The increasing intensity and frequency of climate-induced natural hazards pose communities across South and Southeast Asia at risk of cyclones, flooding, drought and other hydro-meteorological disasters. The people and infrastructure of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam are tested by strong winds, cyclones, heavy rain, and droughts, as well as riverine and flash flooding. They are also exposed to a number of hydro-meteorological hazards, seriously affecting coastal areas and low-lying river deltas. Asian Disaster Preparedness Center, with support from the Royal Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, collaborates with the hydro-meteorological departments of the governments of Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Vietnam to help them provide services to national, sub-national and local organizations and at-risk communities to minimize risks caused by hydro-meteorological hazards. Since the program was initiated in 2009, ADPC and the Norwegian Meteorological Institute (MET-Norway) have built the knowledge and skills of the local officials in accurate weather and climate predicting that can be used to strengthen early warning systems at all levels. ADPC and MET-Norway have provided officials hands-on training on weather and climate forecasting to strengthen the countries? daily weather and climate forecast services and help the officials ensure a higher degree of accuracy of the forecasts. The hydro-meteorological services in these countries are now equipped to utilize data visualization techniques to overlay several information products into a single interface, allowing them to verify accuracy of products, monitor spatial distribution and ascertain information on potential impacts of hydro-meteorological disasters on a daily basis. The web portal introduced at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH) in Myanmar has been providing sector-specific stakeholders and the general public a user-friendly interface to access meteorological and climatological data and information. Key officials from the hydro-meteorological services have also been seconded to MET-Norway in Oslo and ADPC in Bangkok, resulting in their increased capacities to utilize modern applications for weather and climate forecasting. ADPC has found that there is still a need to further build the human and technical capacity of the hydro-meteorological services, and during the third phase of the program in 2015?2017, ADPC will continue to strengthen the services? capacity in daily and seasonal weather forecasting, climate services development, and effective utilization of weather and climate information to prepare for and mitigate the impact of the increasing hydro-meteorological disasters.

?? Improve daily and seasonal weather forecasting capacity to further strengthen end-to-end early warning systems; ? Improve climate services for sector specific panning and sustainable development; and ? Improve effective utilization of weather and climate information for coastal-ecosystem resilience (in Myanmar only).

? Forecast error of landfall of cyclones is reduced and forecast lead-time is increased. ? Inundation areas due to coastal flooding associated with storm surge are accurately identified. ? Locations of heavy rainfall events associated with monsoons and cyclones are accurately identified with sufficient lead-time. ? Lead-time of drought forecasts is increased and drought affecting areas are accurately identified. ? Training module on ?Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP)? is developed and integrated into meteorological training curriculum at DMH. ? Climate service to provide accurate data and information for sector specific planning is properly institutionalized. ? The number of staff officers attached to Lower Myanmar Division of DMH is trained on effective utilization of weather and climate information to strengthen people-centric early warning systems for coastal hazards.