Practice makes perfect: planning for floods in Ethiopia

Within less than a year, flooding in Ethiopia has affected over half a million people. And since July 2020, at least 300,000 people have been displaced.

The Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) and the Netherland Red Cross (NLRC) have developed an Early Action Protocol for floods to help communities in Ethiopia save lives and prevent suffering. The protocol provides time to warn communities to take early action to prevent or reduce the impacts of a looming disaster.

Life-saving decisions: ERCS is working with government agencies, the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre and the 510 global data initiative to monitor weather forecasts and analyze their potential impact on vulnerable communities.

Equipped with data, the Red Cross can now make informed decisions about early actions needed, such as the evacuation of people and livestock at risk. They can also come up with sound plans for clearing drainages, reinforcing riverbanks, protecting shelters and water points, getting clean water to people and distributing cash or vouchers.

Flood simulation: To test the Early Action Protocol, flood simulations carried out in March 2021, in Amibara Woreda of Afar region, and, in May 2021, in Itang Special Woreda of Gambela region. Simulations are crucial to make sure communication between all the different partners flows well and see whether the early actions set out in the protocol can make a difference to people’s lives and livelihoods.

The simulation produced some useful insights: 1) When lead times are short, a combination of cash and in-kind support could help communities choose the early actions most relevant to them; 2) With a well-organized team and logistics in place, the Early Action Protocol can be implemented within a seven-day lead time; 3) Involving local government leaders as well as traditional and community leaders in the simulation increases communities’ trust; and 4)Simulations are not only useful for testing assumptions, but also for encouraging partners to take action before a flood happens.

IKEA Foundation support

Although it was just a simulation, the activities contributed to a reduction of real flood risk in the area through strengthening weak riverbanks, awareness-raising, and building relationships between organizations and local communities.

This activity was part of the NLRC Innovative Approaches to Response Preparedness programme (IARP).

Supported by the IKEA Foundation with a grant of over €10 million, IARP is a Forecast-based Financing programme in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya. The project began in January 2018 and will run until the end of 2022.

Source: IKEA Foundation Website