluded from participating in community-level disaster planning remained unchanged at 86 per cent since the 2013 survey. This is “despite respondents expressing a greater interest in participating in 2023 (57 per cent) compared to 2013 (51 per cent)”, according to the report.

UNDRR featured stories of residents from marginalised or uderprivileged communities who have tried to bring about change in order to build resilience against climate crises. The characters are fictional but closely based on real people, the agency added. One of them is shared below:

Memories of the 2017 volcanic eruption on Ambae island still haunt me. That day, as the rumblings of the earth grew louder, the authorities ordered an evacuation. My heart sank. I rely on a wheelchair for mobility. The wheelchair is my lifeline. When they told us we had to leave our wheelchairs and assistive devices behind, I felt helpless. Once we reached safety, reality struck hard. Without my wheelchair, I was immobile. I couldn’t access hygiene facilities. I felt stripped of my dignity and independence. This made me realise the importance of preparing for disasters, especially for persons with disabilities. We deserve to be included in evacuation plans, to have accessible facilities and information, so we are all safe.

The report also highlighted some practices being followed in various parts of the world that can be scaled up and replicated elsewhere. “In Jordan, there is a dedicated line for deaf individuals to report emergencies; in Uganda, persons with disabilities participate in the legal frameworks on disaster and climate management; and in New South Wales, Australia, disability service providers identify individual requirements to feed into community emergency preparedness plans,” the authors noted.

“Disasters and inequality are two sides of the same coin. Each adversity reinforces the other: unequal access to services leaves the most vulnerable exposed to the danger of disasters; while the effects of disasters exacerbate inequalities and push the most at risk further into poverty,” the organisation said.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 also called for disability inclusion, the provision of accessible disaster risk information and establishing inclusive and end-to-end early warning systems, UNDRR stressed. 

There is also a need to strengthen early warning systems, the report highlighted, noting that half the countries lacked such mechanisms. “If sufficient early warning is provided, 39 per cent of respondents reported they would have no difficulty evacuating, compared to 26 per cent, if there was no warning,” the authors substantiated. 

They called for immediate action to address these challenges and meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in community disaster risk reduction planning.

Subscribe to Daily Newsletter :

SUPPORT US

We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.