In August 2010, the municipality of Amadora, joined the international initiative World
Disaster Campaign 2010-2015 | Making Cities Resilient. To make the commitment and
face the challenges of this initiative, the municipality established a Local Campaign and
creates a team work, defining two basic objectives:
- Assessment, processing and analysis of all information related to natural and
technological risks;
- Information, education and awareness of the whole community in order to promote
the disaster risk redution.
The Local Campaign first step was ensuring the involvement and participation of
various stakeholders with different responsibilities in the risk management process:
academic-scientific entities, local, municipal services, public-private companies, rescue
and emergency, private social solidarity institutions (IPSS), non-governmental
organizations and school community. Each stakeholder took a participation strategy
based on five steps:
1st STEP- Identification of non-conformities and propose improvements based on the
Legal Framework for Fire Safety in Buildings (national legislation);
2nd STEP - Technical support to implement action plans and programms (physical
resilience and robustness of stakeholders facilities) ;
3rd STEP - Training / Awareness for employees and users of facilities;
4th STEP - Thematic workshops on risks and safety;
5th STEP - Active participation in local campaign events.
Through academic-scientific partnerships were developed a set of papers and technical
reports about historic loss and meteorological data for the period 2000-2010, in
Amadora. That papers and reports has been the basis for the creation of risk mapping
and planning measures to reduce disaster risk. In addition was a good important to
improve effective preparedness and response. In addition, it has been used a
questionnaire to assess Amadora community risk perception and validate the historic
loss data.
In order to promote a culture of safety and prevention in the school community was
published in 2012 a notebook to School Safety Plans, to clarify, and upgrade
emergency procedures.
To ensure communication, dissemination and participation of the whole Amadora
community, the Local Campaign, throughout their steps, has promoted a number of
initiatives, workshops and thematic sessions:
- School Handbook "Prevent to Protect" - awareness of the school community to the
issues of risk, disaster, safety and self-protection measures;
- Guide "Family Emergency Plan" - bringing the issue of security to families;
- Thematic sessions "Risk, disaster, safety and self-protection measures";
- Backpack "Emergency Kit" - make the community aware of the importance of having
the Emergency Kit at home;
- Civil protection schools centers - educating for safety and prevention;
- Technical and operational expositions - theoretical and practical demonstration of the
Civil Protection agent’s missions;
- Civil Protection Program Club - training and awareness of the school community;
- Conference "International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction" - reflection about
natural disasters issues, combined with the annual theme proposed by UNISDR;
- Drills and evacuation exercises - to promote the training of people in buildings;
- Early warning system - disclosure of extreme weather events and preventive
measures;
- Social networks - facebook, youtube and website.
In order to continue the good work until 2015, the Local Campaign wants to bet on:
- Training and awareness of the young, elderly and disability population;
- Vulnerability assessment for the municipality;
- Risk mapping updating and preventive measures dissemination;
- Development of contingency plans;
- Development of emergency plans.
The purpose of all the work done will be creating a municipal resilience map. It will
serve to identify the risks and vulnerabilities as well demonstrate the capacity of each
entity in the prevention, rescue and recovery process.