Inclusive Disaster Management: Best Practices for Protecting Vulnerable Groups

Key Learnings

• Engaging relevant stakeholders: Broad participation is essential, particularly from representatives of vulnerable groups. These may include specially established associations, hospital and care facility operators or resident representatives.
• Utilising multipliers and existing structures: Reaching some target groups can be challenging, making multipliers valuable for tasks such as delivering mobile care services. In smaller communities, long-standing municipal and fire department staff have extensive experience and local knowledge. Documenting and preserving this expertise ensure it remains available for future use.
• Understanding the target group: Vulnerable groups are diverse and require tailored communication approaches. A thorough analysis helps identify the most effective channels, including multilingual and plain language materials, public notices, email campaigns, social media, local calendars, and training trusted community representatives to share key information.

Summary

Through collaboration with local authorities, disaster experts, and representatives of vulnerable groups, the VULKANO project identified, evaluated, and documented 18 best-practice examples from Austria and other German-speaking regions. These examples – compiled in detailed factsheets – demonstrate innovative, inclusive approaches at municipal, organisational, and project levels. The findings translate into practical recommendations to help cities and municipalities better integrate vulnerable groups into disaster risk management in the context of climate change.

Contact

Laura Essl, laura [dot] essldcna [dot] at (laura[dot]essl[at]dcna[dot]at)