PDC's newly-designed public website is now available. With the new "MyPDC" interface, you can now customize the look-and-feel of your personal PDC page.

In the last issue. . .

What's New

Severe Weather in Hawaii
Record-breaking severe weather gripped the Hawaiian Islands during March and early April. PDC is providing extensive, ongoing support to emergency managers and other officials. More in the next issue...

New: Avian Influenza Website
To help monitor potential Avian Influenza pandemic outbreaks at local, regional, or international levels, PDC has launched an "Avian Influenza Mapping Website."

International Highlights

Technical Assistance: National Disaster Warning Center, Thailand
PDC's technical assistance project to support the National Disaster Warning Center, Thailand is developing rapidly. This project is intended to help the Thai Center to achieve its strategic objective of establishing a scalable and world-class disaster management and emergency communications facility. Ongoing project updates are now available.

PDC Partners with Sun Microsystems
PDC is partnering with Sun Microsystems to develop and deploy Disaster Warning Systems for nations in the Asia Pacific and Indian Ocean regions. This work builds upon the current technical assistance project for Thailand.

Massive Landslide Strikes the Southern Philippines
On February 17, a massive landslide on Leyte Island in the southern Philippines struck the village of Guinsaugon, which is located in the town of St. Bernard. At the request of U.S. Pacific Command and Manila Observatory, PDC provided geospatial support and disaster management consulting to field-based Search and Rescue teams.

Hawaii Support

In addition to providing intensive support during Hawaii's recent flooding events, PDC also recognizes that this month marks the 60th anniversary of the tsunami that claimed 159 lives statewide in 1946. To coincide with April being Hawaii's "Tsunami Awareness Month," the Center presents important background and preparedness information about this deadly hazard.

Hawaii Community Outreach

PDC is continuing to support Hawaii's schools, businesses, and professional organizations at the local level. This past quarter, the Center hosted students from Kamehameha Schools Maui, and also briefed the Government Efficiency Teams' forum at the State Capitol in Honolulu.

Of Note . . .

Recent media coverage includes updates about PDC's Avian Influenza website by ABC News.com and USA Today, as well as a feature by National Public Radio about the Center's analysis of Hawaii's severe weather.

Updates on the National Disaster Warning Center, Thailand project are now also available from the U.S. Government's Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System Program.

The Center has recently joined the National Academies Associateship Programs, and is currently hosting a National Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow.