Preparedness to face disasters is required at all levels right from the Household to the state Government to minimize the impact of Disasters. The Government cannot reach out immediately to each and every Household/village at the time of disaster.

The community is the first responder of any disaster and develops some traditional coping mechanisms to reduce their vulnerabilities. Such communities living in a common territory comprise of women, men, elders and students, teachers etc. can be recognized as RWAs, resettlement colonies, BPL houses, villages, wards, slums, jhuggies etc where people of

different social and economic background live together. These people are also responsible for their peace, prosperity and protection. The involvement of the community is the key factor in any disaster preparedness. The participation of the community is vital to sustain the activities of rebuilding the shattered community life.

Community Based Disaster Preparedness is:

- A response mechanism to save life, livelihood, livestock and assets with available resources within the community.

- Leads to multi-pronged development interventions to address the root cause of vulnerability.

- Leads to a self-reliant disaster proof community.

In order to generate the preparedness and response within the people, Community Based Disaster Preparedness Plans (CBDP) has to be developed in all the vulnerable areas of Delhi. A CBDP is a list of activities a community decides to follow to prevent loss of life, livelihoods and property in case of a disaster. It also identifies well in advance, actions to

be taken by individuals in the community so that each one is aware of his/ her responsibilities when an emergency warning is received. The