   4-2. Projects to Disseminate Disaster Reduction
Knowledge Through Total Disaster Reduction
ManagementADRC has hitherto been promoting the development and dissemination of “Total Disaster Risk
Management (TDRM)” as the basic philosophy and strategy for enhancing the disaster reduction
capabilities of its member countries. This approach was developed by ADRC and UN/OCHA,
Kobe, based on the guiding principles of disaster reduction countermeasures and policies, asidentified by the Central Disaster Prevention Council and stipulated in the Basic Law on Natural
Disasters in Japan[That last confusing part of the sentence isn't in the original Japanese, so I
deleted it.].

4-2-1. Total Disaster Risk Management (TDRM)
TDRM consists of the following two principles:(1) Related organizations, bodies, and individuals should cooperate and collaborate in themobilization of resources for disaster prevention and in taking action.
Disaster prevention measures require comprehensive and collaborative policies. Policies need tocover diverse fields including infrastructural and organizational components, including river repairs
to protect against flooding, the dissemination of disaster prevention information, the developmentof information networks to transmit early warnings, reconstruction of daily life during recovery,and mental health care for disaster victims. It is difficult to promote these measures solely througha department specialized in disaster prevention. Rather, resources that transverse the entire
organization need to be mobilized.
In many cases, disasters are of a scale that render cities, towns and villages incapable of anadequate response. Even in a small sedimentation disaster in which the stricken area is confined toa district of a single municipality, if national or prefectural roads are damaged or rivers under thecontrol of state or prefecture are affected, it is impossible to limit the response to the level of themunicipal government alone.
Moreover, it is important to note that disaster prevention is not a task for the administration
alone. As became apparent in the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of January 17, 1995, there arelimits to the response capabilities of a local government in an event of large-scale disaster. Disaster
reduction measures must address those tasks in the local communities that will not necessarily behandled by the local administration, regardless of how big or small the disaster might be. Even at
the individual level, people need to know where and how to evacuate to a neighboring district, andwhat valuables and necessities should be brought along with them during an evacuation.
There are also areas in which services are provided by private enterprises, such ascommunication services, lifeline utilities, and insurance companies, and these play anindispensable role in disaster prevention. When a large-scale disaster occurs in a developing
country, it is often difficult for the country to provide emergency measures and promote restoration
using only its own resources, which may be limited both in quantity and sophistication. In Aceh,Indonesia, which was one of the areas hit hardest by the 2004 Tsunami Disaster in the IndianOcean, the government had to request international support from many countries, donororganizations, NGOs, and other parties, and needed to utilize technologies and funds provided byorganizations like JICA and the World Bank to construct and restore housing.
This shows that the efficient and effective promotion of disaster prevention requires thatmeasures be taken that transverse related fields and organizations, and that cooperation andcoordination both inside and outside of country be pursued.

(2) Measures should be conducted in a way that takes into consideration the four stagesof a disaster: the prevention and mitigation of damages (disaster reduction), disaster
preparedness, emergency measures immediately after a disaster, and the restoration
and reconstruction of affected areas and residents.
Disaster reduction measures tend to focus on the emergency response after a disaster. Scenes ofdisaster-stricken areas are broadcast by CNN, the BBC and many other overseas media who reporton the relief activities of domestic and overseas donor organizations, NGOs, and others who haverushed to the site. Needless to say, conducting rescue activities, providing medical care for the
injured, supplying food and water, constructing emergency housing, and other humanitarianefforts are urgently needed , and it is essential that resources be sent to the disaster-stricken area atthat stage.
Many ADRC member countries clearly recognize the importance of emergency response in theevent of disaster from the fact that “Emergency Situation” is included in the title of their nationalgovernment departments in charge of emergency response measures, that is, their ADRC
counterparts. However, it should not be forgotten that the impacts of a disaster could be reduced if
measures are taken to anticipate what might happen and to prepare ourselves beforehand. By
reinforcing embankments, we can develop river environments that can withstand flooding. In
combating cyclical disasters like typhoons and cyclones, we may be able to dramatically reduce thedisaster impacts if we can observe their routes, estimate their course, and warn residents who livein their path.
On the other hand, the restoration and reconstruction efforts that start when the emergency
response phase is over, after the stricken areas have reached a tentative calm, are not only about therecovery of life and economic activities in the disaster areas, but also about taking the opportunity
to implement measures for minimizing the impact of the next disaster. Merely restoring an area tothe state it was in just before the disaster will result in the same suffering after the next disaster. At
this stage, we can significantly enhance the ability of the entire disaster area to respond to futuredisasters by, for example, expanding the width of narrow roads, replacing fragile houses withearthquake-proof structures, and adding diversity to economies that are heavily reliant onagriculture or fisheries.
In 1961, following the typhoon that hit Ise Bay in Japan in 1959, the Basic Law on Natural
Disasters was enacted and the measures taken, which have been implemented separately, were put
under the synthetic and cooperative control of the Central Disaster Prevention Council[Meaningunclear. Need Japanese.]. The focus also shifted from countermeasures focused on emergency
provisions to all stages of disaster reduction, including preventive measures. This was the time
when Japan was entering a period of high economic growth, so it seemed that paying attention todisaster prevention was an enlightened approach, especially as individual assets were increasing asa result of economic development.
In Asia, meanwhile, since the establishment of ADRC, new systems resembling the Central
Disaster Prevention Council of Japan have been established in countries like India, Indonesia,Mongolia, Cambodia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand, and systems to promote measures for disasterprevention across various fields are being consolidated. In Sri Lanka, in particular, a system similar
to that of Japan, chaired by the president and consisting of members from related government
offices, specialists, and NGOs, has been established (the National Council for Disaster
Management – NCDM). Given that the leader of the opposition party is included among themembers of the NCDM, the country is now positioned to establish a disaster prevention systemwith united backing throughout the country. Sri Lanka has established the Disaster Management
Center (DMC) as part of its Ministry of Disaster Prevention and Human Rights, which functions as
the secretariat of the NCDM in the same way that the Cabinet Office functions as the secretariat of
the CDPC[Confirm] in Japan.
As noted above, systems conforming to TDRM have been implemented in many Asian countries.
In several countries, however, disaster prevention systems focused on emergency measures are stillin the mainstream, such that continued efforts must be made to promote TDRM.

4-2-2. Activities to Educate People About TDRMADRC has emphasized the importance of the concept of Total Disaster Risk Management(TDRM) and has conducted various activities, including seminars and lectures, to disseminate thisconcept, which is compatible with the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA).

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