Disaster Mitigation
in Asia

31 May 2006
Issue No. 35

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 implementation of city demonstration projects are expected to commence during April to June 2006.

PROMISE Activities for  May and June 2006 :

• BANGLADESH – BDPC has met with ward commissioners of two wards identified for the demonstration projects. Ward Disaster Risk Management Committees were formed.
• PAKISTAN - AKPBSP hosted an ADPC mission team to finalize project details, meet with the Nazim (mayor) and senior officials of the demonstration city Hyderabad, and to develop an understanding on all project related issues. The grant agreement was signed with ADPC on May 24, 2006. Preliminary surveys including the collection of essential data have already begun.
• PHILIPPINES – CDP organized a facilitators’ workshop and two community workshops on the disaster risk management framework. The facilitators’ workshop was designed to improve knowledge and skills in facilitating training the community workshops. The community workshops were held on May 10-12 and May 22-24 and covered 5 out of 8 target communities. The last workshop will be on May 31 and will cover the last 3 communities. CDP also hosted Mr. Peter Dias Amarasinghe, Secretary of the Ministry for Disaster Management and Human Rights of Sri Lanka, on a study tour to Thailand and Philippines facilitated.
• SRI-LANKA – Sarvodaya has met with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Kalutara and discussed the implementation of the PROMISE demonstration projects in Kalutara Metropolitan Area. Sarvodaya also met with the Divisional Secretary and with Gramasevakas (village-level officials). Eighteen cluster villages have already been selected for the project, and within these villages three community-based projects have already been identified: drainage system development, road infrastructure development, and improving the canal system.
• VIETNAM - CECI has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cam Le district to be the demonstration site for PROMISE. CECI completed the Participatory Vulnerability Assessment (PVA) assessment and the draft report. Local trainers, identified from the communes in Cam Le district, Da Nang City, conducted the surveys. CECI trained the local trainors in survey methodology.

A. FROM THE REGION

(1) Typhoon Chanchu
(based on Reuters and globeandmail.com)

Typhoon Chanchu, left a trail of destruction in Vietnam, the Philippines and China.   The typhoon with winds of up to 170 km per hour is the strongest on record to enter the South China Sea in May, the start of the storm season.   It killed at least 37 people in the Philippines last weekend, and by late Friday rescuers had found the bodies of 44 Vietnamese fishermen drowned after their ships were caught in Chanchu's path. Flooding in southern Taiwan swept two women to their deaths.   It killed 23 people in China after it slammed into the southern coast on Thursday and caused landslides, flooding, and forced the evacuation of more than one million people.   High waves in southern Japan killed one teenager and left another missing after they'd been swimming, said coast guard spokesman Shoji Kawabata. The storm brought rain to parts of southern and central Japan, said forecasting service Weather Underground.

Eight fishing ships sank 1,000 km east of Vietnam's central city of Da Nang, while eight remained missing. Rescuers had found 26 bodies and rescued 81 others, the government said in a statement.   State-run television reported that the Fisheries Ministry listed more than 400 fishermen as missing from Da Nang and nearby provinces of Quang Nam and Quang Ngai.

Nearly 60 survivors had been rescued from the water, but two fishing boats from Vietnam's central city of Da Nang that survived the storm were returning to port with 20 corpses and four surviving sailors, said Ha Van Thong, a coast guard official from Da Nang.

Left figure: Chanchu track from Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies. Right figure: Families of victims in Da Nang; photo by CECI.

B. CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

(2) Call for Papers: Natural Hazards Review
Natural Hazards Review is currently seeking manuscripts for publication in upcoming issues. The journal publishes original, peer-reviewed papers on all aspects of natural hazards loss reduction. Articles containing detailed case studies are complemented by ones reporting original research findings. Natural Hazards Review serves as a forum for holistic approaches to natural hazards mitigation. Additional information, including complete manuscript preparation instructions, is available online at http://scitation.aip.org/nho/.

(3) Call for Papers: Symposium of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network
Researchers and practitioners in social sciences and physical sciences are invited to submit their presentation or poster session proposals related to the theme "A Dynamic Risk Management Partnership: Lead by Example" for the Third Annual Symposium of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network to be held in Montreal, Canada, from October 11-13, 2006. The deadline for submitting a proposal is June 9, 2006. For further information, contact Michel Dufault, Universite du Quebec a Montreal; (514) 987-3000 x4887; http://www.geo.uqam.ca/crhnet2006/call_papers.htm.

(4) Call for Abstracts: MapAsia 2006
Map Asia is an international initiative aimed at providing a platform for the convergence of geomatics community of Asia-Pacific region. Founded in the year 2002, Map Asia is one of the largest annual Asian conferences on Geoinformation technology and applications. Deadline for the submission of abstracts is June 15, 2006. For more information visit http://mapasia.org/2006/conference/abstract.htm.

C.   CONFERENCES AND COURSES

(5) World Bank E-Discussion: Disasters and People with Special Needs
The World Bank will host an e-mail-based discussion on the issue of Disasters and People with Special Needs. The e-discussion is designed to solicit information on special needs populations and natural disasters to help develop guidance on the inclusion of disabled and vulnerable people in disaster-related activities. The conclusions will be made available to emergency and development agencies, including the World Bank, policy makers, and civil society. For more information about this event, visit
http://www.dgroups.org/groups/worldbank/Disaster-Disability/. 

(6) World Planners Congress. Vancouver, British Columbia: June 17-20, 2006
Organizers: Canadian Institute of Planners and Planning Institute of British Columbia. This event will be a regional, national, and international conference for planning and related professionals from across Canada and around the world. The theme of the congress is "Sustainable Urbanization: Turning Ideas into Action." For further information, contact Dave Crossley; (604) 696-5031; e-mail: info@wpc2006.com; http://www.wpc2006.com/.

(7) World Urban Forum. Vancouver, British Columbia: June 19-23, 2006
Organizer: United Nations (UN) - HABITAT. During this conference on urban sustainability, participants from around the world will meet to examine and identify solutions to the challenges or urbanization. A few of the forum's topics include Urban Safety and Security: Taking Responsibility; Energy: Local Action, Global Impact; and Public Engagement: The Inclusive Approach. For more information, contact the World Urban Forum; +1 604 666 1293; e-mail: info@wuf3-fum3.ca; http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf/.

(8) Map Asia 2006, August 29-September 1, 2006

The theme for Map Asia 2006 is GeoICT for Good Governance . Map Asia 2006 will re-emphasize the linkages between the Geo-Information Technology and ICT and will promote GeoICT as a valuable means of effective and good governance.   For more information visit http://www.mapasia.org/2006/ . 

(9) 34th Regional Training Course on Disaster Management, November 6-24, 2006
Organizer: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Bangkok, Thailand. The purpose of this course is to provide comprehensive disaster management knowledge and skills to enhance the capabilities of professionals working in disaster management, development, and donor agencies to effectively integrate disaster management into development programs and policies. For more information, contact the Training and Education Division, ADPC, Asian Institute of Technology, PO Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand; e-mail: tedadpc@adpc.net; http://www.adpc.net/training/brochure/DMC-34brochure.pdf.

(10) Asian Seismological Commission (ASC) VI General Assembly, November 7-10, 2006
Bangkok, Thailand. The ASC 2006 symposium is titled "Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation." For more information, e-mail asc2006_loc@yahoo.co.th; http://asc1996.netfirms.com/asc2006/.