Community Based Fire Risk Reduction - Case Study of Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay

• Main Author: Rosenberg, Matthew
• Other Authors: Odendaal, Nancy
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: University of Cape Town 2014
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7517

The destructive impact of disasters, man-made and natural, has been well studied in many contexts and a number of approaches for managing these disasters have been suggested. Much of the literature, however, has come out of the developing world with the focus on formal, well established communities. Informal communities are so inherently different from formal areas that they experience disasters very differently. Fires across Cape Town informal settlements have been well publicised following a number of devastating fires in recent years, but limited local research has been conducted in this and urban design for disaster risk reduction. Planning has the ability to fulfil a key role in acting as facilitator between communities and disaster management officials by developing detailed local plans focussed on reducing community vulnerability; something which is not often seen. This research therefore focussed on Community Based Disaster Risk Management for Fires in an informal Cape Town community. The need for increased community involvement in the planning and Disaster Management processes is the premise upon which this research is based, contrasted with the typical top-down approaches commonly used in Disaster Risk Reduction. In order to study Disaster Risk Management at the community scale, case study research was conducted in Imizamo Yethu, Hout Bay; a dense settlement that has been plagued by numerous fires recently. Focus groups were run with community members and fire-fighters, using a physical 3D model of their community for interaction and analysis. To supplement these interactions, local authorities and disaster management officials were interviewed for their perspectives. The results of these discussions were analysed in conjunction with a socio-economic and bio-physical analysis of the community in order to draw conclusions and develop proposed interventions. The key findings are encouraging for the reduction of disaster risk in informal communities. Residents are enthusiastic about reducing disaster risk on a personal and neighbourhood level and requested increased interaction with local authorities. Ideas discussed during the focus groups are further developed and interventions and guidelines are proposed for the community and the City respectively. These innovative, previously unthought of solutions to some of the problems present an opportunity to change how communities plan for, respond to and deal with disasters.