The Averted Disaster Award 2024
The Averted Disaster Award aims to spotlight achievements in disaster risk reduction that often go unnoticed. The challenge of quantifying the impacts of such interventions and to demonstrate their effectiveness required a counterfactual analysis to quantify the outcomes of the risk reduction interventions that were submitted. This is the process of reconstructing hazard events and calculating the potential impacts if the intervention had not existed. This analysis provides a tangible view of the ‘invisible successes’ achieved through risk reduction efforts. The winner of the 2024 Averted Disaster Award went to Lamu County in Kenya for their locally-led initiative in establishing an emergency operation center. The director of Lamu County’s Disaster Risk Management Committee dedicated the award to marginalized communities worldwide. The other finalists for the Averted Disaster Award were announced during the session, each recognized for their respective interventions in disaster risk reduction. (Runner up) Southern Africa Regional Anticipatory Action Working Group Large scale Anticipatory Action Activations for the El Nino Drought across Southern Africa. (Honorable mention) The Taiwan-Reyhanli Centre for World Citizens Syrian Refugee Community Center- Turned Humanitarian Relief Centre in Response to the 2023 Turkey-Syria Earthquake. (Honorable mention) Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, India Establishment of the First Ever City Specific, Disaster Response Force in the Region. (Honorable mention) The World Bank Group Caribbean Management Unit, Jamaica Improving Climate Data and Information Management. The ceremony celebrated the extraordinary work of making the ordinary possible by averting disasters.
“The emergency operation center successfully evacuated nearly 5000 at-risk families. They provided shelter, food, water, and health care to evacuate, as well as moved an estimated 20 ,000 livestock to higher ground. No human or animals’ lives were lost in the flood. ” “And this is a calling, this is a motivation for all other marginalized areas that let them do whatever they are doing, they should not worry about publicity because ADA will be there for them.” Shee Kupi, Director Disaster Management and Peace building, Lamu County, and Winner of the 2024 ADA awards
