Lessons learned: Responding to disaster displacement in the time of COVID-19
Format
Manuela Kurkaa
Governments, first-responders and humanitarian organisations responding to displacement triggered by disasters during the COVID-19 pandemic are faced with a complex challenge: to evacuate people safely into shelters and camps, while maintaining social distancing measures in settings which are usually overcrowded and where the risk of contagion is far higher.
These simultaneous crises require immediate but somewhat conflicting responses. What would normally constitute an efficient and safe response to a disaster could now pose a serious health risk, if not performed with caution. As traditional best practices are being put into question, responders must find creative ways to protect people from disasters without risking further spread of the disease. New trends are emerging, as outlined below, some of which could become the new normal even after the pandemic ends.