1. INTRODUCTION TO DRM – BASIC CONCEPTS, PLAYERS AND TERMINOLOGY
(Assignment prepared by ANGJELIN MINGU)
My country, Albania, is situated in the South of Europe, between coordinates 39o
- 41o
North and
19o
-21o
East. It’s vertically shaped on the right coast of Adriatic Sea, having an area of 28,748 sq. km and
population 3.6 million (http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blcalbania.htm).
One of the main natural disasters striking the country are the floods. They also account for the
most-common occurrence, having a share of 40% of the number of natural disasters during the last 20
years with 9 cases of floodsregistered. Second-frequent natural disaster was the Earthquake (4 cases)
and third Extreme Temperatures (3 cases).
In two consecutive years, 2010-2011, during winter months (November-January)the towns of
Shkoder and Lezhein north-west Albania were hit by considerable floods, which caused economic
damage in the arable land, households, domestic animals and so on. One picture attached below:
According to official figures, during the period 1-30 December 2010 there were reported 14,310
ha of flooded area, 4,660 destroyed houses, 5,540 isolated houses and 14,210 displaced people, for a
total damage of Euro 60 million. (www.scientificpapers.org, MedjonHysenaj: Application of Geographic Information Systems
Towards Flood Management InShkodër, Albania)
This particular region is the most affected by the floods and the government/community appear
not to have tackled the problem on its entirety, but instead are focusing on the response after the
immediate disaster. An analysis of the factors and causes of flooding shows that it occurs when there is
a concurrence of heavy rainfall coupled with unusual high temperatures which cause the snow melting
before the season. In addition to this, the massive and uncontrolled movement of population from
surrounding mountainous area to the lowland, converted a lot of agriculture area to informal
settlements, damaging in the process the existing irrigation network.
The government and specialized agencies should very soon prepare and implement a
comprehensive plan for dealing with this natural phenomenon in comprehensive manner. As described
in the EU paper “Best practices on flood prevention, protection and mitigation”, there are several
factors which contribute to the effective solution of this problem.

2. The work starts with the preparation of a flood strategy which should cover the entire affected
area.
The approach should shift from defensive action against hazards to management of the risk.
Human use of floodplains should be adapted to existing hazards.
Non-structural measures to be prioritized as compared to structural ones.
The responsible authorities should provide timely and reliable flood warning, flood forecasting
and other information.
Preparedness to alert, rescue and safety measures should be planned and implemented at all
levels, including the public
A fair compensation system should support the victims of flood disasters
(WWW.ecrr.org/publication/floodrisk_doc7.pdf)
In conclusion, there are substantial changes required to be able to organize an efficient and
timely response to the natural disasters (floods in this case). Government should embark in a disaster
preparedness plan, should break it down in various levels, up to the community in the ground, should
test it for possible incoherencies and make sure that it is implemented as per the actual circumstances.
The mindset is the first one to change – unfortunately this is the most difficult part. As it is often the
practice with small and underdeveloped countries, the right and positive pressure from the international
community, can be proven to be an effective tool in achieving this.
My glossary:
Prevention – measures taken to be protected from a disaster
Mitigation – measures taken to reduce the damage or to save what can be saved in the
aftermath of a disaster
Preparedness – mental and paper-bound listing of the actions to be taken in a disaster scenario
Response/relief – actions taken and activity carried out after a disaster: to save lives and to
recover the damages
Recovery/rehabilitation – actions taken and activity carried out after a disaster: to return the
affected population and assets to the pre-disaster state.
AngjelinMingu, 1-3 March 2014.