OVERVIEW
Disasters including earthquakes, monsoons, floods, landslides, volcanoes, droughts, and wildfires affect populations throughout South Asia. Declining socio-economic conditions of some populations are increasing vulnerability to hazards in the region. Demographic changes, rapid urbanization, and environmental degradation have reduced the amount of habitable land available, leading to settlement in marginal lands, such as flood plains and steep slopes. In addition, hydrometeorological events are occurring more frequently and with greater severity due to global climate change, often resulting in more natural disasters and compounding the impact of civil conflicts and other complex emergencies. USAID’s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) is committed to assisting in the development of DRR and emergency response capacities in the region.
USAID/OFDA implements stand-alone DRR programs—initiated in anticipation of a disaster—and integrates DRR programs into disaster response to meet emergency humanitarian needs while mitigating the impact of future disasters. USAID/OFDA programs include constructing hazard-resistant transitional shelters, supporting Security Awareness Induction Training aimed to enhance the safety and security skills of staff delivering humanitarian assistance, identifying and filling gaps in the provision of humanitarian assistance in emergency situations to increase the overall capacity of national governments, providing temporary employment to rehabilitate infrastructure in a way that reduces risk, building resilience to future shocks related to conflict or drought and floods, and restoring water infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to future water-borne disease outbreaks.
In FY 2011, USAID/OFDA emphasized the development of public-private partnerships to reduce risk and DRR activities in urban areas, particularly in cities that face seismic risks, in South Asia. USAID/OFDA also enhanced existing DRR programs, such as the Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER), some of which have been active in the region for more than a decade. In FY 2011, USAID/OFDA provided more than $7 million for DRR projects throughout South Asia. USAID/OFDA obligated an additional $11.5 million for disaster response programs with DRR components.