Small is disastrous

This photo shows a structure that a family of six used as a temporary shelter when they fled their home during a disaster. There is no safe water supply, emergency food reserve or sanitation. The shelter clearly does not provide much privacy or dignity.

So what disaster forced the family into such a desperate situation? The huge tsunami of 2004? The massive earthquake of 2005?

No. The disaster responsible was a flood of the local river.

Far from a freak occurrence, severe floods requiring evacuation to this shelter are common, happening around five times a year. The family stays for up to three nights each time, access to the rest of the community is cut off and, with no alternative, they must drink dirty floodwater.

This highlights the fact that small can be disastrous. Indeed, the majority of disasters are confined to a limited area.

As a result of this, the majority of disaster response is also small-scale and community led. Media attention focuses almost exclusively on the relief efforts of international agencies in response to big disasters. But these are the exception.

So it is all the more important to prioritise building village-level capacity for disaster preparedness and response, acknowledging and improving local coping mechanisms. In strengthening this community resilience, to paraphrase E.F. Schumacher, small would certainly be beautiful.