The Averted Disaster Award releases free-access documentary about 2022 award winning project
Press Release
Bangladesh, December 16, 2022 – “Rivers of Hope”, the short documentary film about the 2022 Averted Disaster Award Winner, the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS), premiered today on the ADA YouTube channel.
Directed by award winning filmmaker Doel Trivedy, “Rivers of Hope” highlights the work of BDRCS telling the stories of three families who have been impacted by the Super Cyclone Amphan and the successive extreme events in Bangladesh May-July 2020. BDRCS provided forecast-based financing, to vulnerable communities in Bangladesh when disaster strikes. Following the daily activities of these three families, resource distribution and finally actions the families take themselves to move out of danger, we can learn how to mitigate the adverse impacts resulting from climate crisis and the increasing occurrence of extreme weather events
The Averted Disaster Award (ADA) partnered with WaterBear, a free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet, to produce the documentary. Founded by Ellen Windemuth, the executive producer of BAFTA and Oscar winning documentary My Octopus Teacher, Waterbear is available across 194 countries and features award-winning documentaries as well as original content – spanning biodiversity, community and climate action.
The film was funded in part by pioneering storytelling Resilient Foundation which gives local filmmakers, storytellers and communities around the world the opportunity to tell important stories. Michael Cain, Executive Director of Resilient Foundation said, “We are pleased to join the Averted Disaster Award to help make the invisible, visible by highlighting successful Disaster Risk Management interventions. This work, which typically goes unnoticed by the public and policy makers precisely because of its success, is critical to building a sustainable world in this era of extreme climatic events.”
The official release of the film took place during the Understanding Risk Global Forum in Florianopolis, Brazil, on November 29th, when only those participating in the forum were able to watch the documentary. However, today is the first day of the public, online release and you can access it, for free, from any part of the world. “Rivers of Hope” will be also distributed on WaterBear’s free streaming platform.
About
The Averted Disaster Award is an innovative new award that aims to bring visibility to successful disaster mitigation interventions. The award recognizes proactive interventions implemented around the world that help ensure that communities continue to function, thrive, and recover quickly in the face of disaster risk. The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society was announced as the 2022 Averted Disaster Award winner at The Understanding Risk Global Forum (UR22) in Florianopolis, Brazil, a biennial conference that convenes experts and practitioners from all around the world to showcase the best practices and latest innovations in the field of disaster risk identification and management.
The 2023 Averted Disaster Award is open to submissions from individuals, project teams and organizations of all sizes, regions and industries who wish to see particular interventions recognized. Additional information about nomination requirements can be found at www.averteddisasteraward.org.
The Averted Disaster Award Announces Bangladesh Red Crescent Society as 2022 Winner
Press Release
Florianópolis, Brazil, November 29, 2022 – The Averted Disaster Award (ADA) today named the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) as the winner of the 2022 ADA award for outstanding Disaster Risk Management (DRM) intervention. BDRCS earned the recognition for their work implementing a forecast-based financing framework for vulnerable communities in Bangladesh during successive climatic events from May-July 2020.
Created in December 2021, the Averted Disaster Award is an annual competition that seeks to bring visibility to successful DRM programs and policies around the world. Today’s announcement took place at the Understanding Risk (UR) Global Forum in Florianópolis, Brazil.
David Lallemant, an Assistant Professor at Nanyang Technological University and co-founder of the ADA, said, “The Averted Disaster Award aims to highlight successful risk reduction interventions that are otherwise invisible. As one of the ten most disaster-prone countries in the world, Bangladesh is highly exposed to severe monsoon flooding and cyclones. Through the Averted Disaster Award, we hope to shed light on impactful programs like this one, so they may be replicated, adapted and scaled in other communities that need them.”
The BDRCS’ forecast-based financing framework combines weather and climate forecasts with risk analysis to determine when and where a hazard is most likely to strike. Once a certain trigger level is reached, BDRCS releases a pre-determined amount of humanitarian funding to minimize the hazard’s impacts on families and communities.
Maricar Rabonza, a Risk Analysist and PhD researcher at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, said, “The anticipatory approach of forecast-based financing is proving to be highly effective at averting the impacts of floods and cyclones in Bangladesh. The evidence shows that recipients of these early action programs are more likely to evacuate to shelters during cyclone conditions and less likely to borrow money or sell assets in the aftermath of extreme flooding.” Rabonza added, “Increasing resilience in disaster-prone zones is the key to navigating our current climate crisis.”
The ADA also announced today the premier of a short documentary about the work of BDRCS. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Doel Trivedy, the film features three families in Bangladesh positively impacted by the BDRCS forecast-based financing program. ADA partnered with the Resilient Foundation and the WaterBear Network to produce the film. Entitled “Rivers of Hope,” the documentary will be available for free on the WaterBear Network’s streaming video platform dedicated to films about the global environment. Today’s premier took place at the Understanding Risk Global Forum in Florianópolis.
The ADA also recognized today other notable applicants for the 2022 Averted Disaster Award. The ADA identified the organization Build Change as an Intervention of Distinction for their work fortifying homes and schools against climate hazards in the Philippines. The project is captured in a series of photographs currently part of an exhibition at the UR global forum in Brazil. Nikon Ambassador, Hermeilio Miguel Aquino (Kino), a photographer, director, and multidisciplinary artist photographed the project. The ADA partnered with Nikon, the Resilient Foundation, and the WaterBear Network to produce the exhibition.
In addition, the ADA awarded two Honourable Mentions; to the University of Philippines Resilience Institute for their Project NOAH and to GeoHazards International for their project Landslide Safety Action Plan, Aizawl, India.
For more information about the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society forecast-based financing project, please see the Fact Sheet at https://averteddisasteraward.org/articles/
About the ADA:
The Averted Disaster Award recognizes proactive interventions implemented around the world that help ensure that communities continue to function, thrive, and recover quickly in the face of disaster risk.
The 2023 Averted Disaster Award is open for submissions from individuals, project teams, and organizations of all sizes, regions, and industries who wish to see successful DRM interventions recognized. Additional information about nomination requirements can be found at www.averteddisasteraward.org.
The Understanding Risk Global Forum, the host for today’s announcements, is a biennial conference that convenes experts and practitioners from all around the world to showcase the best practices and latest innovations in the field of disaster risk identification and management. The Averted Disaster Award is an initiative of the Understanding Risk community and is supported by the Global Fund for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR).
For more information concerning the ADA, contact awards@averteddisasteraward.org
ADA Teams with Nikon on Photo Exhibition
The Averted Disaster Award (ADA) announced it’s teaming up with Nikon and the WaterBear Network to develop a photo exhibition reflecting the work of the 2022 ADA runner-up submission. Nikon Ambassador, Hermeilio Miguel Aquino (Kino), a London based photographer, director, and multidisciplinary artist is shooting the project. The exhibition will debut at the Understanding Risk 22 global conference in Florianópolis, Brazil in November. The 2022 ADA winning and runner-up submissions will be officially announced at that time.
Raised in the South Bronx of New York, Kino began his career as an actor. He went on to study film directing at Columbia College in Chicago, and pursued further studies at the Saint Petersburg Theatre Academy in Russia and the Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London. Kino came to photography at age 30, and has since worked with a number of fashion brands including Pantene, Kite Eyewear, and O2. In addition to his fashion and portraiture work, Kino has developed several projects on environmental and social issues, including content for the refugee organization FODI and the SKY ZERO footprint fund.
Following the showing at UR22, the exhibition is expected to travel to other locations around the world.
ADA Partners with WaterBear Network on Film
The Averted Disaster Award (ADA) announced a partnership with WaterBear, a free streaming platform dedicated to the future of our planet, to produce a documentary film short about the 2022 ADA award winner. The film will be funded in part by pioneering storytelling Resilient Foundation, which gives local filmmakers, storytellers and communities around the world the opportunity to tell important stories. It will premiere later this year at UR22 in Florianópolis, Brazil, where the ADA competition’s inaugural winner is to be officially announced.
Michael Cain, Executive Director of Resilient Foundation said, “We are pleased to join the Averted Disaster Award to help make the invisible, visible by highlighting successful Disaster Risk Management interventions. This work, which typically goes unnoticed by the public and policy makers precisely because of its success, is critical to building a sustainable world in this era of extreme climatic events.”
Directed by award winning filmmaker Doel Trivedy, the ADA documentary will be distributed on WaterBear’s free streaming platform. Founded by Ellen Windemuth, executive producer of BAFTA and Oscar winning documentary My Octopus Teacher, WaterBear is available across 194 countries and features award-winning documentaries as well as original content – spanning biodiversity, community, and climate action.
ADA Identifies Selection Committee
The Averted Disaster Award (ADA) announced earlier this year the individuals who will serve as members of the 2022 ADA Selection Committee, responsible for reviewing the applications and deciding on the winning submissions.
The Committee is made up of thought leaders and practitioners in the field of Disaster Risk Management. Each of the Committee members have a demonstrated commitment to to the goal of highlighting successful interventions as a way of encouraging others to invest in keeping communities safe. The four honourable members of the Selection Committee are:
David Lallemant
Head of Disaster Analytics for Society Lab (DASL) at Nanyang Technological University and the Earth Observatory of Singapore
David’s work is the basis for the Averted Disaster Award. “Shedding light on avoided disasters: measuring the invisible benefits of disaster risk management using probabilistic counterfactual analysis” will be featured as a contributing paper in the upcoming UNDRR Global Assessment Report 2022. His research focuses on probabilistic risk and resilience analysis of cities, communicating uncertainties in disaster risk, and the uses and limitations of machine learning in disaster risk analysis. David holds a PhD from Stanford University (2015), a MSc from UC Berkeley (2010) and a BSc from MIT (2007). He is a recipient of the National Research Foundation Fellowship, and the Collaborative Data Innovation for Sustainable Development Fund. He is the co-founder of the Stanford Urban Resilience Initiative at Stanford University, and the Co-Risk Labs cooperative.
Shanna N. McClain
NASA, Disasters Program Manager
Dr. Shanna N. McClain is the Disasters Program Manager for NASA’s Earth Sciences/Applied Sciences Program. In this role, she leads a dynamic team across NASA centers on issues relating to enhancing and integrating Earth science capabilities for supporting disaster response, reducing disaster risk, and building resilience. She helps define NASA’s role in resilience through the development of EO-focused approaches in fragile and crisis-affected areas, and identifying strategic and non-traditional partnerships that can improve linkages between science and policy. Shanna also serves as Manager of the Earth Sciences Division’s Global Partnerships and Program Coordinator to the NASA Applied Sciences Valuables Consortium. Here, her work involves creating thriving private-sector engagements that bring NASA capabilities to global communities and amplifying the societal and economic benefits of Earth science information.
Professor Koh Chan Ghee
Director, Lloyds Registry Foundation
Professor Koh Chan Ghee is an established civil engineering professor with research and education experience in his domain of expertise in structural dynamics. He obtained his Ph.D. in earthquake engineering at the University of California, Berkeley in 1986. He is currently the Director of the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk and the Director of Centre for Hazards Research at NUS. He has published more than 250 international journal papers and conference papers. He was a recipient of the prestigious Marie Curie Fellowship awarded by the Commission of the European Communities, as well as the IES Best Paper Award. A registered professional engineer (civil), he has been engaged as an advisor/consultant in more than 120 projects including many major infrastructure developments in the region.
Stéphane Hallegatte
Senior Climate Change Adviser at World Bank
Stéphane Hallegatte is a Senior Climate Change Adviser at the World Bank. He joined the World Bank in 2012 after 10 years of academic research in environmental economics and climate science for Météo-France, the Centre International de Recherche sur l’Environnement et le Développement, and Stanford University. His research interests include the economics of natural disasters and risk management, climate change adaptation, urban policy and economics, climate change mitigation, and green growth.
Selection Committee members apply their expertise without bias to review applications and collaborate to determine the shortlist of finalists and winner of the ADA prize.
HOW ADA STARTED
The Averted Disaster Award Recognizes Successful Initiatives in Disaster Risk Management
The ADA Prize is built upon the efforts of Prof. David Lallemant, Maricar Rabonza, Dr. Yolanda Lin, and members of the Disaster Analytics for Society Lab at NTU in Singapore. Their work highlights how successful DRM interventions are often rendered invisible as a result of the very nature of their success, and the corresponding challenges that arise when incentivizing interventions to reduce risk. They propose the use of counterfactual risk analysis as a means to make ‘avoided disasters’ visible, by shedding light on what could have been had a risk reduction intervention not been implemented. Their work will be featured as a contributing paper in the upcoming UNDRR Global Assessment Report 2022. A preprint of the paper can be accessed with this link.
Every year, disasters caused by natural hazards claim thousands of lives, destroy communities around the world, and costs the global economy billions of dollars. But without the work of disaster risk professionals and organizations, this destruction could be much, much worse.
While the news often highlights catastrophes, they don’t focus on the buildings that stayed standing due to earthquake-resistant building codes, the wildfires avoided due to effective forest management, or the lives saved thanks to timely evacuations. The field of disaster risk management (DRM) faces the challenge that its failures are catastrophic while its successes go unnoticed. The Averted Disaster Award is the world’s first prize for successful disaster mitigation interventions that go unnoticed precisely because of their success.
In the world of Disaster Risk Management, success means ‘nothing happens’: this can lead policy makers and society at large to undervalue the importance of proactive intervention. This award aims to shed light on successes in DRM to recognize the outstanding work of those who invest in measures that keep our communities and world safe. It recognizes proactive interventions implemented around the world that help ensure that communities continue to function, thrive, and recover quickly in the face of disaster risk.
The Averted Disaster Award is open to submissions from individuals, project teams and organizations of all sizes, regions and industries who wish to see particular interventions recognized. The nominator does not need to have been directly involved in the mitigation intervention. The submissions will close on April 15, 2022 and they can be in any structure or format (narrative text, video, slides, etc.), but the written portion is limited to a maximum of 5 pages.
The winning applicant(s) will receive up to five cash grants and tickets to attend Understanding Risk 2022, Novemeber 28 to December 2, in Brazil, where the award ceremony will be held. The intervention highlighted in the winning application will be featured in a documentary at the event.
The Averted Disaster Award, launched at UR Asia 2021, is built upon the work of Assistant Professor David Lallemant, Maricar Rabonza, Dr. Yolanda Lin and members of the Disaster Analytics for Society Lab at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Their work highlights how successful DRM interventions are rendered invisible as a result of their success and the corresponding challenges of incentivizing interventions that reduce risk. They propose the use of counterfactual risk analysis as a means to make ‘avoided disasters’ visible, by shedding light on ‘what could have been’ had a risk reduction intervention not been implemented. The work will be featured as a contributing paper in the upcoming UNDRR Global Assessment Report 2022 (UNDRR is the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction).
“In the face of disaster and climate risks, ‘nothing happening’ is extraordinary. We believe that the benefits of a risk reduction intervention can be shown and measured even if they seem invisible. By imagining what could have happened, we can make convincing arguments about the value of particular interventions.” Asst. Prof. David Lallemant, Principal Investigator at the Earth Observatory of Singapore, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
“In a world of ever-increasing environmental shocks, there is a pressing need to celebrate good risk management. We need to create, sustain and amplify efforts that already exist and enable learning and sharing of positive examples that can be emulated and scaled.”
Francis Ghesquiere, Practice Manager (Singapore based), The World Bank.
The Averted Disaster Award
The award was announced at Understanding Risk Asia 2021 in Singapore, a hybrid 2-day event held jointly organised by the Lloyd’s Register Foundation Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk at the National University of Singapore, and the World Bank in Singapore. UR Asia 2021 brought together experts and practitioners from all around the world to showcase the best practices and latest innovations in the field of disaster risk identification and communication, and to facilitate non-traditional interactions and partnerships.
The UR community was born out of the recognition that disaster risk assessment and identification were activities that cut across sectors and industries, and comprises over 13,000 experts and practitioners interested and active in the creation, communication and use of disaster risk information. This network has inspired innovation by sharing and applying best practices, developing technological solutions, and enabling cross-sector partnerships.
Additional information about nomination requirements can be found at: www.averteddisasteraward.org. Nominations are now open and will close on April 15, 2022.