Special Insert...

ADPC Programs and Activities...

ADPC, in association with the World Institute for Disaster Risk Management (DRM), Virginia, USA, and the Centre for Development Studies (CDS), Nainital, India, has been engaged by the Asian Dev-elopment Bank (ADB) to undertake a one-year Technical Assistance (TA) project for the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Uttaranchal. The objective of this TA is to support the strengthening of disaster mitigation and management capabilities at the state level in India. It is expected that many of the results will be transferable to other Indian states.

Numerous activities have already been undertaken under the TA grant. Contacts with government officials have been established and ADPC offices have been set up in Lucknow, UP and Dehradun, Uttaranchal. A Disaster Mitigation and Management Center is expected to be inaugurated soon in Dehradun and a temporary Emergency Operations Center is already in place.

Motorola in India have done a communications survey in the demonstration area. The cost, and pros and cons of different systems, were addressed by ADPC consultants. The study was undertaken so that any communications upgrade or new equipment can be in place for testing in the demonstration area of Gorakhpur Commissionary in UP for at least part of the flood season.

ADPC held a Consultants Meeting in Dehradun which focused on activities to date and preparation of workplans to accomplish the TA tasks. Once finalized, the plans will be presented to the states for their consideration, assignment of priority and concurrence.

While he was in Uttaranchal, ADPC's earthquake specialist for the TA, Dr Richard Sharpe, presented a paper on the need for an earthquake-resistant structure to house an Emergency Operations Center. He supported this with an informal demonstration of earthquake design principles. During his visit to UP, Dr Marshall Silver, ADPC's flood mitigation specialist for the TA, held discussions at the Remote Sensing Applications Centre (RSAC) about preparation of CD format hazard maps utilizing existing flood data from the severe 1998 floods. The team leader, Mrs Jean Parker, and Dr Silver participated in a seminar on 'Challenges for Rural Development in Flood-prone Areas', organized in Lucknow by the NGO, Poorvanchal Gramin Vikas Sansthan (PGVS). Attendees included village representatives and District Magistrates as well as the Planning Minister and the Commissioner for Rural Development. The consultants gave a presentation on TA activities.

Training for community members, NGOs and CBOs was successfully conducted in Gorakhpur. They will help in developing village disaster management action plans and will ensure post TA sustainability. A meeting of NGOs and CBOs on local coping mechanisms will also be held.

Crowding the Rim (CTR) is a public-private partnership of the US Geological Survey, Circum Pacific Council, the American Red Cross and Stanford University. The recent Crowding the Rim Summit showcased CTR's three products: Rim Sim, a simulation for setting priorities in post-disaster reconstruction; HazPac, GIS-based hazard maps to facilitate risk assessment and decision-making; and the Education Module, which gives students an appreciation of natural hazards risk.

ADPC's Ms Zen Delica and Mr Loy Rego participated in the summit, which also discussed the impacts of disasters on Pacific Rim nations. Ms Delica gave a talk about the role of NGOs. Ms Suzanne Frew, CTR project manager, wrote: "[Zen's] thoughtful overview of what may seem commonplace for many of us familiar with cross-sector involvement, opened up a new world for many of those from the science and other sectors that generally do not interact with the NGO sector."

ADPC expects to continue its participation in CTR, particularly in the use and adaptation of its products in Asia.

The PEER program, in collaboration with NCDM and the Institute of Public Administration (IIPA), through the Ministry of Agriculture, organized three training courses for Indian government officials and NGOs to strengthen disaster management capability. The courses were divided into classroom lectures and discussions, and a field visit. Lectures ranged from disaster management concepts to lessons in India. The field visit helped in the application of the knowledge to real-life situations. Participants were asked to work in teams to develop mitigation strategies for the visited communities.

PEER organized an Orientation Seminar in India from 4-6 April 2001 at the National Center for Disaster Management (NCDM) with the aims of familiarizing Indian national agencies with PEER and helping them to replicate the program. As an outcome of the seminar, NCDM is charting an action plan in consultation with participation agencies, pilot states representatives, the National Civil Defence College (NCDC) and National Fire Service College (NFSC). The action plan is being drafted in light of specific provisions on emergency response (relief) of the XIth Finance Commission and recommendations of the High Powered Committee (HPC).

The second Brainstorming Meeting of the PEER program was held from 18-20 April 2001 with participants from the four partner countries of India, Indonesia, Nepal and the Philippines and OFDA representatives. The remaining components of the HOPE training course were discussed with significant inputs from structural engineers and architects. The Gujarat earthquake disaster experience of medical response provided the basis for discussions, as did experience from the Bengkulu earthquake. Objectives of the four HOPE components (organizational, structural, non-structural and medical) were drafted, and course topics were also identified.

Regional Working Group Meeting on Strategy for Information Exchange on Disaster Reduction, Bangkok, 4-6 September 2001

The October 1999 meeting of DIPECHO partners, hosted in Hanoi by APS Vietnam, recommended a mechanism to ensure that information on disaster reduction is made current and accessible to the wider development community, including donors and governments of DIPECHO target countries. In April 2001, under the PDR-SEA project, a review of information and networking needs was conducted to define and formulate a regional information exchange strategy. The findings were presented in the Regional Working Group Meeting of DIPECHO partners from 4-6 September 2001 in Bangkok. The outcome is a consensus on an information sharing and networking strategy for implementation at regional and national levels.

Regional Training of Trainers Course on Community-Based Disaster Management (CBDM), Manila, 16-27 July 2001

To build the capacity of DIPECHO partners and selected NGOs in community-based disaster management, a training of trainers course on CBDM was conducted from 16-27 July 2001 in Manila, Philippines. The course evaluated the validity of community-based disaster management approaches, introduced participatory tools in community-based risk assessment and provided opportunities for participants to practice them in two flood-prone communities in Pampanga province north of Manila.

The course identified various risk reduction measures that can be undertaken by these communities and translated into community-level action plans, identified steps in training design and evaluation, and discussed adult teaching methodologies. The sharing of experiences of participants from diverse fields (flood preparedness, forest fires, disaster preparedness and management, training) enhanced the systematized learning.

Other Project Activities

To provide a platform for information exchange and networking for the disaster management community, particularly the non-governmental sector in Southeast Asia, a quarterly newsletter was started in June 2001, the PDR-SEA webpage was developed with an on-line library, and a listserve was established in July 2001.

To strengthen networking of NDMOs in DIPECHO target countries, current regional networking mechanisms are being reviewed through in-country consultations. A consultative meeting between NDMOs and stakeholders will recommend a feasible mechanism for regional cooperation. A study of current policy and institutional arrangements on disaster management in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR and the Philippines is being conducted, and lessons learned will be distilled and shared in the region. An inventory of early warning systems capturing different components from national to local levels will also be undertaken for the target countries.

Current disaster management training needs in the target countries are being evaluated to identify gaps and develop a training strategy. The ADPC Disaster Management Course curriculum was upgraded to make it relevant to DIPECHO target countries, partners, NGOs and government institutions. The computer-assisted Atlantis crisis management exercise is currently being upgraded to incorporate new information technologies (internet and email) and translate the computer program into Windows. Training, educational and public awareness materials in DIPECHO target countries are being reviewed to synthesize best practices and identify methodologies and materials that need upgrading.