Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster - GFDRR

An office was established in 2004 that the community
could access easily, where DPAE and CVP could answer
questions and respond to concerns. This strategy is believed
to have been crucial for managing the project and
meeting expectations, and greatly facilitated the communication
needed for the resettlement.
DPAE was permanently involved in identifying critical
areas and assisting households at greatest risk, which
ensured no lives were lost.
It was considered critical to educate the Nueva Esperanza
residents about the causes of landslides, the risks to
which they were exposed, and the need for resettlement.
This was accomplished through visits to each household,
community workshops, field trips to identify hazards,
community and family emergency plans, and the
installation of evacuation route signs. Information on
risk levels and bans on new settlements were posted on
169 billboards.
Other important activities involved holding workshops
where households could learn about the resettlement
process, their rights and duties, and obtain counseling
and support services from the various entities.
After the awareness-raising activities, the CVP and each
household signed shared responsibility agreements
which served as a record of the sessions and established
the households’ rights and obligations.
Prevention of new settlements in Nueva
Esperanza
The District Habitat Secretariat, together with the police
and local mayor’s office, agreed on procedures in the
event that individuals tried to develop new settlements.
The environmental lookouts (trained and selected from
the community), the CVP and Environment Secretariat
patrolled the areas once a week in order to prevent new
occupation of lots. The agencies also created a network
within the community to discourage such attempts and
alert authorities when they were unsuccessful.
Temporary relocation
In resettlement programs where imminent risks exist,
authorities must create contingency plans that can be
launched when conditions reach certain levels. Thus,
DPAE conducted ongoing geo-technical assessments
of the area and structural inspections of houses from
2005-2009, and ordered evacuations and temporary relocation
of households when necessary.
Under the contingency plan, 662 households were temporarily
moved to rental housing while more permanent
solutions were sought. To that end, the plan included a
real estate roster of houses for rent; it also provided market
vouchers for families that moved to family members’
homes, so they could contribute food.
Incorporation in institutional social programs
In addition to the resettlement program, households
were also included (at this stage) in the District’s social
programs: The District Social Integration Secretariat
(Secretaría Distrital de Integración Social) held meetings
to brief households on the different programs available
and registration requirements. The programs included
(a) assistance for children through the World for Children
(Mundo para la Niñez) project, (b) allowances for
elder adults, (c) community canteens and (d) lists of district
and local services.
74 Preventive Resettlement of Populations at Risk of Disaster: Experiences from Latin America