Dear Readers,

One important aspect of the Indian Ocean Tsunami of December 2004 was that the event took everyone by surprise, especially those living in the coastal areas in the countries in the region. Lack of awareness and an ineffective mechanism to warn coastal communities of the impending disaster was one of the chief reasons for the enormous loss of lives and the devastation. In this issue of the Asian Disaster Management News we focus on Early Warning for Natural Disaster Management and share some of the experiences and insights from several experts in disaster management. The ADPC position on the development of an EWS for the Indian Ocean has stressed the need to employ a multi-hazard approach to whatever system emerges from the current deliberations and to define roles and responsibilities for the same. Evidence of the need for a broader EWS was made clear after the most recent earthquake measuring 8.7 on the Richter scale devastated Nias and did not produce a tsunami.

In our theme article, Dr Parker provides a theoretical perspective for the establishment of an effective early warning system, while Prof Allen Jeary’s article provides insights into early warning of structural collapse after a disaster. Humanitarian agencies, aid workers and the media have been very active since the tsunami and the two subsequent articles by Mr Walden and Mr Kjaergaard highlight the challenges they are facing.

This first quarter of 2005 has been extremely busy and challenging for ADPC and this is reflected in the reports from our teams and units. Our sincere appreciation is extended to Mr A.R. Subbiah, Director and Team Leader of ADPC's Climate Risk Management Team, for his invaluable guidance on the overall theme of this issue. We hope you find this newsletter informative and interesting. The next issue will focus on recovery and lessons learned from the tsunami. We look forward to receiving your articles, comments and suggestions.

Earl Kessler
ekessler@adpc.net 

Themes for Forthcoming Issues of the Asian Disaster Management News
Disaster Recovery (April - June 2005)