This document discusses building community safety and resilience in Iceland through coordination between local and national levels for disaster management. Iceland faces many natural hazards including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, avalanches, and floods. The Civil Protection Act of 2008 establishes an all-hazards approach. Recent major operations include snow avalanches, earthquakes, pandemic influenza, and volcanic eruptions. Preparedness through prevention, planning, and risk assessment in collaboration with local communities is key to increasing resilience. The Joint Rescue Coordination Centre coordinates response during disasters by activating various agencies. Coordination of actions and resources between local, national, and international levels is important for effective response.

1. Safe Community Conference 19 -20 May 2010
Reykjavík, Iceland
THE CHALLENGE OF BUILDING
COMMUNITY SAFETY AND RESILIENCE IN
DISASTER MANAGEMENT: COORDINATION
BETWEEN LOCAL AND NATIONAL LEVEL
Gu!rún Jóhannesdóttir

2. Iceland: Small nation- large country - many hazards
•! Volcanic activity – Strong motion earthquakes
•! Avalanches and mudslides, floods and drift ice.
•! Meteorological hazards –violent storms and surges
•! Health disasters: pandemic influenza
•! Environmental disasters: pollution, toxic or
radioactive spills
•! Infrastructures failures: power outage, dam or
structural failures
•! People in many communities are living with threat
www.almannavarnir.is

3. Hazard and risk can affect many communities in Iceland
www.almannavarnir.is

4. Natural Hazard and Risk in Iceland
Major Snow Avalanche Areas
Areas Impacted by Sea Ice
Major Landslide Areas
Earthquake Hazard Zones Jökulhlaup - Glacial River Surges
Active Volcanic Systems
www.almannavarnir.is

5. The Civil Protection Act 82/2008
•! All hazard approach. The aim of the Civil Protection
is preparing, organizing and implementing
measures aimed at preventing and, to the extent
possible, limiting physical injury or damage to the
health of the public and damage to the environment
and property, whether this results from natural
catastrophes or from human actions, epidemics,
military action or other causes, and to provide
emergency relief and assistance due to any injury or
damage that may occur or has occurred.
www.almannavarnir.is

6. The Civil Protection Structure

7. Recent Major Civil Protection Operation
•! Snow Avalanches 1995
•! Earthquakes 2000
•! Earthquakes 2008
•! Pandemic Influenza 2009
•! Volcanic Eruption 2010 ...ongoing
www.almannavarnir.is

8. Working within the crisis cycle
Demands great coordination and cooperation
www.almannavarnir.is

9. Disaster Management and Resilience
Preparedness is the key to resilience
Prevention
Recovery Prepared-
ness
Response
Resilience: the ability of an individual, community or country
potentially exposed to hazards to cope with and to ‘bounce back’ from
the effects of adversity.

10. Prevention and Preparedness
•! Planning for disaster is the most effective way to deal with
disasters and needs co-operation with those who live in the
local communities.
•! A risk catalouge and assessment project was recently made by
the Department of Civil Protection and Emergency
Management in cooperation with local communities, local
civil protection and response bodies and other stakeholders to
identify hazard and risk in their local community.
•! Long term planning in collaboration with local communities,
identifying risk and community resilience to disasters and the
need for risk assessments.
www.almannavarnir.is

11. Hazard catalog and risk evalutation project
•! This provides overview of hazards and risk in local
communities and the stakeholders themselves prioritize needs
for further analysis in each community in collaboaration with
the DCPEM.
•! Evaluation of ~40 types of risk (from natural hazard,
accidents, pollution, infrastructure and community safety),
were measured in 15 districts against people and their health,
on the environment, material goods and property and the
society/local community. Local communities will use the
results to prioritise work in disaster management.
www.almannavarnir.is

12. SEVERITY/IMPACT/CONSEQUENCES
Almost Certain
F
Reduce Likelihood Avoid
R
5 Risks
E
Likely Q
Reduce U
4 E
N
C
3 Moderate Y
/
L
Unlikely I
2 K
Acceptable E
or Reduce Consequences L
Tolerable
1 Rare Level of Risk
I
H
O
O
0 Insignificant Minor Major Critical Extreme
D
1 2 3 4 5

13. Coordination between local and national levels
•! Many communities lack capacity and capability to
respond to disasters.
•! Cooperation and coordination of actions and
resources is paramount and it is one of the
cornerstones of disaster response.
•! The Joint Rescue and
and Coordination Centre
is activated during major
disasters and assists
local communities
with the response.
www.almannavarnir.is

14. M
C
S
V
T
I
I
Parliament/Ministries
Meteorological Office
Local Government
Civil Aviation
Coast Guard
Red Cross
Rescue Teams /volunteers
Police
Fire brigade
Paramedics
Public Health
D
R
S
A
S
E
S
T
I
14

15. JRCC
Co-ordination that brings together agencies to ensure consistent and effective response
www.almannavarnir.is

16. Backbone of the Civil Protection during disasters
•! Red Cross: They have the role of gathering, processing and registering
information on victims during disasters as well as running mass care and
aid centers.
•! ICE-SAR: The rescue teams number about 100, within which there are
thousands of people who are always available when needed for search and
rescue operations.
•! Medical personnel have an important role in the CP structure.
•! Scientists and interagency collaboration: The DCPEM and sicentists
from the Earth Science Institute, the Met-Office, Directorate of Health,
Chief Epidemiologist and many more – meet regularily to monitor and
analyse the situation.
•! Collaboration is frequent with The Icelandic Coast Guards, utility
companies, aviation authorities (ISAVIA), Environmental Agency,
Icelandic Food and Veterinary Authority, Icelandic Radiation Safety
Authority and many more
www.almannavarnir.is

17. Coordinating on local, national and international level can increase resilience

22. Community Resilience and Safety:
research, community planning, civil
protection, local and national
authorities
“Disaster management is a journey not a
destination. What may be of minor significance
today may be the disaster of tomorrow”
TEPHRA vol 22 CDEM