key: cord-0688422-26bahoeu authors: Ishiwatari, Mikio; Koike, Toshio; Hiroki, Kenzo; Toda, Takao; Katsube, Tsukasa title: Managing disasters amid COVID-19 pandemic: Approaches of response to flood disasters date: 2020-04-25 journal: Progress in disaster science DOI: 10.1016/j.pdisas.2020.100096 sha: 295339d7ab1c86306c167c80010a01a703640b3f doc_id: 688422 cord_uid: 26bahoeu Abstract The world faces difficulties to manage disasters while making efforts of slowing the spread of COVID-19. The paper aims at proposing policies and approaches to manage dual disasters of flooding and COVID-19. It reviews on-going efforts of organizations in the humanitarian assistance, water and sanitation, disaster management and health sectors. Based on review works the policy was recommended. The objective of the policy is to protect human life, in particular, vulnerable groups, from the human security perspective. Local organizations and communities play an important role in disaster management, and risk information supported by scientific knowledge is essential. As the experience of disaster management show various organizations including health and water should be coordinated to conduct measures. The world faces difficulties to manage disasters while making efforts of slowing the spread of COVID-19. Cyclone Harold hit Pacific countries during the COVID-19 emergency in April 2020. In Canada, Manitoba Province and Ottawa City fought against flooding caused by snow melting while protecting response workers from COVID-19 [1] . In Japan, local governments suspended receiving volunteers in February 2020 who had been engaged in rehabilitation works in areas devastated by Typhoon Hagibis in 2019, delaying recovery from the disaster [2] . In Bangladesh, humanitarian assistance and government organizations prepared for cyclones as well as a COVID-19 outbreak in the densely crowded camps in Cox' bazar, which shelter some 900,000 Rohingya refugees [3] . New approaches need to be established to respond to disasters while managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Flood disasters are happening in countries and cities even under COVID-19 pandemics [4] . Improper response to flooding would spread COVID-19 and increase disaster damage, leading to further human losses and economic damage. Response activities without social distancing may spread COVID-19 among staff members of disaster management. If COVID-19 measures are overdone, flood response may be inadequate to decrease damage. Urbanization and development activities have increased flood risks by accumulating assets and population at risk areas, such as low-lying areas and steep slopes in urban areas [5, 6] . The communities in these risk areas are vulnerable to COVID-19 as well [7] . The paper aims at proposing policies and approaches to manage dual disasters of flooding and COVID-19. It reviews on-going efforts of organizations in the humanitarian assistance, water and sanitation, disaster management and health sectors. Based on review works, this paper proposes policies and approaches. Various organizations initiated to strengthen disaster management systems by applying practices and experiences to response to COVID-19 and to modify their approaches of responding to disasters under the COVID-19 pandemic. This section reviews revised standards and procedures for humanitarian assistance, water and sanitation, disaster management, health sectors as well as practical response to disasters on the ground. (i) Human Security: COVID-19 threatens people's survival, well-being, or dignity; as well as human security [8, 9, 10] . Organizations concerned can increase their capacity to respond to the protection and empowerment of people by adopting the human security approach. The approach secures both freedom from want and freedom from fear through responses at multiple local and international levels [11, 12] . [15] . SFDRR was adopted by UN member states at the World provides a roadmap to show how communities can become safer and more resilient to disasters [16] . To implement SFDRR, the Health-EDRM framework has emerged to bring together diverse stakeholders and strengthen health and DRR efforts. These stakeholders are engaged in emergency and disaster medicine, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian response, community health resilience, and health systems resilience [17, 18] . Volunteers, who usually came from unaffected areas using their weekends and paid leaves, assisted local communities in rehabilitating their lives affected [29] . Some 200,000 volunteers were, in total, engaged in rehabilitation works, such as cleaning debris from local communities and repairing houses [30] . The typhoon killed some 100 people, damaged more than 60,000 houses and inundated some 30,000 houses [31] . Kamogawa City in Chiba Prefecture requested residents to prepare for heavy rains while also taking COVID-19 measures in April 2020. These requests cover (1) to stay at friends' houses instead of evacuation centers, (2) to stay home as long as they can secure safety to avoid crowding evacuees at evacuation centers, and (3) take measures against COVID-19, such as wearing masks, at evacuation centers [32] . (iii) Focus on vulnerable group: Vulnerable groups require specific attention through a tailored approach in disaster management. They experience disproportionately the negative effects of disasters [24, 33, 34 ] . The elderly people suffer more from COVID-19 than younger generations. Informal settlers in densely populated urban slums are also vulnerable, since they live in crowded and poor houses and can access little service J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f of WASH and waste management [7] . Spreading COVID-19 started disrupting flood response in Japan, Canada, and Pacific countries. Organizations concerned in disaster management, water, humanitarian assistance, and health have provided guidelines and approaches to respond to COVID-19. This paper reviews these and recommends new policy to managing flood disasters in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The policy was developed by restructuring and enhancing existing measures and practices identified by the review works in sectors concerned. The policy aims to protect human life, in particular, vulnerable groups, from the human security perspective. Local organizations and communities play an important role in disaster management, and risk information supported by scientific knowledge is essential. As the experience of disaster management show various organizations including health and water should be coordinated to conduct measures. Further works are expected to examine detail actions according to local conditions. Also, research works are needed to prepare for other disasters, such as droughts, heat waves, and earthquakes, in the mid of the COVID-19. J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f Nagano Council of Social Welfare. Suspending Volunteer Center for Disaster Management Inter Sector Coordination Group. Cyclone emergency preparedness update High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) Principles to Address Water-related DRR in COVID-19 Pandemics What are crucial issues in promoting an integrated approach for flood risk management in urban areas Cities and flooding: a guide to integrated urban flood risk management for the 21st century UN-Habitat Covid-19: Key messages COVID-19 and Inter-Korean Health Care Security Community. 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What Water and Sanitation Operators Can do in the Fight Against COVID-19 Water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management for the COVID-19 virus, WHO: Geneva; 2020. This note explains current knowledge of COVID-19 from water, sanitation, hygiene, and waste management perspectives Basic knowledge of infection management at areas affected by megadisasters, In: Guideline of infection management at areas affected by megadisasters The rights and health of refugees, migrants and stateless must be protected in COVID-19 response Inter-Agency Standing Committee. COVID-19 Outbreak Readiness and Response United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Global Humanitarian Response Plan: Covid-19 International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Lessons from Hagibis: Learning to Cope with Intensifying Disasters in the Age of New Normal National Council of Social Welfare. The number of volunteers Cabinet Office Countermeasures against COVID-19 amid evacuation At risk: natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters. Routledge Leave no One Behind in COVID-19 Prevention, Response and Recovery Government role's in community-based disaster risk reduction This manual developed by CDC introduces to the principles and practical tools of crisis and emergency risk communication High-level Experts and Leaders Panel on Water and Disasters (HELP) Principles on Investment and Financing for Water-related Disaster Risk This work was supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Numbers 19KK0025. Mikio Ishiwatari is a Section-Editor on Progress in Disaster Science. This manuscript was handled by a different Editor, with XXX blinded from the paper handling and peer-review process.