Volume 4, Issue 4

December 2009

PDC Highlights

December 26, 2009, is the fifth anniversary of The Great Sumatra Earthquake and Indian Ocean Tsunami. The event is commemorated annually in Thailand and other affected countries. The number of people who died in this massive natural disaster is estimated to be at least 226,000. The number of lives adversely affected is inestimable, perhaps hundreds of millions. PDC was engaged in post-disaster assessments in the area almost immediately after the Tsunami, and continues to work at improving tsunami awareness, hazard notification, and preparedness for all disasters, including tsunamis. You may want to see the data about PDC’s contribution to the tsunami response, a fact sheet about PDC products, a case study of tsunami awareness activities, or one about PDC technical assistance to Thailand.

Final ICT Report for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)

Pacific Disaster Center presented the final Information and Communication Technology (ICT) gap analysis for the ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance (AHA) Centre. The final report, capturing recommendation for the development of information and communication systems for the AHA Center was delivered during the 14th meeting of ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM), in Bandung, Indonesia, in November 2009. The project is funded by USAID’s ADVANCE program as part of the U.S.-ASEAN Cooperation. The report was partly based on an earlier 2005 ICT Assessment for the ASEAN’s 10-National Disaster Management Organizations.

Northwest Hawaiian Islands Threat Assessment

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, encompassing 139,797 square miles of the Pacific Ocean, was established by Presidential Proclamation on June 15, 2006. The Monument includes all of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands. The plan for managing the Monument centers on the protection of the islands, the vast coral reefs and thousands of species of marine and terrestrial wildlife. PDC conducted an extensive threat assessment covering all kinds of possible risks from non-permitted or illegal activities such as fishing to pollution and piracy. PDC’s work will be considered, as permanent protection and law enforcement measures are put in place for Papahanaumokuakea.

Maui Mayor Tours Pacific Disaster Center

Maui County Mayor Charmaine Tavares and her senior staff visited PDC on November 17 in order to get an update on PDC’s local and regional activities. Following a general PDC overview briefing, senior PDC staff members provided briefings on various technical capabilities. Mayor Tavares and Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai then explored various possibilities for closer collaboration between PDC and the County to strengthen local disaster management practices. The mayor and her staff ended their visit by touring the PDC facilities.

Disaster Management Education and Training in Vietnam

PDC has been engaged in strengthening disaster management capacity in Vietnam for several years. Most recently, working with World Bank funding and relying on in-country support from the Water Resources University and HanoiTC, the Center has begun to develop a series of courses in multi-hazard disaster management, tailored to the needs and hazards of Vietnam. Initially, the courses will be taught once for central government officials, and in three locations, for provincial officials. Beyond the current curriculum, it is expected that these courses will remain available in Vietnam, and that more advanced education and training can be added to the offerings over time.

PDC and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation

PDC Chief Information Officer Chris Chiesa participated, as an invited and sponsored guest, in an Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Task Force for Emergency Preparedness (APEC TFEP) workshop on the Framework of Long-Term Capacity Building for Disaster Risk Reduction, November 30 through December 1, 2009. The workshop was organized and hosted by National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction (NCDR), in Taipei, Taiwan. Chiesa chaired a panel on “Adaptation Strategy for Disasters Related to Climate Change and Urban Disasters,” and gave a presentation proposing to APEC a future, PDC-led Hazard Mapping and Risk & Vulnerability Assessment Workshop.

UH Selected to Continue Serving as PDC’s Managing Partner

The University of Hawaii (UH) was selected to continue to be the managing partner for Pacific Disaster Center (PDC), which is headquartered in the Research and Technology Park on Maui. UH has managed PDC since December 2006 under a three-year agreement. The new five-year cooperative agreement, which took effect on December 16, is expected to have a total value over $30 million. In a press release issued by the University, UH President M.R.C. Greenwood said, “The University of Hawaii System is proud of the work our team has done over the past three years and honored to have been selected to continue our stewardship of the PDC. As the world faces increasing damage and harm from natural and man-made disasters, the PDC will be increasingly critical to improving our capacity to minimize suffering.”