In recent years, the frequency and intensity of disasters, both natural and human-induced, have highlighted the urgent need for inclusive, community-based disaster preparedness. Across urban and peri-urban areas of Pakistan, especially in vulnerable settlements, the importance of empowering citizens with life-saving knowledge has become undeniably clear.
Disaster risk reduction (DRR) is no longer a field reserved solely for experts or rescue professionals; it is a shared social responsibility. It requires the engagement of youth, women, and local institutions to build resilient communities capable of withstanding shocks.
Pakistan’s megacities, such as Karachi, face unique risks due to rapid urbanization, informal housing, climate-induced events, and a lack of preparedness mechanisms. These realities underscore the necessity of equipping ordinary citizens with essential emergency skills, such as first aid, evacuation management, and crisis communication. While national and international frameworks exist, the real transformation begins at the local level, within neighborhoods, schools, and community organizations.
In a recent statement, BREDO’s General Secretary, Mr. Ali Sohaib, emphasized the importance of decentralizing disaster training. He stated, “Community resilience cannot be achieved by policies alone; it must be built through people, trained, aware, and empowered individuals who can act in those critical first minutes before external help arrives.”
His words reflect a growing realization among humanitarian leaders: the first responder is often not a firefighter or paramedic, but a neighbor, a teacher, or a young volunteer.
Community-based disaster preparedness centers around one central principle: local capacity saves lives. When communities are trained and confident, they are better able to assess risks, react calmly, and protect vulnerable members such as children, the elderly, and persons with disabilities. It is often said that disasters do not discriminate, but vulnerability does; those without preparedness suffer the most. To address this gap, training initiatives focusing on inclusive participation are essential.
The Role of Youth in Disaster Preparedness
Youth represent one of the most dynamic forces in shaping resilient societies. Their physical capacity, innovative thinking, and social connectivity make them ideal community mobilizers during emergencies.
Across Pakistan and beyond, youth-led volunteer networks have proven vital in flood evacuations, heatwave response, and post-disaster relief.
However, youth potential remains underutilized when formal platforms and training opportunities are absent. To unlock this potential, structured training programs are needed where young people can learn critical skills such as CPR, bleeding control, search and rescue, and psychological first aid. When trained youth are integrated into local committees or school safety teams, they become responsible guardians of resilience.
Women as Pillars of Community Resilience
In many households, women are primary caregivers; their role in preparedness is therefore indispensable. They manage households, ensure safety of children, and often possess unique knowledge of community dynamics. During disasters, women are not just victims, as unfortunately often portrayed, they are leaders, strategists, and first protectors of families.
Community-based disaster training that includes women results in stronger preparedness outcomes. Women trained in emergency protocols can organize safe evacuation for children, arrange temporary shelters, and provide essential care. Empowering women through DRR education is not merely a gender issue; it is a strategy for maximizing community survival.
Yet barriers exist, social norms, mobility restrictions, and limited access to training centers. Inclusive DRR frameworks must actively remove these barriers by conducting localized, culturally sensitive training sessions and ensuring safe participation environments.
Bridging Policy and Practice: The Local Implementation Gap
While national policies in Pakistan align with global frameworks such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, a significant gap exists at the grassroots level. Policies often remain on paper while communities remain unprepared. Bridging this divide requires collaboration between local NGOs, schools, municipal authorities, and community councils.
Local institutions must prioritize practical, skills-based interventions over ceremonial awareness programs. Simulations, mock drills, and street-level response teams create tangible readiness. Real preparedness is measured not by documents written, but by lives saved.
Community-Based Training: A Transformative Model
| A robust community-based training model includes: | |
| Risk Awareness Sessions | Helping citizens identify hazards within their locality. |
| Basic Life Support and First Aid | Enabling immediate action before ambulances arrive. |
| Evacuation and Fire Safety Drills | Ensuring orderly responses. |
| Psychosocial Support Training | Building collective emotional resilience. |
| Inclusive Participation Frameworks | Involving women, youth, the elderly, and differently-abled persons. |
Such training transforms passive residents into active protectors. Neighborhood-based response units (NBRUs) can be formed to operate as micro-disaster management teams, ensuring every street has guardians of resilience.
Local Ownership: The Future of Disaster Management
In his continuing advocacy, Ali Sohaib highlighted that long-term resilience cannot rely solely on external responders. “When a crisis strikes, the community becomes its own rescuer. We must invest in people, not only infrastructure. The true infrastructure of resilience is knowledge.”
This perspective aligns with modern humanitarian approaches that advocate shifting from reactive relief to proactive preparedness.
Recommendations for Strengthening Community-Based Preparedness
| Integrate Disaster Education into Schools and Colleges | Make basic disaster response part of the curriculum. |
| Establish Local Training Hubs | Community centers should be equipped for first aid and rescue training. |
| Engage Women and Youth Leaders | Design specific programs encouraging their participation. |
| Promote Public-Private Partnerships | Involve businesses in funding community safety. |
| Create Volunteer Databases | Register trained community responders for coordinated action. |
Towards a Culture of Preparedness
Building resilient societies is a long-term process that goes beyond emergency response. It requires cultivating a culture of preparedness where every citizen considers safety a shared duty. Awareness must turn into action, and action into community-strengthening systems.
Institutional strengthening, capacity development, and inclusive leadership must converge to shape cities and towns that are ready, not only to respond after disaster strikes, but to anticipate, mitigate, and recover with dignity.
Resilience is not a destination; it is a continuous journey of empowerment, training, and unity. Communities that are informed, prepared, and connected are the true frontlines of disaster management.
