How Community-Led Action Saves Lives Before Disaster Strikes
Written by Asha Mustapher
When disasters strike, they rarely give warning. However, even when early warning systems exist, their impact is limited if the people most at risk are left out of the planning process. Around the world, we see the same pattern repeat: communities are expected to respond to crises, yet they are often the last to be informed, trained, or consulted. Disaster preparedness is most effective when it starts from the ground up with the people living at the heart of the risk.
Why Community Involvement is Non-Negotiable
Communities are not just beneficiaries of preparedness plans, they are knowledge holders, first responders, and decision-makers in their own right. They understand their environment in ways that outsiders cannot. In many places, local people already have traditional ways to predict hazards like recognising changes in the sound of moving water during an approaching flood, or observing subtle shifts in weather, animal behaviour, and soil conditions. These signs are passed down through generations and often serve as informal early warning systems, especially in places where technology is limited.
By involving communities in preparedness planning, we ensure that strategies are rooted in real-life experience, cultural relevance, and local priorities. This builds trust and strengthens communication, making it easier for people to take early action when it matters most. When local leaders, youth, and volunteers are trained and engaged from the beginning, they become trusted messengers and mobilizers during emergencies. This connection between local knowledge and structured response is what transforms a plan on paper into a real impact on the ground. And importantly, when people are part of the process, they take ownership of it. This leads to better maintenance of systems, stronger coordination, and long-term resilience even after external support ends.
Why Waiting Costs More Than Preparing
While it may seem costly to invest in preparedness, the truth is that the cost of preparation is far greater. When disasters hit unprepared communities, the damage to infrastructure, livelihoods, health, and education can take years, even decades, to recover from. Homes are lost, schools are disrupted, small businesses are wiped out, and health systems are overwhelmed.
Studies have consistently shown that every shilling spent on disaster preparedness saves multiple shillings in response and recovery costs. Early warning systems, evacuation plans, and community training are relatively low-cost investments that can prevent loss of life and reduce damage dramatically. Preparedness is not just about avoiding tragedy, it’s about protecting the development gains communities have worked so hard for. It’s about keeping families safe, schools open, and economies functioning even in the face of crisis.
Mnyamani: A Living Example of People-Led Preparedness
In Mnyamani, a flood-prone community near the Msimbazi River in Tanzania, we saw firsthand how community involvement can change the game.
OMDTZ, in collaboration with CartONG and with local responses led by DarMAERT, the Tanzania Red Cross, and local leaders, piloted an anticipatory action project aimed at improving flood response. But instead of starting with technology or tools, the project started with people. We conducted a focus group interview with the community, all genders and age inclusive, trying to understand what the community perceives about disaster, what they do when disasters strike, and are there common behaviour is toward their action after a disaster strikes?
We trained first responders and community volunteers to collect real-time data using mobile forms, feeding data into the designed dashboard that shows the real-time situation from the ground. That can be used to take early actions, such as cleaning blocked drains. Local leaders were engaged early, not just to give approval but to shape the communication and warning system.
When real-time data is submitted to the dashboard, it can provide a summary of the situation to support early response actions. This allows DarMAERT to quickly inform local leaders, who can use loudspeakers to alert nearby residents about the predicted situation. Additionally, they can coordinate with response teams to clean blocked drains and remove accumulated waste from wards before the rains begin. There’s still a lot more that needs to be done, such as acquiring proper tools for cleaning and installing early warning sensors along the river. However, what we’ve been able to showcase so far is fast, familiar, and trusted — because it was built by the community, for the community
The Bigger Picture: Preparedness Through Partnership
The experience in Mnyamani shows what’s possible when communities are not just involved but central of disaster preparedness. It’s a reminder that technology alone cannot save lives. Data must be backed by trust, [lans must be co-owned. Systems must reflect the voices and realities of the people they aim to serve. As climate change increases the frequency and intensity of disasters, we need to rethink how we approach preparedness. It’s not about delivering solutions to communities. It’s about building solutions with them through dialogue, participation, and respect.
It’s time to move away from top-down planning that sidelines local voices. Let’s design preparedness strategies that are inclusive, practical, and rooted in the wisdom of communities. Because when disaster strikes, it’s not agencies or systems that act first, it’s the people. And when people are prepared, connected, and informed, they can lead the response and recovery with strength and dignity. Preparedness is not something we do for communities. It’s something we do with them.
