Disaster Mitigation
in Asia

31 October2010
Issue No. 85

This newsletter is published through the Program for Hydro-meteorological Disaster Mitigation in Secondary Cities in Asia (PROMISE), funded by USAID/OFDA, commenced from October 2005 and ends in December 2010. 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. Nine cities highly vulnerable to hydro-meteorological disasters were selected for implementing demonstration projects on disaster mitigation by urban communities– Chittagong (Bangladesh), Jamalpur (Bangladesh), Hyderabad (Pakistan), Jakarta (Indonesia), Dagupan (Philippines), Pasig (the Philippines), Kalutara (Sri Lanka), Matara (Sri Lanka) and Da Nang (Viet Nam).

PROGRAM ACTIVITIES for October to November 2010:

PROMISE PHILIPPINES – The final work on the community action plans and early warning systems were suspended due to the nationwide elections for barangay (village) officials. Meanwhile, the PROMISE RP project has begun to bear fruit as Pasig City Social Welfare and Development Department initiated a disaster preparedness training course for three Pasig City barangays that are not in the PROMISE pilot areas: San Joaquin, Caniogan and Buting. The training is an initiative of the department head, Ms. Baby Dilleva. Resource persons for the training came from the Pasig City DRR Technical Working Group formed and trained as trainors in community-based disaster risk reduction and management (CBDRM), and from Pasig Rescue for emergency tips. The training was a shortened version of the PROMISE RP training module developed for the city, and was conducted during the period October 11 to 16. To further raise Pasig City’s capacity for flood disaster management, the city government sent Mr. Ritchie Van Angeles, head of Pasig Rescue and a member of the DRR TWG, as a participant to ADPC’s 11th Flood Disaster Risk Management Course. He shared the city’s experience with the Typhoon Ketsana disaster and PROMISE project activities during the course. Ms. Mayfourth Luneta, the country project coordinator for PROMISE RP, was a facilitator for the course’s module on CBDRM.

Dagupan flood from Supertyphoon Megi

When Supertyphoon Megi passed through the Philippines this month, it had brought considerable damage to infrastructure and livelihoods (see story in item 5 below for details). Dagupan City had been a project site for PROMISE from 2006 to 2009, wherein the city and high-risk communities underwent capacity building in community-based disaster risk management, end-to-end flood early warning, community flood disaster mitigation, and emergency response and its management at the level of community and city. This is a look at the typhoon and flood preparedness of the city and high-risk communities (barangays) and their response (special thanks for Ms. Emma Molina, City Agriculturist and former PROMISE focal point, and Ms. Mayfourth Luneta, PROMISE country project coordinator for Dagupan):

The typhoon did not bring much rain to Dagupan, although it did bring strong gusts of winds. Evacuation to emergency shelters commenced on the 18th in the city despite the minimal rainfall and absence of a flood, as the communities took their cues from the river gauges and community flood early warning system developed under PROMISE. The city government was continuously monitoring river levels and the movement of people to the shelters, a process that they had trained for in flood simulation exercises, and practiced during Typhoon Cosme in 2008 and Typhoon Parma (2009). The flood began in three barangays (Mangin, Tebeng at Salisay) on October 19 as the supertyphoon was leaving the Philippines; the immediate cause of the flood was the collapse of a dike located in the neighboring Calasiao municipality. Later the flood spread to areas the other high-risk barangays, and seven of the medium-risk barangays. The flood drained slowly because the arrival of the water coincided with neap tide in the gulf.

The shelters had held a maximum of 830 families during the flood, and the local authorities at city and barangay level managed the situation until the families returned home on October 25. In fact, Dagupan is the only city within Pangasinan province that did not declare a state of calamity because the desire to prepare for the typhoon was strong and most families evacuated willingly, and the city government had prepared and stocked the evacuation shelters. Dagupan City Mayor Benjamin S. Lim firmly called this a good governance practice. Ms. Molina stated that mobilizing the city was quick, thanks to the PROMISE project’s DRR capacity building efforts directed at the city and barangay officials and local government institutions.

A. From the Region

(1) Asian launch of “Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters”

ADPC, in collaboration with World Bank, is organizing a regional launch of the report, "Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters: The Economics of Effective Prevention" on 8 December 2010 in Bangkok, Thailand. The report is the product of a two-year effort by 70 experts from various disciplines and institutions, primarily economists but also climate scientists, geographers, political scientists and psychologists. The new joint UN and World Bank study says, annual monetary losses for natural disasters are expected to rise to $185 billion worldwide by the end of the century, even without factoring in the anticipated negative impacts of climate change.  After the global launch in Washington D.C. on 11 November 2010, the Asian launching event is expected to bring prominent regional experts to discuss about the importance of effective disaster prevention.  Note: This event is for invitees only.

(2) Regional Cooperative Mechanism on Drought Monitoring and Early Warning

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) launched the Mechanism for providing satellite products for general drought monitoring and early warning of drought events, and assists its members in developing localized products and services for relevant decision making to prevent drought hazards from becoming major disasters.  Link to press release: link.  Link to report on the Meeting of the Regional Working Group on Drought Disaster Monitoring and Early Warning: link.

(3) ADPC at the 4^th AMCDRR

AMCDRR is the Asian disaster management ministers and international organizations' official conference sponsored by UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) since 2005 in order to reduce disaster risk in Asia.  This year, the conference theme was “Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation,” held 25 to 28 October in Incheon, South Korea.  The Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) was the Technical Chair for the second conference session on “Developing and sharing information, technology, sound practices, and lessons learned in climate & disaster risk management.”  ADPC organized a side event on “Developing and sharing information, technology, sound practices, and lessons learned in climate & disaster risk management,” and co-organized a second side event on “Promoting resilience to disaster risks and climate change in Asian cities” with Plan and Duryog Nivaran.

(4) World Disaster Reduction Campaign on Making Cities Resilient in Thailand

To commemorate the 2010 International Day for Disaster Reduction, the UN ISDR, UN ESCAP and ADPC launched the World Disaster Reduction Campaign on Making Cities Resilient in Thailand on 13 October 2010 at the UN Conference Centre in Bangkok.  During the campaign launch, Mom Rajawongse Sukhumbhand Paribatra, the Governor of Bangkok, was appointed Champion for the Campaign; the appointment of Mom Rajawongse.Paribatra recognizes the work that has been accomplished in Bangkok by all the governors over the past 25 year to reduce flood risk.  Bangkok Metropolitan Authority and Patong City were awarded Role Model Cities for the Campaign, and the awards were received by Bangkok Governor and Patong Deputy Mayor.  The program also included a panel discussions among mayors of Thailand on “Landslide threats” and “Flood threats”.

(5) ADPC at the 9th Meeting of GFDRR Consultative Group

Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, Executive Director of ADPC, was a panelist at the GFDRR 9^th Consultative Meeting in Washington DC, USA.  The meeting was held from October 4 to 7.  Dr. Rattakul was a panelist for the event on “Partnering on Global Knowledge – Innovative Products and Networks for Risk Reduction Solutions”.  The theme of his panel discussion was on framing the knowledge agenda for disaster risk management: what do we need to know to mainstream disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation in policy dialogues and country strategies? What do we need to know in order to better prepare now for ex ante mitigation and post disaster recovery. The other panelists were Dr. Hitoshi Baba, Japan International Cooperation Agency; Mr. Yves Robert Jean, Ministry of Planning of the Government of Haiti; and Mr. Jakob Wernerman, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency. The session was moderated by Dr. Peter Walker of the Feinstein Institute at Tufts University.

(6) Twin disasters in Indonesia in October
(based on reports from IRIN, AlertNet, BBC and AP)

A tsunami and a volcanic eruption in Indonesia have killed more than 500 people with about 100 missing and tens of thousands displaced, authorities said on Wednesday.  On October 26, a 7.5-magnitude quake occurred 78 km west of South Pagai island, caused a tsunami that pounded several villages on the remote islands in western Indonesia, killed more than 400 people and displaced 250 families, destroyed 179 homes and damaged 300 more (reports vary on the number of people displaced.)  Then on October 27, eruptions began from Mount Merapi, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, that spewed out clouds of ash and jets of searing gas in an eruption that has killed around 40 people.  More than 40,000 villagers were evacuated from their homes near or on the slopes of Mount Merapi.  The latest blast sent massive clouds of ash spilling nearly 6 km down the northeastern slopes.

(7) Supertyphoon Megi pounds the Philippines and China
(based on reports from Alertnet, NDCC Situation Report 28, Philippine Daily Inquirer, and Xinhua)

Tropical cyclone Megi made landfall in the Philippines on October 18 on the eastern coast of Isabela provine on Luzon island.  The system hit land as a category 5 super typhoon with winds in excess of 250 kph, affecting close to 2 million people in six regions, damaging infrastructure and cutting off electricity in 29 municipalities.  Emergency preparedness measures were undertaken days before landfall, and only 31 people died from the strongest storm to hit the country in decades.  The storm moved westward to the South China Sea, and turned to the northeast towards Fujian Province in China.  It made landfall in Zhangzhou City in Fujian on October 23 after weakening into a category 1 storm.  As of the morning of October 25, 729,800 Fujian residents had been affected, with 313,200 evacuated.  Typhoon Megi destroyed approximately 36,050 hectares of crops and 530 houses; the initial estimate of economic losses is at 2.8 billion yuan (USD 412 million).  Megi also brought continuous and heavy rainfall to Taiwan, resulting in 13 deaths from landslides and stranding over 300 tourists.

(8) Thailand floods worst in decades
(based on reports from DDPM, Bangkok Post, The Nation, New York Times and Bloomberg)

The Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) reported that 5,011,046 people were affected by the flooding that hit 331 districts of 38 provinces in the North, Northeast, East and Central Plains of Thailand; 4,128,373 rai of farmland (around 6,600 sq.km.) in 38 provinces were damaged.  The figures are for the period October 10 to 30.  The Finance Ministry estimated that the damage could be as much as US$674 million.  The Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand also reported that the death toll reached 100, mostly due to drowning.  Some 2,000 underground water wells in Ayutthaya and Sing Buri provinces were damaged or contaminated by floodwater.  The floods were triggered by heavy rainfall in the north and northeastern provinces, with the highest rainfall in 30 years were recorded for the central provinces of in Lop Buri (396.6 mm) and Nakhon Ratchasima (390.3 mm).  Repairs and relief work commenced immediately, and flood compensation plans are being developed by the national government.  Twenty-two provinces are still under water as the flood extent and flooding period are exacerbated by dam water release and Bangkok’s flood protection.  Ten of 33 major reservoirs along the Chao Phraya river went over capacity and had to dump water downstream, according to DDPM.  In addition, the river flows into Bangkok to reach the Gulf of Thailand, and this had to be reduced by flood protection measures to prevent water from pooling in the low-lying metropolis.  On October 26, a critical period for Bangkok came and went when the tide level in the Gulf reached a peak; the Bangkok Metropolitan Authority is still watchful as another high tide will occur on November 8.  DDPM was also preparing for heavy rains and floods in November that were forecasted for the southern provinces, and the forecasted coldest winter season in 30 years.

B. Calls for Submission

(9) Call for Abstracts: Greenhouse 2011: The Science of Climate Change

The Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is organizing the Greenhouse 2011 for 4 to 8 April 2011 in Queensland, Australia. The program committee is accepting abstracts for presentation. Abstracts should be related to the science of climate change, including impacts and adaptation, extreme events and community resilience, and communicating climate change. Abstracts can be submitted online; deadline is on November 19. For more information, go to: link.

(10) Call for papers: Nature Climate Change

Launching in April 2011, Nature Climate Change aims to be the world's leading research journal for documenting new scientific discoveries about how we will experience and respond to the challenges of a changing climate. The Editorial team is now accepting submissions of original research articles from both the natural and social science communities. Central to the journal's mission, and to addressing climate change, is reaching beyond traditional academic boundaries, and bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives. As such, especially encourages the submission of interdisciplinary climate research. In addition, the journal will welcome disciplinary research from psychology to sociology, from policy to atmospheric physics. Further details can be found in the Guide to Authors: link.

C. Conferences and Courses

(11) Regional Training Course on Incident Command System for Disaster Management – Bangkok, 22-28 November 2010

Co-organizers: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and the United States Forest Service.  Incident Command System (ICS) is a single standardized emergency management system designed to allow users to work together using common terminologies and operating procedures for controlling personnel, facilities, equipment, and communications in response to the incidents. It functions to incorporate and fully utilize all assigned resources and expertise from multiple agencies, and can operate in a multi-jurisdictional environment.  The course provides an in-depth knowledge on the ICS, covering a range of topics that are essential to the application of ICS in disaster response management.  Interested participants should download the brochure: link.  For inquiries, please send email to: tedadpc@adpc.net.

(12) Call for Participation: 3rd South South International Citizenry Based Development Academy

The primary aim of the South-South Citizenry- Based Development Academy is to provide capacity development support to citizenry based development oriented disaster risk reduction initiatives in the Asia and Pacific region, as well as inter regionally.  The theme for this academy is "Harmonization of Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation at the Local and Community Level: Building Resilience of Communities in the Bicol Region".  The sub-themes include: Gender, Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation; Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation and Livelihood and Food; Security; Children and Youth Participation in Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change;  Adaptation;  Partnerships Supported at the Provincial Level; and Partnerships Supported at the Municipal Level.  This year’s academy will be held on 22-26 November 2010 at the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA), Pili, Camarines Sur, Philippines.  For the brochure and enquiries, please contact: 1) for Philippine-based participation: Dr. Cely Binoya, CBSUA, celybinoya@yahoo.com, Malu Cagay, Center for Disaster Preparedness (CDP),  mfcagay@yahoo.com, or Lorna Victoria, CDP, oyvictoria@yahoo.com; 2) for International participation :  Zenaida Delica-Willison, UNDP, zenaida.willison@undp.org.

(13) Monitoring and Evaluation in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Unstable Environments – Bangkok, 29 November – 3 December 2010

Co-organizers: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center and Channel Research (Belgium).  The course aims to provide fundamental knowledge on the framework for designing monitoring systems and evaluation processes and covers methodologies and tools for participants to commission, manage, carry out and apply evaluations on programs and projects in disaster risk reduction and unstable environments.  The course is an introductory-to-intermediate level highly recommended for participants from aid agencies, donor governments, UN agencies, INGOs, NGOs, consultancies and academia.  For more information, go to: link.  For inquiries, please send email to: tedadpc@adpc.net.

D. Useful Resources

(14) Accelerating the Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) in Asia and the Pacific  link

(15) Analysis of the flood disaster due to Typhoon Parma

Opinion article in the Philippine Daily Inquirer: “A Year after Pepeng: Lessons of Agno River basin flooding,” by Dr. Guillermo Q. Tabios III, Director, National Hydraulic Research Center, University of the Philippines link

(16) Asia Pacific Disaster Report: UN ESCAP and UN ISDR, 2010  link

(17) Working Paper: Climate Risks and Adaptation in Asian Coastal Megacities, ADB 2010  link

(18) WHO Facebook Campaign: Making Our Hospitals Safe from Disasters

Simple application on the Facebook social networking site to raise awareness on how quickly can hospitals react to disasters. link 

(19) First WHO report on neglected tropical diseases: Working to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases, 2010  link

(20) Consultation Documentation on Health and Climate Adaptation: WHO, 2010  link