Impact Case Study: Assessing and improving cities’ emergency response plans

Many cities across the world are at high risk of mass casualty events but do not have the tools needed to assess their preparedness for such events – gaps are only revealed when a disaster occurs. This study developed a new tool to assess and improve a city’s emergency response plans.

Tested in three high-risk cities, recommendations were provided to policymakers to improve their performance, allowing cities to work towards fulfilling global commitments. The study helped to increase the capacity of local actors in the participating cities, and mobilised resources towards preparedness. The tool is now being tested in more cities across the world, with the evidence supporting the securing of resources from the humanitarian partner on the study, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The study contributed to the humanitarian evidence base and influenced ICRC’s strategic approach to disaster response.

R2HC captures detailed case studies through a process that triangulates and validates evidence on uptake and impact. The case study methodology and full version of this summary case study including references are available on request. Outputs and resources from this study are available on the project page.