Manual on flood preparedness program for provincial and district level authorities in the Lower Mekong Basin countries

This manual provides basic understanding and describes implementation arrangements required for flood preparedness planning. It is expected to be beneficial, in particular, to the countries of the Lower Mekong Basin and can also be adapted to incorporate the needs and situation of other countries in the region, including Thailand.

It was developed based on assessment of the needs of local disaster management authorities and practitioners to improve flood preparedness planning. It intends to help Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam provincial and district level disaster management committees of the riparian countries to develop and implement the Flood Preparedness Program. In addition, this also serves a purpose as a training resource handbook for the national disaster management officials, practitioners and NGOs to conduct capacity building activities on flood preparedness.

Its ten chapters address: (1) Flood Preparedness Planning; (2) Preparation of a Provincial and District Profile; (3) Hazard, Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment (HVCA); (4) Institutional Mechanisms for Flood Preparedness and organizations involved in flood risk management; (5) Institutional Terms of Reference (ToR) for Flood Preparedness Planning; (6) Flood Risk Reduction Measures to be taken before, during and after floods; (7) Preparation and Maintenance of Resource Inventory; (8) Assessment and Upgrading of Flood Preparedness Program; (9) Mainstreaming Special Needs of Vulnerable Groups into flood planning; and (10) Integration of FPP with the National, Provincial and District Development Plans.