Disaster Mitigation
in Asia

31 August  2007
Issue No. 50

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 main activities from July to September 2007 are local-level skills training, planning for the conduct of national courses, and implementing the small-scale mitigation projects for each city.

In this Issue:

• Program Activities for August and September 2007

• From the Region

• Calls for Submission

• Conferences and Courses

• Useful Resources

Up^

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES

• BANGLADESH – a school awareness session under the school safety program on August 2 at the Hazi Abdul Ali City Corporation School, North Pahartoli, Ward No.9. The main purpose of this session was to create awareness about disaster preparedness and the importance of having school disaster management plan in order to save lives and reduce vulnerabilities.  Around 350 participants comprising students, teachers, and members of the school management committees participated at the event.  The program included presentations on the school safety program, hydro-meteorological hazards, vulnerabilities of school buildings and students during disaster, and measures for school disaster risk reduction.  Participants asked questions about different issues related to school vulnerabilities.  Pocket calendars developed under PROMISE Project were distributed to the students, along with IEC materials containing disaster awareness information for the school library.  The session ended with formation of a 5-member School Disaster Management Committee.
  BDPC, CARE Bangladesh and USAID Bangladesh held a meeting on August 6, when BDPC made presentations on PROMISE Bangladesh activities and on the proposed small scale mitigation projects. Following an interactive discussion, the following key decisions taken: (1) CARE will organize a sharing meeting in Chittagong in October; (2) BDPC and CARE will jointly organize a city-level workshop in Chittagong to present the city’s vulnerabilities, and will invite the new city mayor to promote an action plan for Chittagong; and (3) CARE’s slum development committee will visit PROMISE project intervention areas.
  BDPC held a sharing meeting on August 21 with the representatives of development organizations. The main agenda of the meeting was to introduce PROMISE activities to others and to find out the scope for cooperation with each other.  The organizations represented in the meeting were: the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme of UN Office of Project Services, Action Aid Bangladesh, NIRAPAD, Oxfam GB, NGO Forum, and the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society.
  BDPC sent Ms. Maliha Ferdous to attend the 2007 Coordinators’ Meeting at ADPC, July 31 to August 2, where the proposed small-scale mitigation projects were presented and the PROMISE team from all countries comments and suggestions for each other’s projects.  Back in Chittagong, BDPC PROMISE team shared the proposed projects with the City Planner of Chittagong City Corporation. He appreciated all the projects.  NGO Forum’s technical person visited the location and checked the feasibility where WATSAN facilities will be increased in collaboration with them. NGO Forum is a leading organization in WATSAN sector in Bangladesh.
  Finally BDPC PROMISE team met with the Director General of the National Institute for Local Government (NILG) on August 19.  Mr. Jamshed Ahmed, director Administration and Consultancy was present along with the Director General of NILG. The draft MOU between BDPC and NILG was prepared by both parties. The key decision from NILG is it will hold the national level training course on “Urban Governance and Risk Reduction” jointly with them on last week of September.  Approximately 20 to 25 participants will participate in the training, including representatives from selected City Corporations, municipalities, representatives from NGOs and agencies.
  Next month’s activities include: (1) the revision of Hazard, Vulnerability and Risk Assessment report, (2) the implementation of the small-scale disaster mitigation projects, (3) the conduct of a school awareness session, (4) the conduct of a national course on urban governance and disaster risk reduction, and (5) initiating the development of land use planning guidelines

Up^

• PAKISTAN – AKPBS(P) sent Mr. Masood Mahesar to attend the 2007 Coordinators’ Meeting at ADPC, July 31 to August 2.  AKPBS(P) has started the community mobilization process for the small-scale disaster mitigation projects.  As of this reporting period, one community has signed the terms of partnership for the project.  Heavy downpours this monsoon season, particularly during the second and third weeks of August, presented difficulties of moderate scale as the rain water flooded houses and streets for couple of days.  PROMISE Pakistan team has planned to redo the ‘Participatory Hazard Mapping and Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment’ this year. The activities in this regard have started and are expected to be over by mid September.
  PROMISE Pakistan had several capacity-building activities this period.  The training for ‘Medical First Responders’ in Hyderabad concluded on July 28. Twenty four (24) volunteers from different project locations of PROMISE Hyderabad participated in the training. The training was imparted by facilitators from FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, Pakistan and Aga Khan University and Fredrick John Abo from ADPC.  One health and hygiene promotion program was organized in Maheshwari Colony on August 17, 2007. The participants were given important health and hygiene messages through pictorial posters and demonstrations. Thirty-three community members, mostly women, participated in the activity.  Finally, an orientation program for the school children was organized in Aminabad School, Hyderabad. Sixty-eight grade 10 participated in the event. At the end of session the children were able to understand basic causes of the disasters and their effects of human lives and livelihoods. This activity was organized in collaboration with FOCUS Humanitarian Assistance, Pakistan.

Up^

• PHILIPPINES – CDP sent Ms. Mayfourth Luneta to attend the 2007 Coordinators’ Meeting at ADPC, July 31 to August 2.  CDP and the Dagupan CDCC Technical Working Group (TWG) had regular meetings this month.  Items discussed were the updates from the coordinators' meeting in Thailand, new assignments, planning for the last quarter, small-scale mitigation projects, coordinating the study tour from CARE Bangladesh, and to select a representative to ADPC’s regional course on governance and disaster risk reduction in Thailand.  Engr. Renan from DLSU was also contacted for possible collaboration and for spatial datasets for the Disaster Information Management System.
  On August 6 to 10, members of the PROMISE Philippines Team and Dagupan City Agriculturist Ms. Emma Molina presented the Dagupan PROMISE Experience during the CBDRM training in Baguio City.  The training was conducted by the Center for Disaster Preparedness, co-sponsored by Child Fund Japan (CFJ). The participants came from CFJ offices in Luzon.   The training was repeated on August 27 to 31 in Cebu.  The participants came from the CFJ Visayas and CFJ Mindanao offices.

Up^

• SRI-LANKA – Sarvodaya sent Ms Priyanka Mudalige, PROMISE Sri Lanka project manager, to attend the 2007 Coordinators’ Meeting at ADPC, July 31 to August 2.  Sarvodaya and NBRO met on August 13 to discuss the preparing of Flood model and Work to be completed under developing Early Warning System.   At the meeting were Mr. Bandara and Mr. Kishan from NBRO, while Dr. Nandalal of the University of Peradeniya was on the phone to give updates on the flood model.  NBRO will be finished demarcating zones within two weeks after the submission of the flood model by Dr. Nandalal.  The installation of flood models will take place in September, while the installation of flood gauges and the community training will be done from September to October.
  Sarvodaya met with Mr. Ajith Rathnayake from the Sri Lanka Institute for Local Government (SLILG) for a discussion on delivery of training by SLILG.  The second training on Governance and DRR will be conducted in mid of October for maximum of 25 participants. SLILG will participate in the 2nd Regional Course on Governance and Disaster Risk Reduction at ADPC in Thailand from September 17 to 21 and will update the national course with the new material from the regional course.  SLILG sent a letter requesting the extension of the MOU with Sarvodaya as the PROMISE Sri Lanka training institution; Sarvodaya will act on the request by mid September.
  Sarvodaya gave a briefing with Sarvodaya’s Kalutara District Centre on August 16 to give the Sarvodaya key staff the updates from the Coordinators’ meeting in Thailand, and to explain the steps to be immediately undertaken.  In attendance were Mr. Menaka Wigesinghe, Director of the Sarvodaya Community Disaster Management Centre, PROMISE staff Mr. Pale Premachandra, District Coordinator of Kalutara, and Mr. Sunil Ranasingha, Divisional Coordinator.  This was followed up with a meeting on August 21 for all District staff to give a briefing on the current status of the project.  In attendance were PROMISE staff members, 7 Divisional Coordinators, District Coordinator and 5 staff members’ of District Centre.  Other matters discussed included the development of a functioning Emergency Operations Center and its standard operating procedures, the respective roles of Sarvodaya’s Disaster Management Centre and the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Centre, a simulation exercise for Kalutara, and preparations for National Safety Day on December 26.

Up^

• VIETNAM – CECI printed 100 copies of the poster on principles of construction resistant to typhoon and floods and distributed them to the communities in the first week of August.
  CECI sent Ms. Duong Thi Hoai Trang to attend the 2007 Coordinator’s Meeting in Thailand.  Based on the comments on the small-scale disaster mitigation projects gathered at the meeting, the projects were presented to the People’s Committee at ward levels.  The Project Steering Committee will continue to develop the projects.  The discussion so far had developed four projects: (1) agricultural production improvement, (2) operational maintenance of structural mitigation projects, (3) training and equipment support for emergency response teams at the ward level within an early warning system concept, and (4) community awareness raising activities on environmental protection and CBDRM.
  The PROMISE Vietnam team is developing a hydro-meteorological risk assessment module for the CBDRM training, as part of the extension of the CBDRM training at community level.  A training needs assessment will be conducted with the inputs of the Urban Planning and Construction Management Department of Da Nang City and of the Cam Le District office.
  Finally, PROMISE Vietnam is coordinating with the DIPECHO study tours on CBDRM.  PROMISE Vietnam hosted the study tour for media professionals on August 27.  More than 20 TV and radio journalists visited the PROMISE Vietnam sites in Da Nang.  Preparations have already begun for the second study tour of DIPECHO partners (including ADPC, CARE, World Vision, and Red Cross) scheduled for early October.

Up^

A. FROM THE REGION

(1) Massive flooding in North Korea, August 14
(based on reports from Alertnet)

Massive flooding has resulted in hundreds dead or missing, swept away many buildings, left 300,000 people homeless, and affected tens of thousands of hectares of farmland.  The country’s infrastructure is was significantly damaged.  At least 800 public buildings and more than 540 bridges had been washed away, sections of railroad had been destroyed, submerged many coal pits.  More than 500 high voltage power towers collapsed, five large-capacity electric substations were inundated, and more than 10 transformers and other facilities severely damaged.  

Up^

(2) Landslide in the Himalayas, August 15
(based on reports from Alertnet)

Around 60 people are feared dead after a landslide that buried an entire village in the Indian Himalayas.  The landslide buried 14 houses and a primary health centre buried by boulders and debris.  Five bodies had been recovered and around 55 people were missing.  The army was called in to look for bodies, but rescue work was hampered by heavy rain.  The landslide was triggered by a cloudburst the night before.  

Up^

(3) Supertyphoon Sepat passes the Philippines, hits Taiwan and China
(based on reports from Alertnet)

Heavy rain soaked Manila and the northern Philippines on August 15 as Sepat skirted northeast of the archipelago, triggering evacuations, storm surge warnings and flood warnings.  Disaster officials in the Philippines said three people drowned, and parts of the capital and surrounding provinces remained under water.

Sepat hit Taiwan on August 18 with strong winds and torrential rain, cutting electricity and injuring 12 people, 1785 had to evacuate from unsafe areas, and two vehicles were crushed by a falling billboard in Taipei.  Some flights from Taipei and Kaohsiung were either postponed or cancelled.  After hitting Taiwan, it gradually lost strength and was downgraded from a category 5 "super typhoon” to a category 3 "medium typhoon", according to Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said.

Although Sepat weakened into a tropical depression soon after landing, it killed at least 46 more people as it swept across southeast China; most died in floods and landslides triggered by torrential rains.  It caused heavy losses in the provinces of Fujian, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and Hunan.  It also spun off a tornado in Zhejiang.  Days of downpours brought by Sepat have displaced more than 757,000 people in Hunan where an average 119 mm (4.7 inches) of rain fell between August 19 and 24, and rivers overflowed to historic high levels, state media said.  Seven people died and another five went missing.  Large areas of crops were destroyed, 15,000 houses damaged and scores of roads cut off in Hunan, and caused direct economic losses of 5.6 billion yuan ($740 million), according to Xinhua news agency. 

Up^

(4) Monsoon rains in South Asia
(based on reports from Alertnet)

Heavy seasonal monsoon rains have caused widespread flooding across southern Asia devastating communities, laying waste crops, decimating livestock and disrupting communications throughout India, Nepal and Bangladesh.  Six hundred thirty-eight people have died in Bangladesh and 73,000 people are reported to have diarrhea.

For Nepal, the new onslaught of rains in mid-August triggered renewed flooding and landslides in numerous isolated communities.  Drinking water sources have been submerged and are now contaminated.  Water borne diseases are already being reported and a lack of effective sanitation and hygiene measures has aggravated the health situation. Many villages situated in the southeast of the district are inundated and inaccessible. Displaced families are taking temporary shelter in schools, public places and on higher ground in the forests.

In neighboring Bihar, India, flood waters as high as 15 feet trapped tens of thousands of families in their homes and on elevated roads, without access to fuel, cooking facilities or clean water. An estimated 11 million people alone have been affected, including 1.6 million children under the age of five.

Up^

B. CALLS FOR SUBMISSION

(5) EERI Annual Student Paper Competition

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has announced its Annual Student Paper Competition, which promote active involvement of students in earthquake engineering and the earthquake hazards community.  The contest has separate categories for undergraduate and graduate students.  Up to four student authors will be invited to EERI's Annual Meeting, February 6-9, 2008, in New Orleans, Louisiana, and will receive travel support for this purpose. Their papers will also be considered for publication in Earthquake Spectra.  The deadline for papers is November 1, 2007. 

To download the guidelines go to: http://www.eeri.org/news/student_paper_competition_instructions.pdf.

Up^

 (6) Call for Papers: Journal of Environment and Development

The journal is looking for original research contributions and policy analyses for its 2008 and 2009 issues.  The journal publishes quantitative and qualitative empirical research findings, theoretical pieces, and policy analyses on a wide range of subjects related to environment and development.  Examples of subjects of interest include: environmental policy reform in developed and developing economies, national climate and energy policies, and environmental sociology and economics, social theory, and global culture.  For more information,
visit: http://irps2.ucsd.edu/jed/ or e-mail envdev@ucsd.edu.

 (7) ProVention Consortium Survey

The ProVention Consortium is conducting a survey to better understand needs and expectations about its Web site and other ProVention resources. Please share your thoughts and ideas by completing a brief survey, available at http://www.proventionconsortium.org/survey.

Up^

C.   CONFERENCES AND COURSES

(8) Regional Course on Governance and Disaster Risk Reduction – Bangkok, Thailand: 17 – 21 September 2007

Organizer: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).  The overall objective of the course is to develop a cadre of local government professionals sensitive to issues presented by the recurrent hazards. The course intends to increase their knowledge, as well as of other stakeholders, on urban governance and disaster risk management to be responsive to the needs of vulnerability reduction, and to create opportunities for mainstreaming risk reduction as a component of urban governance.  To download the course brochure,

Download:

Up^

(9) Regional Course on Flood Disaster Risk Management – Bangkok, Thailand: 8 – 19 October 2007

Organizer: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).  The course is an integrated approach to the development of flood risk reduction strategies that involve engineering, settlement, development, public administration, and community-based strategies and land use planning with environmental consideration.  The course intends to impart the information and skills in flood problem analysis, understanding and appreciation of the various approaches to flood risk reduction, determination of appropriateness of the strategies and/or measures to achieve the desired goal of flood risk/damage reduction.  To download the course brochure,

Download:

Up^

(10) Building Upon Regional Space-based Solutions for Disaster Management and Emergency Response – Shenzhen, China: 3 – 5 December 2007

Organizer: United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) and the China National Space Administration (CNSA).  UNOOSA, through its new programme the United Nations Platform for Space-based Information for Disaster Management and Emergency Response (UN-SPIDER), and CNSA are organising this United Nations/China Regional UN-SPIDER Workshop to raise awareness on how to access and use space technology for disaster management and emergency response, to assess the needs of the user community, and to contribute to specific activities of this new programme.  Expected participants are decision-makers and senior experts drawn from governmental agencies, international, national and regional institutions, NGOs or private industry with programmes or activities relating to providing support to disaster management and emergency response activities or development of space technology capabilities and/or solutions.  To download the information note and application form, go to: http://www.unoosa.org/oosa/unspider/workshops.html.

Up^

D.  USEFUL RESOURCES

(11) Disaster Preparedness for Natural Hazard: Country Reports – ICIMOD, 2007

The publication documents some of the work done under the project “Living with Risks - Sharing Knowledge on Disaster Preparedness in the Himalayan Region”, implemented by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) and funded by DIPECHO.  It contains country reports for Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.  To access the webpage with the online documents, go to: http://disasterpreparedness.icimod.org/.   

(12) Simple Science Solves Slum Water Problem – ADB 2007

Plastic bottles, lots of sun, and a simple process called solar water disinfection can give slum communities clean, inexpensive, drinking water.  Read more at: http://www.adb.org/Water/actions/INO/solar-disinfection.asp. 

(13) Earth Portal

The Earth Portal, from the National Council for Science and the Environment, offers science- based, expert-reviewed information about the environment. It seeks to bring the global scientific community together to produce "the first free, expert-driven, massively scaleable information resource on the environment, and to engage civil society in a public dialogue on the role of environmental issues in human affairs."  Access the portal here: http://www.earthportal.org. 

Up^

(14) Katrina Files: "Assessing the Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Persons with Disabilities" – White et al., 2007

This research, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, presents information on how persons with disabilities prepared for, reacted to, and recovered from the devastating impact of Hurricane Katrina. The research illuminated three significant gaps in areas affecting persons with disabilities: ineffective pre-disaster planning by centers for independent living, persons with disabilities, and emergency management; poorly developed pre- and post-disaster communication and information sharing within and between these three entities; and underdeveloped pre- and post-disaster coordination between these three entities and other elements of support within communities.  Access the report here:

Up^