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January 2005-Issue 4
Dear Readers,
The
year 2004 ended in a great tragedy when an
Earthquake of magnitude 9.0 on the Richter
Scale struck off the western coast of
Northern Sumatra, Indonesia triggering one
of history’s most devastating Tsunamis which
affected around 11 Asian and African
countries. This natural disaster brought
with it unprecedented destruction and loss
of lives, livelihoods, properties and
environment. Estimates of fatalities, up to
10 January 2005 have exceeded 150,000, with
thousands more still missing.
All of us at ADPC would like to extend our
heartfelt sympathies to all those families
and loved ones who have died and suffered
great losses. ADPC will provide every help
possible within it’s mandate and resources
to support our partners in the different
countries and peoples affected.
Suvit Yodmani, Executive Director, Asian
Disaster Preparedness Center
ACTIVITIES
ADPC Involvement in the
Indian Ocean Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster
Thailand
27 - 29 December 2004:
ADPC in partnership with Télécom sans
Frontieres International (TSFI) sent two
teams to Phuket and Phangha in Southern
Thailand to provide telecommunication
support to the Thai Department of Disaster
Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) from 27 –
29 December, when all communication networks
were restored by the Thai Government. The
team also conducted a Rapid Disaster Damage
and Needs Assessment and Analysis of the
areas affected by the Tsunami.
5-12 January 2005:
ADPC sent a member to
help the UN-OCHA and the UNDAC team to
coordinate the rescue and restoration
operations. The team is working closely with
the Department of Disaster Prevention and
Mitigation, command headquarters in Phuket
province of the Ministry of Interior,
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National and
International NGOs.
Sri Lanka
28 December 2004:
Upon the invitation from the Sri Lankan
Government a team of experts was sent to the
impacted areas. In partnership with TSFI
ADPC helped to provide satellite
communication support to the people in the
affected areas. With the assistance of the
National Building Research Organization (NBRO),
and the Centre for Housing Planning and
Building (CHPB) the two local partners, two
rapid assessment teams began work on
identifying factors contributing to the high
losses, casualties and damage to property,
possible risk reduction measures to include
long and short term recovery programs and
suggest approaches for implementing
reconstruction and rehabilitation programs
in the human settlement sector.
Indonesia
6 January 2005:
The Executive Director of ADPC was invited
to attend the “Special ASEAN Leaders’
Meeting on Aftermath of Earthquake and
Tsunami” in Jakarta. The summit meeting was
attended by Heads of State/Government, UN
Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, Special
Envoys and Heads of regional as well as
international organizations. The meeting
shared experiences of Governments of
countries in the Asian region and discussed
the way ahead, especially the establishment
of early warning systems in the region
affected.
8 January 2005:
Another team was sent to Indonesia to
provide telecommunication support in
collaboration with TSFI, and help assess
damage and needs for potential donors.
Maldives
10 January 2005: Two ADPC experts left for
Maldives as part of the UNDP - World Bank
disaster assessment team.
Workshop on Tsunami Early
Warning, Beijing
25 - 26 January 2005: ADPC expert to attend
the Workshop on Tsunami Early Warning in
Beijing hosted by Government of the People’s
Republic of China.
Events
World Conference on Disaster Reduction,
Kobe, Hyogo, Japan
18 - 22 January 2005: The Executive Director
and a delegation of 10 members will be
attending the World Conference on Disaster
Reduction, organized by UNISDR and hosted by
the Japanese Government.
Workshops/Training
29
January – 2 February 2005: Curriculum
Adaptation Workshop under the Training and
Capacity Building Project (TCBP) in
Afghanistan
ADPC in partnership with InWent (Capacity
Building International, Germany) started
implementation of the new TCBP in
Afghanistan with the support of the United
Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA).
The objective is to enhance the capacity of
member ministries and departments of the
National Commission for Emergency and
Disaster Management. A core team of trainers
will also be developed during the project,
under a Disaster Management Training Unit (DMTU),
which is being established at the Department
of Disaster Preparedness (DDP). The
Curriculum Adaptation Workshop is one of the
first activities being implemented.
UPCOMING EVENTS IN FEBRUARY
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