ADPC Assists the Thai Government in Setting Up its National Disaster Management Center

On 11 August 2001, Phetchabun Province residents were awakened by roaring water that swept through the Kor mountain range causing flash flooding. It was the worst since 1988 when Phibun in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province was devastated. Triggered by intense localized upstream rainfall, the flash flood was more severe because mudslides in the upper catchment brought surges of debris that devastated villages in the valleys of the Nam Chun and Nam Kor watersheds. Floodwater levels in affected villages were up to two meters above the ground surface.

ADPC Assessment Team at Phetchabun

Two days after the Phetchabun disaster, ADPC sent a team to conduct a rapid assessment of the disaster. The team comprised specialists in climate, landslide and flood mitigation, land development, natural resources and geology. A report on the cause of the flooding was subsequently submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office, Department of Local Administration (DOLA), Phetchabun Provincial Office, Lomsak District Office and UNDP. Recommendations included a comprehensive multi-agency assessment, development of district and province disaster management plans, development of early warning capabilities at provincial level, establishment of provincial flood management groups for enhanced coordination and preparedness, promotion of community awareness and capacity-building for effective disaster management.

Since the flash flood disaster, there have been several breakthroughs in the disaster management sector at national and provincial levels. Nationally, Thailand is restructuring disaster management agencies by integrating them into a new national agency scheduled to be operational by October 2002. In collaboration with the Ministry of Interior, ADPC organized a half-day high-level seminar on “Institutional Arrangements for Total Risk Management” from 3-4 April 2002 at the United Nations Conference Center in Bangkok. The seminar provided an opportunity for more than 150 senior Thai government officials to learn lessons of disaster management in different countries including Australia, the Philippines, New Zealand and the United States. In addition, public awareness booklets on floods, landslides and earthquakes were co-published with DOLA to inform individuals and communities about what to do before, during and after a disaster. At provincial level, steps have been taken to improve early warning systems. Capacity-building on the effective use of this improved system is also being planned.