Workshop Stresses Stronger Grassroots Communication For Disaster Preparedness

Vijayawada: A two-day workshop organised jointly by the Andhra Pradesh State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) and UNICEF concluded here on Friday with a call to strengthen the dissemination of disaster-related information at the grassroots level and improve preparedness and response mechanisms.The workshop, titled ‘Risk Communication and Community Engagement for Disaster Risk Reduction in Andhra Pradesh’, placed special emphasis on women, children, the elderly, persons with disabilities and other high-risk groups. Participants underlined the need to ensure that social and behaviour change communication tools developed by the National Institute of Disaster Management reached the last mile. APSDMA managing director Prakhar Jain said effective disaster risk reduction depended on communication planning, community engagement, trust-building, behavioural analysis and robust feedback mechanisms across all phases of disaster management. UNICEF specialist Seema explained key concepts of disaster risk reduction, inclusive community planning and community-based approaches. Experts also highlighted the roles and responsibilities of government departments, field-level staff and civil society organisations in strengthening disaster preparedness and response.



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