To mark International Disaster Risk Reduction Day on 13 October, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and DisasterReady, a free humanitarian online learning resource portal, are hosting a Q&A session about understanding drowning prevention, with a focus on flood safety. As the risk of drowning increases with floods, the RNLI is sharing its lifesaving knowledge to raise awareness and improve safety for anyone who might find themselves caught in a flood. 

The Q&A with Dave Whiddon, Senior International Programme Manager at the RNLI and Tina Bolding, Director at DisasterReady is being hosted on the DisasterReady YouTube channel for International Risk Reduction Day. 

The RNLI also worked with DisasterReady on the development and dissemination of an international flood safety course. The free course focuses on how to plan for a flood, manage hazards in the water, use equipment and carry out basic rescue skills.  

The organisations also worked together on a Flood and Water Safety Video. The flood and water safety video can be accessed on YouTube, with translations in French and Spanish. The flood safety resources from DisasterReady have been completed by over 2000 people across more than 100 countries to date. 

According to the UN, 1 in 3 people globally will be affected by a disaster in their lifetime. Flood disasters are becoming both more frequent as well as more severe and this trend is expected to continue as part of climate change. Drowning risks can increase with floods, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where people live in flood prone areas. 

As well as working in the UK and Ireland to save lives at sea, the RNLI also works with partners globally where drowning is a significant problem. The RNLI shares its drowning prevention knowledge to raise awareness, widen the research base and help develop solutions to save more lives. 

Dave Whiddon, Senior International Programme Manager at the RNLI, said: ‘We know that drowning is a leading cause of death in flood disasters. We are working with partners to raise awareness and improve safety in the face of flooding events. The more we share our drowning prevention knowledge and expertise, the more lives we will save.’ 

Tina Bolding, Director of DisasterReady said: ‘We’re delighted to have worked with the RNLI to develop a free online flood safety course to share incredibly important knowledge and skills with other organisations who desperately need it. To mark International Disaster Risk Reduction Day, we have hosted a Q&A on our YouTube site with the RNLI discussing what organisations can do to manage the risks in a flood situation.’ 

Since 2012, the RNLI’s International Team has developed technical resources to provide guidance to other lifesaving organisations, particularly those in low-resource settings. These guides are freely available and focus on areas such as water safety education, survival swimming, flood safety, and maritime search and rescue. 

Visit the DisasterReady YouTube site here

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