Walking the last mile together on disaster early warning

Walking the last mile together on disaster early warning Shamshad Akhtar  ;  The writer is under secretary-general of the UN and is executive secretary of UNESCAP; The co-writers are Thailand Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister Gen. Tanasak Patimapragorn, India’s Union Minister for the Ministry of Science & Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences Harsh Vardhan, Sri Lanka Minister of Disaster Management Mahinda Amaraweera, Maldives’ Minister of State, Ministry of Defense and National Security, National Disaster Management Center Mohamed Zuhair and Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) head Syamsul Maarif

JAKARTA POST, 27 Desember 2014

                                                

                                                                                                                       

On Dec. 26, 2004, the world experienced one of the deadliest natural disasters ever recorded. A 9.1 magnitude earthquake off the west coast of Sumatra triggered a massive tsunami that directly affected 14 countries in Asia and Africa. The tectonic shifting of plates and the widespread impact of the resulting waves led to 230,000 people killed and missing, as well as massive suffering. Ten years later, we come together as a community to commemorate the loss of those who fell victim to the wrath of nature and to recognize the suffering due to the natural disasters that have hit our region. This month, several affected countries in the region will host remembrance ceremonies for the Indian Ocean tsunami. This is an opportunity to raise public awareness of the importance of building greater resilience to natural disasters, and how we can collectively work to maintain this momentum, enhancing our capacities to deal with such catastrophic events. The 2004 tsunami led to an unprecedented global outpouring of support, and a key lesson from the human tragedy was the importance of early warning. When the wave struck, early warning systems were inadequate. As a result, many received no warning except the sight of the wall of water rushing toward them. Our region must never again be caught so unprepared. In the aftermath, the Asia-Pacific region embarked on a collective effort to develop approaches and mechanisms for better early warning systems. These efforts have intensified over the intervening years in the Asia-Pacific, the most disaster-prone region in the world. Building resilience in this region is imperative to safeguard and promote sustainable development, lives and livelihoods. The Indian Ocean tsunami fundamentally changed how we deal with natural disasters, having a profound impact on policies and budgets as well as operational and technical work. Importantly, the experience shaped the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), adopted in Kobe, Japan, weeks after the disaster. Real progress has been made in implementing the HFA and building Asia-Pacific resilience. Governance has been strengthened, with more than half of Asia-Pacific countries having enacted legislation and created institutions dealing specifically with disaster-risk management. The budgetary allocations for disaster risk and mitigation work have been improved — although this varies across countries. Institutional capacities for early warning, preparedness and response have also been strengthened, but more must be done. Asia-Pacific countries are redoubling efforts to reinforce implementation capacities, educate vulnerable communities and address underlying risks. The regional commitment to early warning is reflected in the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWS), which became operational in 2011, with Australia, Indonesia and India in charge of issuing regional tsunami bulletins. The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) projects that this new system will save an average of 1,000 lives each year for the next 100 years. On April 11, 2012, a magnitude 8.6 earthquake off the coast of Indonesia provided a useful test of the IOTWS. Within 10 minutes of the quake, the countries at risk had received bulletins with tsunami warning information from the three regional service providers. Millions of people received warnings and moved rapidly to higher ground. Fortunately no tsunami was triggered that day, but the experience suggests that real progress has been made since 2004. Several countries have also made major investments in early warning systems, including setting up state-of-the-art warning centers, which have contributed to the region increasingly being considered a global hub for excellence in this field. The tsunami also led to the creation of innovative funding mechanisms. Thanks to the Royal Thai government’s contribution of US$10 million, the ESCAP Trust Fund for Tsunami, Disaster and Climate Preparedness was launched in 2005. Pooling resources from multiple donors to strengthen multi-hazard early warning systems, the fund has supported 26 projects benefiting 19 Indian Ocean and Southeast Asian countries. The fund supported the establishment of the IOTWS, and has provided targeted support for countries facing high risks, but with limited national capacity. Despite this progress, we must not forget the importance of local level, community-based risk reduction. This “last mile” of early warning systems — the vulnerable communities at risk — remains a critical gap in need of additional attention and resources. It must be a high priority to ensure that the most vulnerable communities receive timely and understandable warnings that they know how to act upon in times of crisis. So 10 years on, how much better prepared is the Asia-Pacific for a major tsunami? Considerably better than we were in 2004, but the full answer will only be known one day in the future, during the first few hours after a strong earthquake has caused a new tsunami. To prepare for that day, regional cooperation is essential, especially in early warning, as natural hazards know no borders. Working together to reduce disaster risk and build resilience is comparable to pushing a big rock uphill together — if we do not constantly move forward, we risk sliding backward. It involves developing a culture of preparedness and cooperation across the region and shifting from a focus on response to a greater emphasis on prevention. In June this year, the Royal Thai government hosted the 6th Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction to consolidate the regional voice for a successor HFA agreement. As countries prepare to meet in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015, the Asia-Pacific region will bring its essential lessons and experiences to help shape this new global framework. ●