Managua, Nicaragua is at risk of earthquakes due to faults running through the area. The local disaster management system has weaknesses, including a focus on response over prevention, a centralized structure that does not incorporate all relevant actors, and limited awareness in communities. Recommendations include establishing cross-organizational protocols, integrating NGOs and the private sector, and using a risk management approach that engages communities throughout the disaster cycle.

1. URBAN AND CITY MANAGEMENT UR120
FINAL
ASSIGNMENT:
PREPAREDNESS FOR EARTHQUAKES IN MANAGUA CITY / March-28-2014
Submitted by: Fitzgerald Ashai Gutiérrez Castellón Date: March 2014
DESCRIPTION: FINAL ASSIGMENT FOR MDR / UR 120
PREPAREDNESS FOR EARTHQUAKES IN NICARAGUA. 2014
W o r k I n g f o r a W o r l d F r e e o f P o v e r t yW o r k I n g f o r a W o r l d F r e e o f P o v e r t y

2. 1. Background information: Managua
Managua is the capital city of Nicaragua and has a population of around 1.7 million, the
percentage of urban population runs over the 71%. The city is located at the southwestern
shore of the Lake of Managua.
The city has been the capital of Nicaragua since 1852. It has long held a bad reputation for
being unsafe and dirty. This has changed in the last few years and Managua has been rated
the safest capital in Central America in surveys by INTERPOL, and the United Nations.
Is often referred to as “la ciudad del caos ” (“the city of chaos”), another way of considering it
is as a post- modern metropolis, a ‘palimpsest’ of past forms superimposed upon each other,
and a collage of current uses. The squatter settlements in the ruins of the old city centre are
an obvious exemplification, but the notion also applies more generally. The businesses and
services that used to be in the city center have re-emerged in a decentralized manner,
creating a fragmented metropolis of semi-autonomous districts. From this perspective, rather
than a fragmentation, the process that Managua has undergone can perhaps best be
described as a form of “disembedding”. I borrow this term from Giddens (2001), who uses it
to describe how social, cultural and economic relations can become detached from their
localized contexts as a result of modernity and globalization.
Some economic data of Nicaragua to understand their development state.
NICARAGUA / 2012*
GNI per capita, PPP (current international $) 3,890.0
Population (Total) 5,991,733.0
GDP (current US$) (in millions) 10,507.4
GDP growth (annual %) 5.2
Gross International Reserves (GIR) US$ 1999.3 (Mill)
GIR/MB (monetary base) 2.5(n° of times)
Life expectancy at birth, total (years) 74.1
• Note: not all the economic information was updated for 2013, from CENTRAL BANK OF NICARAGUA (BCN)
• references: BCN. Www.bcn.gob.ni
Hazard factor: Managua have a pull-apart graben with numerous quaternary fault systems
running through it. The faults within the Managua Graben have been responsible for the two
catastrophic earthquakes in the 20th century. Though the magnitude of the events is small or
moderate they are capable of producing severe damages because of their shallow depth. The
earthquakes occur in cycles at depths between 5 to 12 km (Hedberg, 2005).
The region has a predominantly tropical climate, alternating between two seasons: rainy and
dry (winter and summer). This is the result of its geographic location between 12.15 degrees
latitude and -86.27 longitude; and the humidity from the Pacific Ocean and the Xolotlán lake
which gives it a fairly stable season. Also, the revision for World Urbanization Prospect by UN
(2011), indicates they are three sources capable of creating hazardous risk events in
Managua:
• Seismic Movements (by subduction zone, the volcanoes or the local faults)
• Flood (by rainy seasons, lake flooding)
• Drought

3. 2. Brief description of the Selected Disaster Event: earthquakes
In this paper instead of analyzing a disaster that already past, the theme focus in the
conditions we have in Managua to respond for a big scale event, such as an earthquake.
Historically Managua is a city with several seismic events, according to the National Institute
for Territorial Studies (INETER in Spanish), there are at least 10 small events in one day, but
many of them are imperceptible to humans for the scarce scale.
This characteristic, plus the hazardous factor already expose in section 1 of this document,
indicates a possible need to implement an MDR (even we have one for national scale we do
not use nor implemented yet for local management ); The citizens already live with the fear
for an earthquake similar or more powerful like they live in 1972, in recent days (to be more
specific in this month after the two earthquakes of the 28th of march) there were 9 more
small replicas, however the media didn't use any alert, nor the district social organizations
make alert, or call to be prepared for an emergency and of curse nor the local government
say a word for it. In this case, we have small constructions deteriorations and in some cases
dwellings collapsing
Even that the structure of the city is chaotic, the infrastructure is in some areas obsolete and
the quality of the constructions is variable, the mayor problem is the lack of participation of the
main actors (decision makers) and the poor information provided to the people.
And that is the question, Why we move until the phenomena strikes? Do we have the
preparedness to embrace a big scale event? Or we just hope in Faith and patience to
survive?
3. Local Disaster Management: how we work in Nicaragua.
Is a fact that we have a legal structure (laws 337 & 290 ) in which specifies the actions and
the responsibilities for each actor inside the National Plan for Disasters Response for
Nicaragua directed for the SINAPRED, but the reality is very different.
To begin with a paragraph from this course, “Since the mid 20th century, most of the countries‐
in the region were working to address disasters through their civil protection agencies, mostly
governmental bodies dedicated to emergency response.” (case of study 1, module 3)
The last mentioned is a harsh reality to Nicaragua. Not only for National level, this also
applies to Local Disaster Management. In which the standard is operate under a centralize
organization, and the NGO's or Private Sector aren't taken in count. Thus creates many of the
impediments for an efficient risk reduction management, because the lack of capacities,
inefficient use of resources, rigid bureaucratic structures and the lack of awareness of the
population are the key detonator factors for the inappropriate response after the disaster.
The structure for the Local Disaster Management (LDM) is Municipal based, the main actors
are:

4. • MAYOR OFFICE,
• COMMUNAL COMMISSIONS (leaders of the communities, religious leaders)
• POPULAR CABINETS (para-governmental groups, Sandinista youth movement)
• DISASTER LIASONS TECHNICAL UNITS (Education, Health, Environment,
Transport and Infrastructure, Supplies, Natural Phenomena, Army Special Operations,
Homeland Security).
Just like elsewhere in the world, efforts are mainly focused on ex post response and‐
recovery needs. But even the actions required for a PDNA are insufficient. In many occasions
the NGO's working with the LDM team are:
• Red Cross
• Care International
• Embassies as an intergovernmental cooperation
The capacities of this organizations are not enough for the Recuperation process, they are a
very good asset for the first stages of a disaster (Mitigation) but they can't and aren't created
for the others.
Another thing to consider is Nicaragua accepted the HFA (5 stages) to become part of their
MDR, and is a fact there are efforts to apply it, but it takes too much time to integrate the
different actors and it needs to change the centralization to cross-organizational cooperation.
There is also in 2008 the Central American Probabilistic Risk Assessment (CAPRA) initiative,
which was conceived as an open source platform for risk assessment in selected countries,‐
is now being replicated in similar programs throughout LCR and beyond. But then again, this
program is considered at first at a macro scale program and needs to be implemented in the
local scale.
MDR and DRR are also part of sustainable development. In order for development activities
to be sustainable they must also reduce disaster risk. On the other hand, unsound
development policies will increase disaster risk - and disaster losses. Thus, DRR involves
every part of society, every part of government, and every part of the professional and private
sector.

5. 4. Strengths and Weakness of the System
Over this document we already had presented some of the possible weakness about the
MDR applied in the Local Disaster Management. However there also are strengths in the
program and it is necessary to present them.
The model used for this is the SWOT matrix, because not only presents the strengths and
weakness, also gives the opportunities and threats for the matter. This derivate in possible
actions to improve the MDR.
STRENGTHS WEAKNESS OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
LEGAL
Already
established
Not for all fields Can be updated Depends on an
centralize
structure
ACTORS
Clearly defined
by it own
structures
Doesn't includes
all the possible
actors
Can integrate
every part of the
society
Excludes in all
levels important
decision-makers
ACTIONS
Only works ex-
ante and ex-post
a disaster
Only works ex-
post
Can be
reformulated to
work in both
times
Capacities to
work are limited
for the
bureaucratic
procedures
AWERENESS
Can use all the
government
massive media
communications
It is used only for
information after
the disaster.
Can be used as
alert system,
prevention and
information
Don't use it full
potential to make
impact in the
population
With this, we have a clear perspective of the elements and their correspondent potentials and
limitations. What it left is to create strategies to maximize the positive aspects such as
Strengths and Opportunities in order to answer questions like:
If a disaster is to happen:
• How can it be contained?
• Mitigation, can its impact be lessened?
• Do we need to be prepared? How? When?
• Who needs help? Who should help should act immediately, and how?

6. 5. Recommendations for Improvement
After the results in the SWOT matrix we can mix the potentials with the limitations and create
strategies to improve the MDR for Local Management.
Some of the recommendations to maximize the strengths against threats are:
LEGAL: because the Law already exist and is applied in the structure of the SINAPRED, what
it is necessary to do is create a cross-organizational structure with very well defined protocols
for National level to Local level.
ACTORS: not all the actors are settle inside the actual structure, NGO's and Private Sector
can be a great assessment for the experience and the resources they have.
ACTIONS: Extending the reach for ex-ante to ex-post, should includes the following:
1. Risk Management: Prevention,Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery.
2. Risk Reduction (Pre-disaster - Part of development): Prevention, Mitigation and
Preparedness
3. Reduction: “just in case scenario”, a disaster avoidance strategies; for minimizing the
impacts in-case a disaster strikes.
AWERENESS: Like the PP8 in the United States, which promotes the inclusion and
engagement of diverse stakeholders in the overall community preparedness and planning
process, recognizing the role of inherent and unique community-based social dynamics,
networks, and informal leadership that can be leveraged to strengthen community resiliency.
The Local Disaster Management in Nicaragua needs to incorporate the communities for a
more efficient response. They can participate to create strategies to reduce risk considering
the aspects of disaster cycle; giving them the opportunity to be part of the change and
informing at the same time the actions required for each condition.

7. Sources and resources for sections
SECTION 1
• Banco Central de Nicaragua – Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN);
http://www.bcn.gob.ni/en/index.php, revised March 27/2014.
• Hedberg. J. , (2005), Spectrogram Evaluation of Seismic Risk in Managua, Nicaragua,
Lund Institute of Technology , Lund University.
• Smart, A (2001), “Unruly places: urban governance and the persistence ofillegality in
Hong Kong’s urban squatter areas”, American Anthropologist Vo l 103, No 1, pages
30–44.
• United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs;
http://esa.un.org/unpd/wup/CD-ROM/Urban-Agglomerations.htm , revised March
26/2014.
• World Bank (the) , Search Data Bank, http://search.worldbank.org/all?
qterm=nicaragua , revised March 26/2014.
SECTION 2
• Instituto Nicaraguense de Estudios Territoriales - National Institute for Territorial
Studies (INETER) http://www.ineter.gob.ni/, revised March 26/2014.
• La Prensa, web page, http://www.laprensa.com.ni/2014/03/30/ambito/188951-sismos-
serie-causan-zozobra , revised March 28/2014.
SECTION 3
• CAPRA – Probabilistic Risk Assessment Program, http://www.ecapra.org/capra-
initiative-integrating-disaster-risk-development-policies-latam , revised March 28/2014.
• Federación Internacional de Sociedades de la Cruz Roja y la Media Luna Roja,
NICARAGUA: ESTUDIO DE CASO Cómo la Ley y la Normativa Apoyan la Reducción
de Riesgo de Desastre, Abril 2013
• Plan Nacional de Respuesta del SINAPRED (National Plan for Disaster Response of
SINAPRED), Government of Nicaragua, 2008.
• SISTEMA NACIONAL DE PREVENCION DE DESASTRES (SINAPRED).
http://www.sinapred.gov.ni, revised March 8/2014.
• The World Bank - GFDDR
http://www.gfdrr.org/sites/gfdrr.org/files/Nicaragua_DRM.pdf , revised March 28/2014.
• The World Bank – e institute
http://worldbank.mrooms.net/file.php/527/Html/pdf/national_disaster_risk_management
_systems.pdf , revised March 28/2014.