Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

To that end, the Santiago Atitlán Reconstruction
Commission was advised of the need to negotiate a
reconstruction/resettlement model, respecting and
strengthening the municipality’s traditional communitybased
organizational structure, which is built around
a stakeholder network and institutions with ancestral
elements integrated into the Western governmenttype
system. At the heart of the institutions in Santiago
Atitlán is the Tz´utujil people’s cosmic worldview, its
history and notion of spiritual life.
Participation in the planning and implementation of
the reconstruction and resettlement programs was organized
by the Municipal Development Council (Consejo
Municipal de Desarrollo, COMUDE), the body that
authorized the Municipal Reconstruction Commission.
Although the process started by addressing the plight
and resettlement of families that lost their houses as a
result of the storm, the Government later widened its
eligibility criteria to include families living in at-risk
areas as a way of preventing future disasters. In this way,
the post-disaster resettlement also became a preventive
resettlement of at-risk populations.
9. Articulation of the
Reconstruction Plan with the
Land Planning Strategy
The Reconstruction Commission based the plan on
Sololá’s Sustainable Development Plan, which had
been designed with a land planning focus, according
to guidelines issued by the Secretariat for Planning and
Programs of the Office of the President (SEGEPLAN).
This approach aims to promote economic and social
development with equity, based on each region’s potential
and capacity, incorporating both gender and ethnic
perspectives.
The Reconstruction Plan was drafted by a planning
team composed of Sololá’s Governor, the manager of the
Development Council, SEGEPLAN, the United Nations
Development Programme (UNDP), the Authority for
Sustainable Management of the Lake Atitlán Basin and
Surrounding Areas (Autoridad y Manejo Sostenible de la
Cuenca del Lago de Atitlán y su Entorno, AMSCLAE),
and the NGO “Vivamos Mejor.”
Given the area’s particular characteristics in terms of its
natural and cultural resources and high poverty indices,
the plan included four components that included:
■■
Rebuilding houses, schools, health centers, water
supply and sanitation systems, roads, community
ceremonial centers and archeological sites, and a
guarantee that they will be built in low-risk areas;
■■
Reducing economic, social, cultural and
environmental vulnerability at the local, municipal
and departmental levels. Risk management was
built into the Strategic Land Use Plan (PET); an
early warning system was created; COCODE’s Risk
Management Commission was established; and a
search and rescue team was formed to respond to
emergencies;
■■
■■
Creating an economic and productive focus
through support to agricultural and livestock,
agro-forestry, tourism, and handcraft microenterprises;
Strengthening the social fabric to increase opportunities
for community participation through the
development councils, while fostering transparency
through social audits, civic education, and
conflict resolution.
96 Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster: Experiences from Latin America