International Strategy for Disaster Reduction


International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Asia & Pacific

One year after tsunami

Tsunami Early Warning

TEWIS - Tsunami Early Warning Information System

Proposed TEWS Strategy
2006-2008

UN Office of the Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery

Tsunami information resources

Recognizing the urgency to mobilize efforts and resources towards establishing an early warning system for the Indian Ocean region, a multi-partner, multi-donor initiative “Evaluation and Strengthening of Early Warning Systems in countries affected by the 26 December 2004 Tsunami” was launched in early 2005. The initiative has been set-up under the UN Flash Appeal for the Indian Ocean in 2005 and is being coordinated by the UN/ISDR Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (PPEW) in Bonn, Germany. The UN/ISDR Asia & Pacific is supporting the work at the regional level, mainly to follow-up on projects being developed and implemented in the Asia & Pacific region by relevant operational partners. The information of this section is managed from Bonn and gives you a direct access to the PPEW’s website.

Strengthening Tsunami Early Warning System In The Indian Ocean
One year after

Recognizing the urgency to mobilize efforts and resources towards establishing an early warning system for the Indian Ocean region, a multi-partner, multi-donor initiative “Evaluation and Strengthening of Early Warning Systems in countries affected by the 26 December 2004 Tsunami” was launched in early 2005.
The initiative is coordinated by ISDR secretariat’s Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (PPEW), and has been set-up under the UN Flash Appeal for the Indian Ocean in 2005.
Pledges were made for more than US$ 11 million towards this initiative. In 2005, the total amount received is US$ 10,507,208 from the European Commission and the Governments of Finland, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. To date, US$ 7,970,410 is committed and/or spent.
Partnership agreements for implementation are signed with UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the UN University- Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-ESCAP), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the UN Development Programme (UNDP), the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Asian Disaster Reduction Center (ADRC), the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU), the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), the All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI), and the University of Geneva.
The initiative has provided an overall integrated framework for strengthening an early warning system in the Indian Ocean, and has been focusing on key components that include core system implementation, integrated risk management, public awareness and education, community-based approaches, and coordination implemented by partner organization in cooperation with regional and national institutes.
Significant progress towards key objectives has been achieved and could be summarized as follows:
- Establishment of the core technical elements of a regional tsunami early warning system is on track and to be completed by June 2006.
- Coordination of joint efforts of many key organizations in the UN and the region, linking the tsunami warning system to other hazard warning systems and to disaster management institutions.
- Significant progress towards awareness raising and capacity building in advocacy with effective engagement of the media and non-governmental organizations.
- Provision of an example of an integrating vehicle for supporting the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters.
- Engagement of a wide range of partners and donor contributions, which has brought an added-value to the diversity of activities, and a more coordinated and coherent approach to the problem, thus extending the reach and effectiveness of inputs and resources.

Accomplishments and Activities of 2005:

1. Regional agreement has been reached on the general design and management of a regional early warning system for the Indian Ocean. This major achievement was the result of a series of international intergovernmental meetings convened by UNESCO-IOC, which generated necessary consensus and regional agreement on building a distributed, interconnected tsunami warning system.

2. Set-up of a simple interim early warning system involving the exchange of data and warning advisory information to national focal points centers, from Japan and Hawaii tsunami centers. The system was partly effective when a 2nd major earthquake occurred on 28 March 2005.

3. WMO Multidisciplinary workshop on the exchange of early warning and related information including tsunami warning in the Indian Ocean took place in Jakarta, 14-18 March 2005. The participants endorsed the WMO “Action Plan” and developed the technical and operational plan, including immediate, short-term and longer term actions, for making GTS fully operational in all IO countries to support tsunami early warning system. The meeting also identified the IO countries needing assistance for GTS upgrade.

4. Review and strengthening of the Global Telecommunication System (GTS) – coordinated by WMO – is ongoing to support the exchange and distribution of Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System alerts and related information, including for the interim Tsunami Watch arrangements. WMO expert teams carried out assessment missions in several countries to upgrade the national GTS components. This will have the added long-term advantage of providing the basis for an all-hazards information exchange system in the future.

5. Sixteen needs-assessment missions to Indian Ocean countries were organized by UNESCO-IOC, ISDR secretariat and other organizations between April and September 2005, supported by multidisciplinary expert teams. The missions consulted with a wide range of parties and reviewed national capabilities for tsunami early warning and mitigation, public awareness and risk reduction needs, and technical requirements. Recommendations were delivered directly to, and negotiated with, national authorities and will be used to guide technical plans and national and regional strategies. The consolidated report and national reports were published in December 2005, and available on: http://ioc3.unesco.org/indotsunami/nationalassessments.htm

6. Policy dialogue for high level administrative policy makers on establishing a Tsunami Early Warning System in the Indian Ocean was organized by ISDR secretariat and ADRC in February 2005 with twenty-four participants from eleven countries in the Indian Ocean region.

7. Study tours for national experts from twenty-six Indian Ocean countries were organized by UNESCO-IOC, ISDR secretariat, and ADRC to allow national experts visit and observe existing Pacific Ocean tsunami early warning systems in Japan and Hawaii during July 2005. Participants have enhanced their knowledge and capacity to identify requirements for national tsunami warning and mitigation systems, and the knowledge gained is already being put into practice in setting-up national tsunami early warning centers and providing public information products.

8. Designation of national focal points for tsunami early warning in twenty-two countries in the Indian Ocean, which contributes to the enhancement of national coordination mechanisms, and the strengthening of an effective regional early warning system.

9. A review of environmental risk assessment methods and preparedness planning is underway – coordinated by UNEP - for reducing risks associated with hazardous materials in coastal communities.

10. Linkages are built and strengthened between tsunami warning system, other hazard warning systems, and disaster management institutions through advocating integrated disaster risk management approaches, and promoting coordination mechanisms at regional, national and local levels.

11. Guideline document for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action is being developed to support national and local authorities as well as other stakeholders implement the priorities for action agreed in Hyogo towards building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters. The guidelines are designed as a “getting started” package focusing on a step-by-step “how-to”, illustrated through examples, case studies, and lessons learned.

12. Two media-targeted regional workshops were jointly organized by ABU and ISDR secretariat in June 2005, bringing broadcasters together with technical experts from the tsunami and weather warning fields to improve dialogue and under-standing in respect to warning dissemination and public education. Further workshops at the national levels are planned, and broadcasters committed to producing locally-targeted public information material. Similar contacts have been developed with the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

13. A public awareness and education workshop was coordinated by ISDR secretariat in Bangkok in September 2005 involving participants from UN agencies, IFRC, national institutes, broadcasting agencies, and NGOs to share experiences and devise plans to implement public awareness campaigns and identified synergies for further coordination.

14. The development of tsunami awareness booklets using an old Japanese tsunami educational story “Inamura-no-hi” in 8 countries in Asia is ongoing. Target countries include: Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. Five thousands booklets will be produced by ADRC in local languages tailored to adults and to children.

15. A perception study in Indonesia is coordinated by ADRC to survey the level of tsunami awareness at the community level, schools, and national institutions. The study will build on ADRC perception studies for Sri Lanka and Maldives, and will be carried out between December 2005 and April 2006.

16. A video clip on disaster risk reduction, “Everybody’s Business”, has been produced for TVE to emphasize that disaster reduction should be an integral part of every day’s decision making process and explaining how the Hyogo Framework for Action with its concrete guidelines can support these activities. About 100 copies were produced in English for distribution to major partners and the media. In collaboration with UNESCO, the clip will be translated in several languages for further dissemination in 2006. The video “Everybody’s Business” is available on: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/media-room/media-room.htm

17. The Disaster Reduction Field Library initiative is being coordinated by ISDR secretariat to enhance basic knowledge on tsunami, early warning and disaster risk reduction. This initiative is built on the model of the “Blue Trunk Library” of the World Health Organization, and it aims to support communities most affected by the Indian Ocean disaster by providing existing books and practical, technical information on disaster reduction to practitioners, researchers, local leaders and communities. Three sets of libraries were handed over to Indonesia and India (October 2005), with the goal of delivering 20 additional libraries by end of 2006.

18. An information kit “Tsunami Teacher” is being finalized by UNESCO-IOC International Tsunami Information Center (ITIC). This information kit will provide a consolidated resource of new and existing, reliable and verified tsunami warning, response, and mitigation information and training modules aimed at stakeholder groups affected by or responsible for mitigating against tsunamis such as the media; education systems; government agencies; community groups; and the private sector. First module will be available by early 2006.

19. The UNESCO-IOC/ITIC has revised and updated its most popular educational materials and additionally made them available in easily customizable electronic format for localization by countries. Those are available for download from the ITIC website. The publications include Tsunami the Great Waves, Tsunami Warning! Children’s Book, Tsunami Glossary, and a Tsunami Safety Poster. ITIC educational material is available on: http://ioc3.unesco.org/itic/

20. The Disaster Reduction in Asia – ISDR Informs, Issue I, was published by ADPC in English (3,000 copies) with translated versions in Chinese, Bahasa Indonesia and Russian (2,000 copies each). The translated versions are a part of the effort to make the newsletter accessible to larger audiences. The newsletter has become and important channel to disseminate news and knowledge on the disaster reduction. Issue II has been planned in consultations with members of the ISDR Asia Partnership and the ISDR Asia office, and will be published in March 2006.

21. With a focus on community-based approaches, UNDP country offices in India and Sri Lanka, and UNESCO country office in Indonesia started pilot initiatives to assess community-based mechanisms for disaster risk preparedness and to strengthen the dissemination mechanisms of early warnings to communities. In addition, those pilot initiatives will document and disseminate the lessons learned and good practices to inform other community-based preparedness and early warning systems in the Indian Ocean region.

22. To inform policy for early warning and preparedness, an epidemiological study of the human impact of the tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India was carried out by CRED and the University of Delhi to develop better preparedness and mitigation policies through collecting evidence on risks factors related to the Indian Ocean tsunami and to contribute to the evidence-base for the global disaster reduction community on the human impacts of disasters.

23. Field studies of disaster risk management and vulnerability assessment were carried out by UNU-IEHS in Sri Lanka including the development of rapid vulnerability assessment techniques for the city of Galle. In addition, support has been provided to the Sri Lankan Technical Advisory Committee on Early Warning and Disaster Preparedness, including technical assistance in policy design, planning, mapping and duplicating experiences.

24. The Danish Government hosted an international workshop in Copenhagen (16-18 November 2005) on “Strengthening the resilience of local communities to cope with water related natural hazards”. In an effort to support the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, participants from disaster risk management authorities, practitioners, and community-based NGOs from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri-Lanka and Thailand focused on identifying practical steps to ensure that community concerns will be better integrated into public policies. Participants worked on developing environmentally sound and sustainable coastal zone management tools that integrate natural hazard risk reduction. Good practices were identified, suggesting ways forward and identifying potential stakeholders who would be expected to integrate these good practices into their activities.

25. An international workshop on the role of micro-finance in tsunami risk mitigation and recovery was coordinated by AIDMI and ISDR secretariat in New Delhi in October 2005, bringing together key stakeholders in microfinance and disaster risk reduction fields. Participants learned about experiences of micro-credit role in tsunami recovery from the Philippines, Japan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India. The event represented a platform for the launch of a global debate on how microfinance can reduce the impact of disasters and the potential use of it for tsunami recovery. It is the first time that the concepts of microfinance and disaster risk reduction have been addressed concurrently at conceptual and operational level.

26. ISDR-Africa is providing technical assistance as well as partnership fostering for the development of fishing boat owner’s and farmer’s insurance schemes in the Seychelles. In the aftermath of the 26 December 2004 tsunami, the Government of Seychelles provided direct financial support to fishing boat owners and farmers who had experienced losses. Recognizing that the provision of post-disaster compensation is not sustainable or economical, the Government is accommodating a shift from ex-post to ex-ante disaster financing. Coverage for fishing boats already exists but must be made more attractive, particularly to small boat owners, while agricultural insurance will be an entirely new product in the Seychelles.

27. A regional consultative meeting on early warning for the east coast of Africa was organized by ISDR-Africa office in Nairobi in October 2005 to inform participants from the region on tsunami matters, to share best practices and lessons learned on early warning, and to identify early warning gaps needs and in the east coast of Africa. The meeting resulted in increased knowledge of disaster risk reduction, particularly on early warning among participants and fostering of enhanced regional cooperation on early warning in the African Countries on the Indian Ocean.

28. With support of ISDR-Africa, the African Union Commission organized the first Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction at the AU Conference Centre, Addis Ababa, 5-7 December 2005. The Conference built on important work to address disaster risk reduction in Africa, led by the African Union Commission and the NEPAD secretariat in collaboration with the African Development Bank, and support of ISDR secretariat, UNEP, UNDP and other UN Agencies. The Programme of Action for the Implementation of the African Regional Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction was adopted. To secure higher political endorsement on the subject, the AU Commission will bring the subject to the next Summit of Heads of Government scheduled in Sudan in January 2006.

29. ISDR-Africa is documenting the impacts and lessons to be learned from the tsunami in Africa, to result in a public documentary. Filming, news footage compilation, and interviews have taken place in Kenya, Seychelles and Tanzania, as well as remote information gathering and interviews for Somalia. Lessons to be learned will include not only activities during the tsunami, but disaster reduction and early warning measures now being implemented. The final product is currently being edited.

30. An initiative to document lessons to be learned is ongoing and coordinated by ISDR secretariat to identify gaps and draw good practices from the tsunami disaster and how disaster risk reduction can reduce tsunami impact. Reports from numerous organizations and actors have been compiled for review and summary to disseminate the information.

31. Support has been provided to the Office of the UN Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery by providing a liaison officer working on advocacy and public information issues as well as providing advice to the Special Envoy on areas requiring his intervention and promotion in support of the development of tsunami early warning system and disaster risk reduction in the Indian Ocean region within the Hyogo Framework for Action.

32. A set of recommendations to the UN Special Envoy were submitted jointly by WMO, UNESCO-IOC and ISDR secretariat for activities to be undertaken in relation with early warning systems and tsunami. The recommendations urged the Special Envoy to take action in support of strengthening linkages between science and policy for disaster risk reduction with particular focus on recovery and development, and advocacy at high political level to encourage effective international and regional cooperation and real-time availability and sharing of data and information policies.

33. The ISDR-Asia Unit has been established in Bangkok to support multi-partner activities in Asia, which are targeted at national disaster risk reduction efforts and Hyogo Framework implementation. The office is operational as of June 2005, and the team is actively supporting tsunami early warning activities through network building, information provision and advocacy.

34. The ISDR secretariat in coordination with UNEP-Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) and the Global Resource Information Database (GRID-Europe), have partnered with the University of Geneva to update and maintain the on-line hazard profiles, maps and vulnerability information displayed at the global, regional and national level. Specifically, on-line maps with information on natural hazardous events have been updated with the following time series: (i) 1979-2000 for earthquakes and tsunami (including the Indian Ocean Tsunami in December 2004); (ii) 1980-2004 for volcanic activities, cyclones and floods; (iii) 1980-2001 for droughts; and (iv) 1997-2003 for wild land fires. More information is available on: http://www.unisdr.org/eng/country-inform/introduction.htm

35. ISDR-PPEW has launched the Tsunami Early Warning Information System (TEWIS) as a web-based database that contains information, documentation and contact details on the activities and initiatives supported by the current tsunami early warning strengthening initiative. The online information system was launched in September 2005 and available on: http://www.unisdr-earlywarning.org/tewis

36. ISDR-PPEW has produced an Interim Progress Report in December 2005, highlighting general information on the project, selected achievements to date, role of implementing partners, and acknowledging the contributions received from supporting donors. The report has been widely distributed to ISDR regional outreach offices, partner organizations, and donor governments. The report is available on: http://www.unisdr.org/ppew/tsunami/highlights/Interim-progress-report-tsunami-ew.pdf

37. A continuum strategy is being developed, recognizing that a systematic comprehensive people-centered early warning system requires long-term strategic planning and further resources allocations. In its capacity and responsibility to facilitate the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action, ISDR is developing a “Strategy for Building Resilience to Tsunamis in the Indian Ocean for 2006-2008”. The strategy aims to capitalize on achievements of the 2005 activities, including the continued development of collective inter-agency efforts and enhanced linkages and partnerships. It will complement the continuing initiatives by UNESCO-IOC and WMO to strengthen the design and coordination of the core warning system, while shifting the emphasis toward building resilience to tsunamis in the context of other hazards and disaster risk management and reduction.