Practices by Stakeholder 2

Contingency plans adapted to account for migrants’ presence and potential needs

Contingency plans that are adapted to account for migrants’ cultural, social, economic, and demographic characteristics can improve their level of preparedness and facilitate assistance to them during emergencies. Such plans should encompass a comprehensive understanding of the migrant population of concern, which could be based on community profiles that capture relevant features of at-risk communities, in particular in high-immigration areas as well as mobility patterns. Factors to consider in developing contingency plans include:

• The fact that migrants often live and work in particularly risky areas that are more exposed to natural disasters and environmental degradation, physically segregated from other communities, or lack basic infrastructure and services;
• Migrants’ culturally-learned reactions to natural disasters, conflicts, and warnings;
• Which actors may be best placed to communicate and interact with migrants (e.g., if they mistrust authorities, considering how to reduce the presence of uniformed officials in evacuation areas);
• Dedicated transportation services, as migrants may have limited access to privatelyowned vehicles;
• Multilingual speakers and signage to guide migrants to access services and assistance, including evacuation ;
• Identification of safe shelters to house migrants, including in the context of evacuation;
• Stockpiling resources that account for migrants’ food, religious, privacy, or linguistic needs.

Contingency plans for protecting migrants in detention

Establishing contingency plans for protecting migrants in detention in the event of a crisis can ensure that migrants in detention are not forgotten and receive the support they need. In a crisis situation, some migrants in detention may need to contact their State of origin to request evacuation support. Others may need to be relocated out of harm’s way. Contingency plans could take advantage of partnership agreements with civil society or international organizations providing services to migrants in detention.