Disaster Mitigation
in Asia

28 February 2006
Issue No. 32

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

The Program for Hydro-meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE), funded by USAID/OFDA, commenced from October 2005. Through consultations with a number of ADPC partners, five project countries have been selected – Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam – for implementing demonstration projects in each country in a highly vulnerable city with recent history of hydro-meteorological disasters. Other components of the program consist of capacity building, risk management advocacy, networking and dissemination initiatives in the selected countries. The objective of the program is to contribute towards reduction of vulnerability of urban communities through enhanced preparedness and mitigation of hydro-meteorological disasters in South and Southeast Asia. The processes of finalizing project proposals, and formulating strategies for project implementation are ongoing and city demonstration projects are expected to commence during February-March 2006.

PROMISE Activities for the month of March 2006:

• A 2-day Curriculum Development workshop on " Governance and Risk Management" is being organized on 2-3 March 2006 at the AIT Center, Bangkok, Thailand and selected participants will be primarily representatives of the local partners in five targeted countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
• The Urban Disaster Risk Management Team (UDRM) of ADPC will also organize a training course on " Community Based Urban Disaster Risk Mitigation" from 13-17 March 2006 at Kalatura, Sri Lanka. This training course will be organized primarily for he staff members of the SARVODAYA, the local partner institution for PROMISE-Sri Lanka, and other stakeholders, under the PROMISE project being implemented by ADPC through funding from USAID/OFDA.

A. FROM THE REGION

(1) ADPC joins the first Emergency Crew with Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF) South-East Base in Leyte, Philippines

ADPC with its partner TSF has set up an emergency telecommunications response mission. The mission will help to coordinate, offer support and assist the affected people providing them a link with the outside world. They will also help coordinate and strengthen emergency relief efforts in the worst affected zones through its satellite communications equipments.

Please see the following websites for more information and update  <http://www.adpc.net> and < http://www.tsfi.org/html_e/index_gb.php >

(2) Disaster reduction begins at school - International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) International Campaign 2006-2007

UNESCO and the UN-ISDR are launching a worldwide campaign at school level on the prevention of natural disasters. A competition to find a slogan that will powerfully deliver the message “ Disaster reduction begins at school” is now open to all students from ages 6 to 18. This will be the slogan of the 2-year campaign on education for the prevention of natural disasters that UNESCO and ISDR are launching this year for two years with activities in which primary and secondary schoolteachers can participate. The writer of the best slogan will win a box of disaster prevention games and his or her school will receive an information kit on natural hazards.

Please see the following announcement:
http://www.eird.org/fulltext/novedades/englet-isdr.pdf
http://www.eird.org/fulltext/novedades/frelet-sipc.pdf
http://www.eird.org/fulltext/novedades/spalet-eird.pdf

Entries can be emailed directly to < sc.disaster@unesco.org>. Deadline for submission is on 31 March 2006.

Follow this link for further campaign information < http://www.unisdr.org> or contact Brigitte Leoni, ISDR Communication Officer < leonib@un.org>

B. CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

(3) US IOTWS Small Grants Program (SGP)

The United States government’s Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (US TWS) was launched by USAID in response to the December 2004 tsunami disaster.

The SGP provides strategic support for partners in the region to conduct activities that support or enhance development of tsunami warning system components at national and local levels. The goal of SGP is to reinforce and encourage regional cooperation, sharing experiences and lessons learned between Indian Ocean countries, the U.S., and the international community, and promoting country-specific, community-based contributions to the IOTWS. The U.S. IOTWS program will provide grants through the SGP up to US$25,000 with a more limited number up to US$100,000. The SGP will invest in capacity building and technical assistance, including training exercises at the local and community level. Projects funded by the SGP would contribute to the end-to-end multi-hazard warning system in the following categories: National Warning Center and Disaster Management Capacity Building; Last-mile Warning Communication; Local Preparedness: Coastal Community Resilience and Hazard Analysis Capabilities

The SGP will be available only for the projects implemented in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Thailand and the Maldives-the countries most severely affected by the December 2004 disaster. Applications for Small Grants from Asian, U.S., or international non-governmental organizations, community-based organizations, associations, and universities, with primary emphasis on country-specific and community-level institutions will be considered.

The IOTWS Program Integrator (PI) will be accepting and reviewing proposal abstracts from January to May 2006. The PI will accept Word and PDF files containing the following information.

Project Title, Organization and Point of Contact
Project Objectives
Expected Products/Outcomes
Relationship with ongoing projects & targeted beneficiaries
Strategy for Sustainable Implementation and Activities
General Budget

For further information, please contact Ms. Kathryn Hoeflich, Small Grants Program Coordinator, US IOTWS Program Integrator (contractor) at < khoeflich@irgltd.com >

(4) Call for Nominations: 2006 Mary Fran Myers Award

Nomination for the 2006 Mary Fran Myers Award is now open. The intent of this award is to recognize people whose program-related activities, advocacy efforts, or research has had a lasting, positive impact on reducing hazard vulnerability for women and girls. The award committee is especially interested in soliciting nominations from countries outside the United States. People whose work adds to the body of knowledge on gender and disasters, is significant for the theory and/or practice of gender and disasters, or has furthered opportunities for women to succeed in the hazards field are eligible to receive the award.

The Mary Fran Myers Award was established in 2002 by the Gender and Disaster Network (GDN) and is co-administered by GDN and the Natural Hazards Center.

Direct questions and submit materials (e-mail attachments only) by May 15, 2006, to Madhavi Malalgoda Ariyabandu at mariyabandu@yahoo.com. Nominations are due by May 15, 2006. For more information, visit < http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/mfmaward/ >

(5) 6th Asian Seismological Commission (ASC) VI General Assembly and Symposium on Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation, 7-10 November 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

“Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation” is this year's 6th ASC conference theme. The events are being organized by the Asian Seismological Commission (ASC), IASPEI with the Thai Meteorological Department (TMD), National Earthquake Committee of Thailand (NECT), Engineering Institute of Thailand (EIT) and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Apart from the conference, symposium sessions on different scientific themes will also take place. The ASC organizing committee is inviting scientists, seismologists, geophysicists, geologists, and earthquake engineers as well as experts from concerned institutions, agencies, and organizations to contribute and submit abstracts on (S1) Subduction Zone, Seismology and Tsunami; (S2) Strong Motion Seismology; (S3) Earthquake Forecast; (S4) Management/Reduction of Risk;  (S5) Observational Seismology and a Special Session on the 8 October, 2005 Kashmir (Pakistan) Earthquake.

The deadline for submission is on 30 April 2006. Please visit 6th ASC General Assembly website for details http://asc1996.netfirms.com/asc2006/symposium.htm or send an email to the ASC Secretariat at <asc2006_loc@tmd.go.th> or <asc2006_loc@yahoo.co.th>

(6) Consultation on draft Inter-American Development Bank policy

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) is in the process of drafting a new Disaster Risk Management Policy. This policy is intended to improve the Bank's ability to assist the borrowing member countries in the attainment of their development goals in sustainable economic growth, poverty reduction and promotion of social equity, by supporting their efforts to proactively manage disaster risk. The IDB is now circulating the second round of consultation and seeking your comments on the Bank's Disaster Risk Management Policy draft document. The Draft of the Policy, the consultation plan and other supporting documents can be located at

http://www.iadb.org/sds/ENV/site_2970_e.htm (in English)
http://www.iadb.org/sds/ENV/site_2970_s.htm (in Spanish).

In the current phase of the consultation process, the Bank will accept comments until the 21st of March, 2006. Please contact Mr. Niels Holm-Nielsen < nielshn@iadb.org > for further details.
 

C.   CONFERENCES AND COURSES

(7) Third International Conference on Early Warning (EWIII) - From Concept to Action , 27-29 March 2006, Bonn, Germany

This year's EWC III will be hosted by Germany under the auspices of the United Nations. The conference hopes to attract the interest of Governments, Parliaments, International Organizations, practioners, experts in early warning and disaster risk, and the scientific community. EWC III follows the World Conference on Disaster Reduction (WCDR) which was held in Kobe, Japan on January 2005, and  will focus on the promotion of selected practical early warning projects. EWC III subtitle "From Concept to Action" reflects implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action agreed in Kobe.  

To register, please visit  < http://www.ewc3.org/ >

(8) 6th Regional Training Course on Tsunami and Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction for Cities (EVRC-6), 27-31 March 2006, Bangladesh

ADPC is pleased to announce the conduct of the 6th Regional Training Course on Tsunami and Earthquake Vulnerability Reduction for Cities (EVRC-6) scheduled to take place in Bangladesh on 27-31 March 2006. The course is being organized under the Urban Disaster Risk Management Team (UDRM) of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center  (ADPC) in collaboration with CARE-Bangladesh. EVRC-6 is designed to provide greater understanding of the causes and effects of earthquakes and tsunamis and how to mitigate such  impacts in order to reduce damage and loss of lives from these destructive events.

For course information, please email Mr. Muhibuddin Usamah, UDRM Project Coordinator < muhibuddin@adpc.net >

(9) 100th Anniversary Earthquake Conference,18-22 April 2006, San Francisco, California

The theme for this year's conference is "Managing Risk in  Earthquake Country". The conference is being organized in commemoration of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.  The 100th  Anniversary Earthquake Conference will also include EERI's 8th U.S. National  Conference on Earthquake Engineering (8NCEE) and 58th Annual  Meeting, SSA's Centennial Annual Meeting and the OES Disaster Resistant California Conference.

Conference details can be viewed at  http://www.1906eqconf.org

(10) Public Health in Complex Emergency , 8-20 May 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

The Public Health in Complex Emergencies training program (PHCE) is a two-week residential course that focuses on critical public health issues faced by NGOs and Ministry of Health personnel working in complex emergencies. IRC and World Education, Inc. have assisted regional partners at American University of Beirut, Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) in Bangkok and Makerere University Institute of Public Health in Kampala to implement this important training program. The goal of the course is to enhance the capacity of humanitarian assistance workers and their organizations to respond to the health needs of refugees and internally displaced persons affected by these emergencies.

Please visit website < http://www.adpc.net/phe/phce_wshop.html   or  email Ms. Janette Lauza-Ugsang, PHE Project Manager at < janette@adpc.net

(11) African Aid Relief and Disaster Management 2006, 9-11 May 2006, Gallagher Estate, Midrand, Johannesburg

The conference aims to continue to educate and update  suppliers on UN, Aid Agency and NGO procurement procedures, policies and specifications. Typically this conference includes VIP networking lunches for UN procurement officers, delegates, speakers and exhibitors, cocktail parties and private meeting areas with a computerized buyer/seller matching system. 

To register, please go to
http://www.fairconsultants.com/aid06opener.htm

(12) NATO Science Program Advanced Research Workshop (ARW) “Management Of Urban Earthquake Risk In Central Asian And Caucasus Countries”, Istanbul, Turkey, 14-19 May 2006

The ARW has the main objective of providing a forum to discuss and elaborate on the innovative and applicable means of disaster risk management and reduction in cities, focusing particularly on large cities in the Caucasus and Central Asian countries. The ARW aims to address the practical constraints and opportunities of a risk mitigation planning process to institutionalize sound disaster risk management practices in cities. 

Further information about the meeting and the participation can be found at
http://www.koeri.boun.edu.tr/depremmuh/
natoconference/nato.htm

(13) 5th University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) Conference on Public Health and Disasters 21-24 May 2006, Long Beach, California

This conference is designed for public health professionals as well as individuals and organizations from both the public and private sectors involved in emergency public health preparedness and response. The diverse topics will be relevant to public health and medical practitioners, emergency medical services professionals, researchers, and managers involved in the wide range of emergency public health issues resulting from natural and human-induced disasters.

For further conference information, please see  http://www.cphd.ucla.edu/conferenceframe.htm
 

(14) Third Tsunami Symposium, The Tsunami Society,  23-25 May 2006, Honolulu, Hawaii

The Third Tsunami Symposium will be held at the University of Hawaii East-West Conference Center on 23-25 May 2006. The Symposium will have sessions on Numerical Modeling, Tsunami Preparedness, Tsunami Instrumentation, Experimental Modeling, Landslide Generated Tsunamis, Hawaii and Doak Cox, December 26 Asian Tsunami, Risk Analyis and General Session. 

For additional information, contact the Tsunami Society President and Symposium Chairman, Dr. Barbara Keating at Keating@soest.hawaii.edu or  Program Chairman, Dr. Charles Mader at MCCOHI@aol.com.

Please see website for further conference details
http://www.wcdm.org/

(15) 16th World Conference on Disaster Management,  18-21 June 2006, Toronto, Canada

The theme of the 2006 conference is "The Changing Face of Disaster Management - A Global Perspective." The conference is being organized by the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness (CCEP) in partnership with the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) and  Disaster Recovery Institute (DRI). The purpose of this conference is to listen and learn, plan and prepare, and educate and exchange views on the lessons to be learned from all disciplines of disaster and emergency management.

Please see website for further conference details < http://www.wcdm.org/ >

(16) United Nations/ESA/Zambia Regional Workshop on the Applications of Global Navigation Satellite System Technologies in Sub-Saharan Africa, 26-30 June 2006, Lusaka, Zambia

This Regional Workshop which will take place in Lusaka, Zambia will focus on the applications of global navigation satellite system technologies that benefit the social and economic growth of the Sub-Saharan African countries, aims at action planning for implementing specific applications for the region. The Office for the Outer Space Affairs of the United Nations and the Government of the Republic of Zambia are responsible for organizing the workshop. Sponsorship of the Workshop is still open to interested entities.

Please see website for detailed workshop information < http://www.oosa.unvienna.org/SAP/gnss/index.html >  or contact Ms. Ayoni Oyeneyin, UN Office for Outer Space Affairs at < ayoni.oyeneyin@unvienna.org> for nomination and funding, Ms. Sharafat Gadimova, UNOOSA for the workshop agenda and programme and Ms. Beatrice Mwape, the Central Board of Health (workshop focal point) at < bmwape@cboh.org.zm>  or < bmwape2002@yahoo.com>

(17) Risk Analysis 2006: 5th International Conference on Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation, 19-21 June 2006, Malta

Risk Analysis 2006 is the fifth in this popular conference series on "Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation". The conference is being organized by Wessex Institute of Technology, UK and sponsored by WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment. Covering a series of important topics, which are of current research interest and have practical applications, the conference is concerned with all aspects of risk analysis and hazard mitigation, ranging from specific assessment of risk to mitigation associated with both natural and anthropogenic hazards.

For more information, please visit  http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2006/risk06/

(18) Regional Training Course on Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM), 17-28 July 2006, Bangkok, Thailand

Community Based Disaster Risk Management (CBDRM) provides an opportunity for participants to acquire skills and obtain knowledge on “how to” design and implement programs to reduce disaster risks and vulnerability and build community capacity to promote a ‘culture of safety.’ Through exercises and simulations they will practice risk assessment and risk management planning. The participants will also have a chance to learn about globally acknowledged programs and projects on community based disaster risk management from leaders of these initiatives. In particular the cases will include examples from the South Asia, South East Asia and Pacific regions. The course is being organized by the Training Resource Group (TRG) of ADPC.

For more information on the course, please contact the Training Resource Group Leader at: < tedadpc@adpc.net >
 

(19) The 7th International Symposium on GIS and Computer Cartography for Coastal Zone Management, 12-16 July 2006, Wollongong and Sydney New South Wales, Australia

CoastGIS 2006 is the seventh in a series of international conferences on research and the application of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to the marine and coastal zone. The idea for a series of symposia entitled CoastGIS was born from the collaboration of the International Cartographic Association’s Commission on Marine Cartography and the International Geographical Union’s Commission on Coastal Systems. The Local Organising Committee of CoastGIS’06 has been offered a small bursary to be used to assist bona fide research students from developing countries to attend CoastGIS’06.

Emailed submissions can be sent to Ron Furness at< rfurness@ozemail.com.au> and must reach him by midnight on 30th April 2006. Applicants should seek a return email delivery receipt to ensure their application is received by the due date. Symposium information can be viewed at
http://www.uow.edu.au/science/eesc/conferences/coastgis06.html

(20) International Disaster Reduction Conference (IDRC), 27 August –1 September 2006, Davos, Switzerland

The conference will address different kinds of risks (e.g. risks due to natural hazards, technical risks, biological and chemical risks, but also pandemics, terrorism, climate change, endemic risks, etc.). A truly integrated and participative approach is planned to ensure that the valuable lessons learned about risk reduction from a wide spectrum of fields are applied correctly for the benefit of communities, countries and regions. The IDRC Davos 2006 will be a valuable forum and strategic platform for the world’s risk management community. The program will include topical plenary sessions and panel debates, scientific and policy-oriented thematic sessions, special regional sessions for Africa, Asia, North and Latin America and Europe and side events organized by different international and national organizations, exhibits, and special recognition of international pioneers in risk reduction.
 

For further conference information, please visit http://www.davos2006.ch/IDRC_extfirstann.pdf

(21) First European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (1ECEES), 3-8 September 2006 Geneva, Switzerland

The First European Conference on Earthquake Engineering and Seismology (1ECEES) 2006 is a joint event of the 13th European Conference on Earthquake Engineering (EAEE) and 30th General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission (ESC). This conference will provide excellent opportunities for exchanges between seismologists and earthquake engineers. A comprehensive grant program, financed by the Swiss Government, will support the participation of students and young researchers from economically weak countries.

For more information about the conference, please see http://www.ecees.org/

(22)  34th Regional Course on Disaster Management (DMC-34),  6-24 November 2005, Bangkok, Thailand

The purpose of this course is to provide comprehensive disaster management knowledge and skills to enhance the capabilities of executive managers who have key disaster management responsibilities. It is designed to enable professionals working in disaster management, development and donor agencies to effectively integrate disaster management into their development programs and policies. Participants will be encouraged to develop key skills and adopt proactive attitudes through participation in interactive 
lectures and reflection on a range of key issues raised during discussions and practical  activities. The course is being organized by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) under the Resource Training Group.

For additional course information, please see  http://www.adpc.net/training/brochure/DMC-34brochure.pdf  

(23) Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data (FRIEND) 2006 Conference, 27 November-1 December 2006, Havana, Cuba

The objective of the conference is to present the results of the UNESCO FRIEND (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) research programme that has stimulated international cooperation to meet local and regional needs. Topics for conference include Hydrological data, Biophysical processes, Prediction and forecasting of hydrological extremes, Hurricane impacts, Large-scale hydroclimatological variability, Climate change impacts and Capacity Building.
For detailed information, please see
http://www.friend-amigo.org/conferencia2006/

D.  USEFUL RESOURCES

(24) ADPC Asian Disaster Management News: October-December 2005 Issue

The October-December 2005 Asian Disaster Management News of ADPC focuses on Health Emergency Initiatives in the region. This edition brings comprehensive reflections from the region on various aspects of Public Health in Emergencies.

To download, please visit
http://www.adpc.net/general/Newsletter_Oct-Dec.pdf

(25) Disaster Risk Mitigation: Potential of Microfinance for Tsunami Recovery

The “Southasiadisasters.net” Newsletter October 2005 Issue of the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) highlights the potential role of Microfinance in tsunami disaster recovery. It also includes proceedings of the 2-day international workshop jointly organized by the AIDMI, UNISDR and NIDM  held in New Delhi, India on 14-15 October 2005. Comparative experiences of microfinance and tsunami recovery in India, international experiences and expertise were also shared among the foreign delegates representing activities in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Japan.

To request for an electronic copy, please contact AIDMI Honorary Director, Mr. Mihir R. Bhatt at <dmi@icenet.co.in>

(26) Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report (WMMR) Pakistan Earthquake

The Weekly Morbidity and Mortality Report is published by the Ministry of Pakistan (MOH) and the World Health Organization (WHO). The WMMR is built on surveillance data that health service providers and NGOs transmit on a weekly basis from health facilities and hospitals in those areas affected by the earthquake that struck Pakistan on 8 October 2005.

Please follow the link for the latest update  http://www.who.int/hac/crises/international/
pakistan_earthquake/sitrep/Pakistan_WMMR_VOL10_31012006.pdf

(27) CITYNET: The Regional Network of Local Authorities for Management of Human Settlements

CITYNET is a Network of Local Authorities that Promotes Sustainable Urban Improvement Initiatives in the Asia-Pacific. Through its city-to-city cooperation initiatives, CITYNET facilitates knowledge, managerial and technical transfers between local authorities and various urban stakeholders, notably, NGOs/CBOs, and private corporations. CITYNET works closely with various UN agencies and international organizations. Currently, the Network has almost 100 member cities and organizations in over 20 countries, mostly in the Asia-Pacific Region.

To be a member, please register at
http://www.citynet-ap.org

(28) Flood Forecasting and River Monitoring System in the Mekong River Basin

This paper intends to provide general information on a case study of the operational flood forecasting and river monitoring system in the Lower Mekong Basin to reduce the vulnerability of droughts and floods rather than an in-depth scientific paper on the forecasting models.  

To download, please see  http://www.mrcmekong.org/download/Papers/
floodForecast_riverMonitorSys.pdf

(29) Ashoka’s Changemakers – Open Sourcing Social Solutions

The Changemakers is an initiative of Ashoka which focuses on the rapidly growing world of entrepreneurship. It provides practical resources needed to help everyone become a changemaker and presents compelling stories that explore the fundamental principles of successful social innovations around the world. Changemakers is building the first global online "open source" community that competes to surface the best social solutions, and then collaborates to refine, enrich, and implement those solutions.

Please see < www.changemakers.net >