Disaster Mitigation
in Asia

31 August 2009
Issue No. 71

The Program for Hydro-meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE), funded by USAID/OFDA, commenced from October 2005.  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.  Components of the program consist of capacity building in hydro-meteorological disaster risk reduction, risk management advocacy, networking and dissemination initiatives, and city demonstration projects in selected countries.  Through consultations with a number of ADPC partners, six cities highly vulnerable to hydro-meteorological disasters were selected for implementing demonstration projects on disaster mitigation by urban communities – Chittagong (Bangladesh), Hyderabad (Pakistan), Jakarta (Indonesia), Dagupan (Philippines), Kalutara (Sri Lanka), and Da Nang (Viet Nam).

In this Issue:

• Program Updates for August 2009

• From the Region

• Calls for Submission

• Conferences and Courses

• Useful Resources

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES for August to September 2009:

This August 12, 2009, Dagupan City was awarded the national-level Kalasag Award for disaster preparedness.  Dagupan City was the demonstration site of PROMISE in the Philippines.  The award was presented by the President of the Republic of the Philippines on behalf of the National Disaster Coordinating Council and Department of the Interior and Local Government. The citation reads:

In recognition of its people-driven local governance, providing vast opportunities for a well-prepared and people-empowered community.
Dagupan City's nationally and internally-funded disaster mitigation projects anchored on the local socio-economic development efforts and plans are testaments of an exemplary leadership of the local government.
These commendable efforts earned them not only this recognition but also the greater unquantifiable benefit of providing security and peace of mind for their people that Dagupan City is and will always be a community that is resilient and safe from disasters.

Read the official press release at: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=12&r=&y=&mo=&fi=p090813.htm&no=17

In 2007 and 2008, the PROMISE Philippines partners had won Kalasag Awards at the regional level.  Read about those awards at: http://www.adpc.net/v2007/Programs/UDRM/PROMISE/PROGRAM%20COMPONENTS/Component1/Awards/Default-Awards.asp

A. From the Region

(1) 375,000 hit by floods in Mindanao

(based on reports by IRIN and Alertnet)

Floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains that lasted almost one week have killed at least a dozen people and affected more than 375,000  on Mindanao island in the southern Philippines. Troops evacuated thousands from low-lying areas where floodwaters had risen to about 3-4 metres in some areas, destroying crops and property, as well as destroying schools dikes and roads.

(2) Typhoon Morakot slams into the Philippines and Taiwan

(based on reports by IRIN and AlertNet)

Typhoon Marakot hit the Philippines on 5 August, causing floodwaters to breach a dyke near the coastal town of Botolan, displacing several thousands.  The Philippine Air Force rescued dozens of villagers stranded on rooftops as the water flowing down the main highway leading to Botolan, a town on Luzon's west coast, washed away houses, vehicles and farm animals, officials and survivors said. said the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC).  Marakot gathered strength as it moved out of the Philippines and moved into Taiwan over the weekend.

The typhoon was Taiwan’s worst one in 50 years that killed an estimated 500 people, severed 248 road segments and caused T$12.2 billion in agricultural damage.  It moved slowly over Taiwan and triggered widespread landslides.  Taiwan officials now face widespread criticism because even though rescue efforts involved 181,000 personnel and saved more than 8,200 people, President Ma Ying-jeou is under fire for perceptions that he didn't respond fast enough.  Authorities have also started seeking causes for the worst landslide, which buried the southern Taiwan village of Hsiao Lin, likely killing more than 300 as houses were flattened in what became a valley of mud and rocks.  After declining foreign non-monetary aid days earlier, Taiwan was expecting the arrival of a CH-53E helicopter, the U.S. military's biggest and heaviest, on Monday to help with disaster relief.  More than 60 countries have donated about T$68 million ($2 million) in cash as well as other relief supplies. 

(3) Philippine Congress debates Disaster Management Bill

(based on a report by IRIN)

 The proposed bill is one of several measures that the Philippines has announced to boost preparedness.  If Congress will pass the measure, municipal governments will be required to allocate at least 5 percent of their budgets to disaster risk management.  Other measures include a project to map flood and landslide prone areas, and improve forecasting and early warning systems. 

(4) Flash floods wreak havoc in northwest Pakistan

(based on reports from IRIN and UNOCHA)

At least 20 people were killed and hundreds of houses destroyed or badly damaged after heavy monsoon rains on 16 August triggered flash floods in the Mardan and Swabi districts of Pakistan's North West Frontier Province (NWFP). Estimates of the impacts put deaths at 27, houses destroyed between 400 to 450, and about 70,000 to 80,000 people affected in the region.

(5) Japan scientists develop high-yield deep water rice

(based on a report by AP)

A team of Japanese scientists has discovered genes that enable rice to survive high water by growing longer stems. The team, primarily from the University of Nagoya, called their discovery the SNORKEL genes, and reported that the accumulation of the plant hormone ethylene activates the SNORKEL genes, making stem growth more rapid. When the researchers introduced the genes into Japanese 'Japonica' rice that does not normally survive in deep water, they were able to rescue the plants from drowning.  Motoyuki Ashikari, who headed the project, said his team plans to create a flood resistant long grain rice in three to four years for use in countries such as Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Cambodia. 

(6) Asia Pandemic Situation Updates

• WHO says flu pandemic has reached 168 countries: http://www.adpc.net/v2007/SwineInfluenza/ViewNews.asp?ID=239

• WHO holds 2 billion people could catch H1N1: http://www.adpc.net/v2007/SwineInfluenza/ViewNews.asp?ID=246

• Thailand: Flu vaccine production hits big snag: http://www.adpc.net/v2007/SwineInfluenza/ViewNews.asp?ID=255

B. Calls for Submission

(7) Call for Projects: Planet Action – Fighting the Climate Crisis

Planet Action provides satellite imagery, geographic information and technology support to local projects that investigate and assess climate change issues focusing on human issues, drought and desertification, water resources, forestry, biodiversity, oceans, ice, and awareness. This year, Planet Action will support additional projects while following up on current projects and their results on the ground. Join them in fighting the climate crisis! Project submission deadline: September 30, 2009.  For more information, go to: http://www.planet-action.org/web/134-call-for-projects.php. 

(8) Call for Book Proposals: Environmental Hazards Series

Springer Books is accepting proposals for a far-reaching book series aimed at reflecting and promoting the interdisciplinary nature of hazards and disaster research. Manuscripts should bring new knowledge and insight to hazards, risk, and disaster issues; integrate natural science, social science, engineering, and other disciplinary viewpoints; and be accessible to a broad range of readers in academia, government, and the private sector.  For a full description of the series and information on how to submit a proposal, contact Series Editor Thomas Birklandtom_birkland@ncsu.edu, or view an informational flyer on the series at http://www4.ncsu.edu/~tabirkla/documents/ENHAFLYER.pdf.

C. Conferences and Courses

(9) Regional Practitioners’ Workshop on DRR in Asia and the Pacific – Phuket, Thailand: 15-17 September 2009

The Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC) and International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Southeast Asia Regional Office (IFRC SEARO) is organizing the workshop for 15 to 17 September 2009 in Phuket, Thailand. This workshop aims to equip disaster risk reduction practitioners with knowledge on how to build community resilience and expose them to innovative initiatives on undertaking community based disaster risk reduction measures and strengthening community preparedness for response.  The European Commission, Humanitarian Aid department-ECHO is also funding the workshop.  

(10) 10^th International Conference on Structural Safety and Reliability – Osaka, Japan: September 13-17, 2009

Organizers: International Association for Structural Safety and Reliability.  This conference provides the opportunity for scientists and engineers to share knowledge, experience, and information on structural safety and reliability. Special emphasis will be placed on advanced technologies, analytical and computational methods of risk analysis, damage assessment, social aspects, and urban planning. 

(11) 10^th Regional Training Course on Flood Disaster Risk Management – Bangkok, Thailand: 6-17 October 2008

Organizer: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC).  The course is an integrated approach to developing flood risk reduction strategies that involve engineering, settlement, development, public administration, and community-based land use planning with environmental consideration. This multidisciplinary treatment of flood problems and flood risk management gives a holistic view of the situation and preparedness needs. Case examples of various national and local responses will be presented.  For more information, please go to: http://www.adpc.net/v2007/Downloads/2009/Aug/FDRM%20for%20web%20use%20for%20email.pdf

D. Useful Resources

(12) Manual for the Public Health Management of Chemical Incidents: WHO, 2009

Found at:  http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241598149_eng.pdf

(13) Forced to Flee, IRIN, 2009

IRIN Films is pleased to announce the launch of “Forced to Flee” – a powerful series of short films about internal displacement.  Around the world tens of millions of people have been forced to leave their homes. Some have been driven out by conflict, some by natural disaster. Some have been displaced in the name of development, others by climate change. Find the films at: http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=85512

(14) Climate Literacy Guide

Recent clamor about climate change has left many average citizens scratching their heads about what it all actually means. Now there’s a guide to help. Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science provides clear, accessible information about climate science, the possible impacts of climate change, and adaptation and mitigation. The guide—created with the help of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and others—is aimed at starting conversations and helping communities and teachers communicate climate science. 

(15) Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment: An introduction for staff of the Asian Development Bank: ADB, 2009

http://mms.adb.org/e-Notification/url.asp?ID=18714&DOCID=18249 

(16) This month in Asia’s disaster history

On 15 August 15 1950, 1950 Assam - Tibet earthquake struck the Indian plate with a magnitude of 8.6. The epicenter was actually located near Rima, in Tibet, but the earthquake was destructive in both Assam and Tibet.  At least 780 people killed and many buildings collapsed in eastern Tibet. In the Medog area, the village of Yedong slid into the Yarlung Zangbo (Brahmaputra) River and was washed away.  About 70 villages were destroyed in the Abor Hills in Assam, mostly by landslides. Large landslides blocked the Subansiri River, but the natural dam broke apart eight days later, creating a wave 7 m high that flooded several villages and killed 536 people.  The quake was felt as far away as Calcutta. Seiches were observed in many lakes and fjords of Norway and in at least 3 reservoirs in England.  The editorial from The Hindu published on 21 August 1950 read in part:

“From the reports coming in after the partial re-establishment of disrupted communications, it is clear that there has been, in addition to much loss of property, some loss of life too and Islands have disappeared into the Brahmaputra. The rumblings of the first, tremendous shock are still being felt and heard. The movement of the 1897 Assam `quake was vertical and such is likely to be the case this time too. Geologically, the Himalayas are much younger in age than the Deccan plateau and are still apparently in the process of settling down. To political problems clamouring for solution has now been added the task of relief and rehabilitation and the sympathy and help of all India will go to those who have suffered in this frontier province. Steps have been taken to rush food and medical aid to the affected areas and the Government and voluntary agencies will have their hands full. They deserve very support in the form of money and material that the people of India can give.''

Read more about the earthquake here:

• http://earthquake.usgs.gov/regional/world/events/1950_08_15.php

•  http://www.hindu.com/2000/08/21/stories/10211045.htm

• http://www.nepjol.info/index.php/HJS/article/viewArticle/1306

• http://www.sciencedirect.com/