GADRIACTIONS
Autumn 2016 Autumn 2016
VolumeVolume 2— Number
1 2—Number 2

3rd Global Summit of Research InsƟtutes ofDisaster Risk ReducƟonDisaster PrevenƟon Research InsƟtute (DPRI),
Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
19 to 21 March 2017

Typhoon Chabas, South Korea
4 to 5 October 2016

Typhoon Chaba was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in South Korea since
Sanba in 2012. The typhoon is categorized as "mid-sized" and "strong," with maximum windsof 50 meters per second and atmospheric pressure of 930 hectopascals.

Typhoon Chaba attacked southern part of Korean Peninsular including Jeju Island, Pusan
and Ulsan during October 4 – 5, 2016. It caused 10 deaths and more than 170 million dollar
damages in Korea.

According to the Ministry of Public Safety and Security (MPSS)1, the typhoon inundated thehomes of at least 200 people in Jeju and Ulsan, with at least 90 houses partially destroyed. A
total of 7,747 hectares of farmland was inundated on Jeju Island and South Jeolla Province.
In addition, 5,919 vehicles were damaged by flooding.

1

hƩp://www.korea.kr/gonggam/newsView.do?newsId=01ImAujvwDGJM000, Weekly Gonggam, 2016.10.17.

Especially, the damage of Ulsan city was particularly severe. According to the Ulsan
Meteorological Administration, total 266㎜rainfall fell from 0:30 am to 1:58 pm on the day of
the typhoon Chaba approaching. This is the largest record in October in Ulsan area of 71
years since 151mm in 1945. Moreover, the damages were larger due to overlapping hightide.

Korean government has designated the affected regions as special disaster zones to assist
regional recovery.

MPSS's Central Disaster Safety Headquarters announced on November 11, 2016 that it willfund 504.9 billion won (about 0.5 billion US dollar) in repairing costs for the areas damagedby the typhoon Chaba. The cost of restoration was KRW 317.7 billion in national expenses,
KRW 121.1 billion in local expenses, and KRW 66.1 billion in self-restoration expenses.

By region, Busan will receive 86.2 billion won, Ulsan 133.7 billion won, Gyeongnam 171.2
billion won, Jeju 62.1 billion won, and other 4 cities and provinces 51.7 billion won. By
facility, KRW 34.5 billion will be provided for restoration of damage to private facilities suchas loss of housing and farmland, and KRW 470.4 billion for public facilities such as river androad maintenance.

Jibum Chung , Associate Professor; and Director, Disaster Management
Institute, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)NEWS—GADRI Representations
6th International Disaster and Risk Conference (IDRC) Davos 2016
“Integrative Risk Management – towards resilient cities”
GADRI Session Summary
28 August—1 September 2016
IDRC Conferences“The IDRC Conferences the world's leading conferences on integrative risk
management - gather over1000 participants from
more than 100 countries.
It's an unique community ofbusiness leaders, decision

makers, practitioners, UN-,IO- & NGO-agents, andscientists that share anddiscuss new findings andexperiences
about
the
broad spectrum of risks societies are facing today.
The conferences are structured in plenary & parallelsessions, workshops &training courses, and poster
exhibitions.”

About

programme:
Introduction of the Session Objective

th

The 6
International Disaster and Risk
Conference (IDRC), Integrative Risk Management– towards resilient cities was held in Davos,
Switzerland from
26 August to 1 September
2016

Prof. Andrew Collins, Chairman, Board of
Directors of GADRI; and Leader ofDisaster and Development Network,
Northumbria University, UK

The IDRC Davos 2016 was closed by Dr. Walter
Ammann, Chairperson and Founder of theInternational Disaster and Risk Conference on
Wednesday, 31 August. The conference hadgathered more than 470 international attendees
for its 10th year anniversary in Davos..

Prof. Hirokazu Tatano, Secretary-General,
GADRI, Professor, Disaster Prevention
Research
Institute(DPRI),
Kyoto
University

Outline of the session is as follows:
The GADRI Session was chaired and moderated
by Prof. Andrew Collins and included the following

Introduction of GADRI

Research Gaps in disaster risk reduction(DRR) in the context of GADRI Objectives:the cases of NaTech (Natural Disastertriggered
Technological
Disasters)
Disaster; and Disaster Health Monitoring-

NaTech Risk Governance: Prof. Ana Maria
Cruz, DPRI, Kyoto University; and-Disaster Health Monitoring: Dr. Sakiko
Kanbara, Faculty of Nursing, University of
Kochi

Roles of Scientific Communities for DRR
Solutions- From the perspective of
UNESCO/GRF: Dr. Badaoui Rouhban,
Director, Disaster Reduction Section,
UNESCOOutline of the session:
The GADRI Session was chaired and moderated
by Prof. Andrew Collins and included the following
programme:• Introduction of the Session Objective

Prof. Andrew Collins, Chairman, Board of
Directors of GADRI; and Leader of Disaster andDevelopment Network, Northumbria University,
UK• Introduction of GADRI

Prof. Hirokazu Tatano, Secretary-General,
GADRI, Professor, Disaster Prevention
Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University• Research Gaps in disaster risk reduction (DRR)

in the context of GADRI Objectives: the casesof
NaTech(NaturalDisaster-triggered
Technological Disasters) Disaster; and Disaster
Health Monitoring- NaTech Risk Governance: Prof. Ana Maria
Cruz, DPRI, Kyoto University; and- Disaster Health Monitoring: Dr. Sakiko
Kanbara, Faculty of Nursing, University of
Kochi• Rolesof Scientific Communities for DRR
Solutions- From the perspective of UNESCO/
GRF: Dr. Badaoui Rouhban, Director, Disaster
Reduction Section, UNESCO

At the end of the presentations, the floor was
opened for discussion.

Objectives of the session
by Prof. Andrew Collins
Over the past three decades of the promotion ofdisaster risk reduction (DRR), we have achieved
better understanding of disaster risk and havedeveloped
promisingdisciplinaryandtransdisciplinary approaches. However, improved
scientific knowledges often could not bring about asignificant reduction of disaster risk in the realworld. In many conferences related to DRR, gaps
between scientific knowledge and practice haveremained, such as for example in relation to
implementation problems and the last mile issue.
A disaster is a local phenomenon and depends
very much on the local context. Without
considering dynamic local contexts, including theirinterconnectedness with other local and global
contexts, any good solutions for DRR cannot be
implemented and sustained. Therefore, local
research institutes, with links to one another,should play a key role for DRR. Furthermore,when a disaster happens, these institutions shouldbe the primary sources of knowledge andinformation for critical decision making to prevent
propagation of the impact of the disaster.
In March 2015, the Global Alliance of Disaster
Research Institutes (GADRI) was established withthe aim of contributing to DRR and disaster
resilience in close collaboration with organizations
around the world. In this way, the GADRI networkof organizations creates a direct link from local
actions and activities to the global community
through sharing of information, knowledge,
experiences and ideas on disaster research.
The session intends to generate a discussion on
the role of such international bodies in contributing
to the reduction of disaster risk in the real world.
Prof Collins then presented two slides with basic
principles that need to underpin a Global Allianceof Disaster Risk Institutions and a series of threequestions pertinent to the session as a whole (seeaccompanying PPT slides).
Introduction to GADRI by Prof. Hirokazu
TatanoThe Global Alliance of Disaster ResearchInstitutes (GADRI) was born as a result of theSecond Global Summit of Research Institute forDisaster Risk Reduction (2GSRIDRR), March,2015. GADRI now consists of more than 100
research institutions around the world. GADRI
seeks to contribute to enhancing DRR anddisaster resilience in close collaboration withorganizations around the world through sharing of
information, knowledge, experiences and ideas on
disaster research.

NEWS—GADRI Representations
The objectives of GADRI are:
•
•
•
•
•

system called “EP-Nurse” was introduced for thehealth care that was needed after the Nepal quake.
to establish a global research network
She explained the following difficulty in disasterto provide a road map, plans and organization
health monitoring that is likely to have wider
with disaster research groups
resonance:
to promote capacity development of disaster
research institutes and encourage researcher ● Geographic information is disrupted by tentativeand student exchange
migration points
to promote exchange and sharing of data and ● Unavailability of IT infrastructure
information for scientific research across the ● Inaccessibility to dataglobe
● Visualize uncountable data
to serve as an advocacy organization to speak ● Validity and reliability
with one voice in an effort to influence decision ● Reasonable crosscut point to report up
making processes● Population coverage to ensure that no one is left
behindA critical challenge during the response period after
the disaster as human science has pointed out
involvesthebalanceofoverallethicalconsiderations vs data.
Roles of Scientific Communities for DRR
Solutions From the perspective of UNESCO/
GRF: Dr. Badaoui Rouhban

By referring to the GADRI activities, Prof. Tatanoemphasized that GADRI is aiming to promotecapabilities of local research institutes to deal withdisasters. By promoting exchange and sharing ofdata and information, by identifying research gaps
in the local context, and by serving as an advocacy
organization to speak with one voice in an effort toinfluence decision making processes, GADRI cancontribute for the institutional capacity building.

By overviewing the major disasters and scientificactivities, especially UN initiatives, Dr. Rouhbanemphasized the importance of advocacy from thescientific community. Before 1985, in the UN system,
disaster issue was dealt with through disaster relief.
Thanks to the initiative of one scientist, finally UN
decided to set up IDNDR at the general assembly of

Visit GADRI homepage for further information.
http://www.gadri.net
Research Gaps in DRR - NaTech Risk
Governance: Prof. Ana Maria Cruz, DPRI, Kyoto
University
By using a case study of NaTech Disaster Risk
Management, Prof. Cruz explained the possible
contributions to GADRI: (1) data collection andsharing lessons, (2) benchmarking of methods andmodels, (3) development of DRM standards (orminimum rules), (4) rating system concerning“corporate social responsibility”, especially for
NaTech risk areas, and (5) capacity building on
NaTech risk management.

UN, 1987. From that point onwards, interdisciplinary/
integrated scientific activities to contribute to the DRR
has been started. However, implementation of thescientific knowledge to contribute for DRR was still
missing. Scientists should translate their knowledge tothe policy makers in an understandable way. To dothis, Dr. Rouhban stated “Don’t stay in your lab andcommunicate with stakeholders for implementation.
Share it with the world”

Discussion Period:
Disaster Health Monitoring:
Prof. Sakiko
Kanbara, Faculty of Nursing, University of Kochi A number of pertinent questions were forthcomingfrom a lively group of participants. Comments were
Based on the collaborative research after the Nepal
typically supportive of GADRI initiative. The content
Earthquake, Prof. Kanbara pointed out the and flow of the session was also very well received.
importance of gathering information with localgroups and sharing it with important stakeholders. A

7th Annual Conference of the International Society for Integrated
Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM 2016)
1—3 October 2016

GADRI was represented at 7th Annual
Conference of the International Society for
Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM
2016), entitled "Disasters and Development:
Towards a Risk Aware Society" with focus on"Natural Hazards and Disasters, Water andClimateChange"which
washeld in thehistorical cityofIsfahan,
Iranfrom
October 1- 3,
2016.
Incollaboration
with
IDRiM,

Prof. Ana Maria Cruz., DPRI, Kyoto

the 2016 conference was organized andhosted by the Iranian Earthquake Engineering
Association (IEEA) in collaboration withmultiplenationalandinternationalorganizations.

Prof. Hirokazu Tatano, Secretary-General, GADRI,
and Professor, DRPI, Kyoto University

Group photographHistory
The IDRiM Society and its Journal (IDRiM Journal) were
officially launched on October 15, 2009 in Kyoto, Japan,
at the 9th IIASA-DPRI Forum on Integrated Disaster
Risk Management (IDRiM Forum). The move to set up
the IDRiM Society was based on the success of a seriesof nine Forums (the IIASA-DPRI Forums) on Integrated
Disaster Risk Management organized by the Disaster
Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University
and the International Institute for Applied Systems
Analysis (IIASA). The launching of the IDRiM Society
was promoted also by many national and internationalorganizations including Beijing Normal University,
International Institute of Earthquake Engineering andSeismology (IIEES), National Research Institute for
Earth Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED), theUnited Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (UN/ISDR), the Joint Research Centre of theEuropeanCommission(JRC/EC)
and
other
organizations. The IDRiM Society was enthusiasticallywelcomed and its Charter approved by more than 100
international experts, practitioners, and individuals from
more than 20 different countries working in the disasterriskmanagement
field.
The founding members of the IDRiM Society include
Prof. Norio Okada (Director, DPRI), Dr. AnielloAmendola (IIASA), Dr. Peijun Shi (BNU), Dr. Joanne
Bayer (IIASA), Prof. Hirokazu Tatano (DPRI), Dr.

Mohsen Ghafory-Ashtiani (IIEES), Dr. Reinhard
Mechler (IIASA) and Dr. Ana Maria Cruz (DPRI).

Training Workshop at NCDR, Taipei City, Taiwan
26—30 September 2016

Nine students from Disaster Prevention Research participants from each country. Also field visits wereInstitute (DPRI) of Kyoto University headed for Taiwan to followed at the end of the workshop.
participate in the 2016 International Training Workshop
On the first day, three keynote speakers opened thefor Natural Disaster Reduction - Natural Disaster Risk
workshop with presentations outlining the main
Modelling and Applications. The workshop was hosted
theme of the workshop. Prof. Koike addressedby National Science and Technology Center for Disaster
Reduction (NCDR) of Taiwan from September 26th todisaster risk reduction for paving foundation for
30th,
2016.
Researchers,
disastermanagers,
climate change and sustainable development. Prof.
emergency responders, government officials, andChan stressed the importance of risk communication
practitioners from fourteen countries including Bulgaria,
skill to share information between government and
Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,
public in pre, during, and post disaster management.
Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand,Prof. Watanabe mentioned on implementing theand Vietnam attended the workshop. In the workshop, aarea business continuity management throughseries of lectures were given by NCDR and representing
public-private partnership to improve resilience onsocial economy on disaster time. In addition, threelectures from NCDR were shared about Taiwaneseexperiences
focusingonthemesh-based
earthquake impact assessment tool, assessment
module for a quick response of earthquake disaster,and typhoon loss assessment system of Taiwan.

Opening Ceremony

Training Workshop at NCDR, Taipei City, Taiwan

establishment, urban renewal priority settings, andpublic health intervention programs to reduce healthrisks from heat stress.

ParƟcipants of the Training Course

According to the weather forecast, a strong typhoon,
Megi was approaching to Taiwan peninsula so that theschedule of the second day was shorten for the safety
reasons. On that day, we visited NCDR and Central
Emergency Operation Center (CEOC) and could
understand how prepare and operate for the
emergency situation of typhoon in Taiwan. It seemedcommunications from the government to public arefavorable.

The third day was the day after Typhoon Megi hit
Taiwan. In the morning on the way to NCDR, we could
see the people in the streets cleaning up the mess,such as broken branches, fallen scooters and bicycles,
garbage rampaged by the wind. The first keynote
speech was given by Prof. Dimiter Velev from Bulgariaon “Advanced Information Technology Applications in
Disaster Risk Reduction”. He stressed upon the lack of
preparedness for major disasters in Bulgaria as thecountry has witnessed almost no severe disaster inrecent times. But with the changing global climate thesituation is not the same anymore. Dr. Chung-Sheng
Lee from NCDR, in his address focused on theimportance of introduction of “Critical Infrastructure
Protection Management Program” in Taiwan.
Highlighting the recent chaos created at the Taoyuan
International Airport in June, 2016, he explained how
important to maintain the continuous functionality ofcritical infrastructures. This was followed by an updateon the status and damage caused by the Typhoon
Megi by Dr. Wei Sen Li, Secretary General, NCDR. Dr.
Li continued with a talk on the deadliest typhoon to
impact Taiwan in recorded history, Typhoon Marakot.
Different case studies were shared and also someunique relocation projects were introduced toparticipants. As it was a day just after the typhoon
Megi, many presenters could not attend the program
but all was very well managed and handled by theorganizers.

Dr. Iizuka from National Research Institute for Earth
Science and Disaster Prevention (NIED) of Japanemphasized the necessity of further studies for bothprospective hazard modeling and development ofobserving system since there are possibilities for new
kinds of weather risks and more intensive natural
catastrophes. Dr. Kyungsoo National Disaster
Management Research Institute of Korea introduced
the social-big data platform is required to share or gain
disaster situation reports.
Dr. John Ong from Manila
Observatory of Philippines
addressed the success key
points for communication
with local community during
a disaster event are humility,
listening, and sincerity. A
good map is also crucial on
the evacuation time. Dr.
Lung from Academia Sinica
of Taiwan said it isnecessarytoprovidescientific evidences to assist
in heat warning system Prof. Wei-Sen Li, Secretary-General, NCDR, Taiwan giving a status update on Typhoon Megi

Training Workshop at NCDR, Taipei City, Taiwan

The fourth day started with a keynote speech by
Prof. Hirokazu Tatano, Secretary General, GADRI.
In his speech, he explained the importance of“Disaster Risk Governance” and stressed on theimportance of a shift from “Disaster Risk
Management”. Prof. Wenko Hsu from National
Central University, Taiwan introduced the risk
modelling of natural disasters and designing ofrelated insurance schemes. Khaled Mashfiq from
United Nations Institute for Training and Research(UNITAR) gave us a presentation on increasing
efficiency of emergency response using earth
observations. The final presentation by Dr. Jiun Huei
Jang from NCDR explained about an ongoingproject and advances in early warning system in
Flood disasters due to high intensity rainfalls. Afterthe lunch was the concluding session for theworkshop and completion certificates were
distributed amongst all of the participants.
The fifth day was a day of field visit. We visited
Sanshui Soil and Water Conservation Outdoor

Prof. Li explaining the importance of contour cultivation

Classroom in Dabeikeng Community, Taoyuan City.
It is set in a picturesque location with a goal to raise
public awareness for soil and water conservation
deepening the roots of coexistence of men andnature. We were made aware of the importance ofcontour cultivation, relation between several
organisms and trees (e.g. Unicorn beetle) and also
about how the intensity of soil erosion changes withchanging soil cover.
While we were there, we also made a visit to anancient traditional Chinese house and got introduced
to many cultural and traditional aspects. We also
made a visit to a uniquely maintained ecologicalarea where we discovered how living close to nature
reduces our dependency on many amenities forced
into us with the advancement in modern technology.
We were introduced to the local Hakka culture andalso tried first hand preparing many local delicacies.
The visit was a refreshing experience for citydwellers like us.

Training Workshop at NCDR, Taipei City, Taiwan

As students, we were exposed to a lot of important
issues ruling the direction of research in present
time. The probability of extreme events which cause
high impacts to society is expected to increase
because of human activities and/or as a result ofclimate variability and change. After disaster, thechain failures through dependencies have domestic
as well as international impacts leading to long term
economic impacts for some decades. Risk
communication is one of the prominent factors
deciding the effectiveness of risk modelling and its
application. Uses of ICT, Geo-big data, remote earth
observation and IOT have been introduced duringassessment, response and decision making tools.
Again uses of available local or limited resources arevery much needed to come up with acceptableaccurate and quick information especially in case ofnatural disaster. Critical Infrastructures should bealways taken in top priority during risk management.
We learnt how along with technical knowledge wealso need to know more about underlying conditionof social, economic and other non-technicalparameters.
In conclusion, these 5 days spent at the International
Training Workshop 2016, Taipei has been nothing

Participant from DPRI
Completion from Prof. Li

receivingtheCertificate

short of a learning experience. The participants
hailed from various disaster risk handling agencies
from their countries with experience in manydifferent fields.
A gathering of such a scale is a unique opportunity
for learning the situation and the problems faced byexperts in different regions. This workshop also
introduced us to the technologies available andresearches undergoing in all fields of majordisasters. The content of training workshop and thetiming was very relevant.
Reported by Students of the Disaster Prevention
Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University —Anirban Chakraborty, Dewi Dimyati, Masahiro
Fujii, Lina Karlina, Bonjun Koo , Ryosuke Oba,
Rocky Talchabhadel, Wendiharjupa Dt Linduang
Alam, Junga Yang,

Participant from DPRI
Completion from Prof. Li

receivingtheCertificateofofGADRI Members
School of Civil Engineering and Built Environment, Science and Engineering Faculty,
Queensland University of Technology, Australia
We focus on innovative responses to existing and emerging community, commercial and industrial
challenges. We do this through strong research, nationally—recognised courses, industryresponsive postgraduate and executive education, and seamless industry engagement.
Our research focuses on innovations in health, the environment, and sustainable resources, in areas ranging
from the development of new medical treatments and devices to the identification and assessment of pollutants
and air quality.
Research in our school is carried out within the disciplines of:Biomedical engineering and medical physics
Energy and process engineering
Mechanical systems and asset management
Nanotechnology and molecular science.
Our researchers are delivering capability into QUT's Institute for Future Environments (IFE) and Institute of
Health and Biomedical Innovation (IHBI), as well as the Translational Research Institute (TRI). These
multidisciplinary research institutes are focused on solving global challenges in partnership with industry andgovernment – both nationally and globally.
We are a leader in delivering world-class teaching and research outcomes. Our advanced, relevant and modern
courses are designed for the real world and underpinned by award-winning research.
Students learn from experienced lecturers and professors. Our teaching staff work within multidisciplinary
research teams at the cutting edge of science and engineering and collaborate closely with industry andbusiness.We prepare students for success in the workplace by sharing the latest in technical knowledge and thebest in industry practice.
Web:
https://www.qut.edu.au/science-engineering/our-schools/school-of-chemistry-physics-and-mechanicalengineering/about-the-school

China Research Center for Emergency Management (CEM), Wuhan University, China

China Research Center for Emergency Management of Wuhan University of Technology(hereinafterreferred to as The center) was established in December 2005. Its predecessor is Crisis and Disaster
Research Center of Wuhan University of Technology. It is the first research institution engaging in public security
and emergency management during domestic colleges and Universities. In October 2007, Hubei Provincial
Department of Education formally approved The Center to construct and operate as "The Key Research Base for
Humanities and Social Sciences of Universities of Hubei Province"; In 2004, authorized by the People’s
Government of Hubei Province, " Hubei Collaborative Innovation Center for Early Warning and Emergency Response Technology " was established by the uinon of 28 government functional departments, cities, universities,
research institutes and large enterprises. The members of scientific research team of The Center come from
University of South Australia, City University of Hong Kong, University of Science & Technology of China,
Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan University, Wuhan University of Technology and otherwell-known colleges and universities. With more than 700 square meters of research site and 2,000 square
meters of Visualized Simulation and Analog Laboratory, more than 3,000 copies of professional books, journals
and scientific material to meet the needs of scientific research, personnel training and social services, etc., The
Center has the abundant power and superior conditions for scientific research.
Suggestions for GADRI Future Directions:● To enhance researcher and student exchange among different countries.
● To pay more attention on the relief distribution and trapped people evacuation in post-disaster, since somekinds of disasters cannot been foreseen.
Web: http://english.whut.edu.cn/scientficr/ResearchCenters/

University for Development Studies , Ghana
University for Development Studies (UDS), Tamale, Ghana, is a public University in the
Republic of Ghana, established under Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC) Law
279 (1992), to provide higher education undertake research and promote theadvancement and dissemination of knowledge and its application to the people of Ghana;and to blend the academic world with that of the community in order to provide constructive interaction
between the two. Its mandated regions were Brong Ahafo, Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions,covering more than half of the country.
One of important areas of research and education for UDS is the Disaster Reduction Research. Ghana is
faced with numerous disaster events, such as annual floods and droughts, health epidemics, fire outbreaks,
and infestations from pests and parasites. In 2013, 5489 fire outbreaks were recorded in the country,
resulting in a total economic loss of US$6,834,424 (Apronti et al., 2015). The impact of these disasters is
exacerbated by weak early warning systems, slow response mechanisms, poorly planned infrastructuredevelopment, and high levels of poverty. The mainstreaming of DRR into the national education system isthus of outmost importance.
To support national effort, UDS has taken part in CECAR Africa project dealing in disaster management andresilience building as pilot for the entire Africa and made major impact in communities where project was
implemented. Further impact of UDS to improvement of national disaster education and research will be alsoachieved through its relevant Departments, such as Food Security and Climate Change.
We would like to see GADRI expand its orientation, membership and activities in Ghana, as well as West
Africa. Thus, membership of UDS will also be of value to GADRI, as an anchor for its operations in Africa.

Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IIT-G), India

The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar strives to offer the best undergraduate andgraduate education in India with unmatched innovations in curriculum. The institutepromotes critical thinking and an appreciation of the interdisciplinary character of knowledge, with anemphasis on the liberal arts, project oriented learning, compulsory courses in design and the life sciences,diversity and globalization. IIT Gandhinagar was founded in 2008 and is located in Palaj, Gandhinagar,
Gujarat on the banks of river Sabarmati. Gandhinagar is in proximity to Ahmedabad which is one of theoldest living cities in India, known both for a rich cultural past as well as state-of-the-art infrastructure,
thriving industries, and many modern amenities. Safety Centre is one of the prominent centres at IIT
Gandhinagar. The objective of the IIT Gandhinagar Safety Centre is to promote safety in public and private
spheres, industry and the informal sector. The Safety Centre advances these objectives with activities to
Discover (Research and Development), Teach (Offering safety courses in UG and graduate curriculum),
Outreach (through Conferences, Workshops, Seminars, Symposia and training Professionals fromAcademia and Industry) and Practice.

Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies(GSGES), Kyoto University, Japan
Addressing local and global environmental problems – from water pollution and hazardous waste to climatechange and resource depletion – is the great challenge of the 21st century. Established in 2002, GSGES iscomposed of the Hall of Global Environmental Research (a research body), the School of Global
Environmental Studies (an educational body), and the Grove of Universal Learning (a supporting body foreducation and research). Programs include the Doctoral Program in Global Environmental Studies, designed
to foster excellent, innovative researchers who can further develop the emerging field of global
environmental studies, and Master ’s and Doctoral Programs in Environmental Management, designed toeducate outstanding practitioners with international perspectives and advanced management expertise. The
programs include practical internship study both in Japan and overseas and feature courses, many taught inEnglish, covering a broad spectrum of global environmental topics.
www.ges.kyoto-u.ac.jp/

National Hydraulic Research Center, National Engineering Center, University of thePhilippines at Diliman, Philippines
The National Hydraulic Research Center (NHRC) was established in 1973 as a unit of the
University of the Philippines with the aim of creating a R & D center within an academic
environment to conduct research and provide technical advice on various problems of water resources
development and management, hydrology, hydraulic and coastal engineering, fluid mechanics, and otherrelated fields. Its creation in the 1970’s was very timely since the national government then started
undertaking several water resources projects which required the technical inputs provided by both local andinternational experts in the field of water resources.
NHRC suggestions for GADRI Future Directions: As GADRI is aiming to achieve international stature,developing research networks with researchers in foreign institutions and universities must be a major
undertaking for purposes of not only organizing international conferences and meetings but to undertake longterm, joint research projects with these international partners.
www.coe.upd.edu.phGlobal Risk Forum GRF Davos Switzerland
After the successful launch of IDRC Davos 2006, the need of a regularinternational forum to address most pressing issues in risk and disastermanagement was raised by international risk management professionals andinstitutions. As the chairman and the organiser of the first IDRC Davos 2006, Walter J. Ammann implemented
this request by founding the Global Risk Forum GRF Davos as the institutional framework. GRF Davos issince 2008 the organiser of the IDRC Davos conferences and promotes the worldwide exchange of know-how
and expertise, creates solutions and fosters good practices in integrative risk management and climatechange adaptation. GRF Davos aims through research, implementation, advocacy and networking activities atserving as a Centre of Excellence in knowledge and know-how exchange for the application of timely andappropriate risk management strategies, tools and practical solutions.
GRF Davos suggestion to GADRI is a curriculum for risk and disaster management at Master level which
addresses a fully integrative and interdisciplinary approach.
www.grforum.org/

Bournemouth University, Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC), UK
The BUDMC is delighted to announce acceptance of a formal invitation to join the Global
Alliance for Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI) and have become a full member of the Global
Alliance in September 2016. GADRI is co-ordinated by Professor Hirokazu Tatano at theDisaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Japan.
The Global Alliance includes over ninety of the most prestigious and prominent research institutes dedicatedto the study and research of crisis and disaster management. As Lee Miles comments:‘The BUDMC is delighted to become a member of a vibrant community of disaster management scholars andresearchers. The invitation and acceptance can be taken as further verification of the BUDMC’s international
reputation for research, knowledge and enterprise in the field of crisis and disaster management. The BUDMC
looks forward to forging new international partnerships that will further contribute to establishing fresh
knowledge and findings in international disaster management’.
Those interested can find further details as: http://gadri.net/

Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning , Colorado State
University, USA

The ability to model community resilience comprehensively requires thatexperts from a number of disciplines work in concert to systematically model
how physical, economic and social infrastructure systems within a real community interact and affect recovery
efforts. There are currently no models that consider all aspects of how a natural hazard affects a community orthat measure its resilience quantitatively. The Center for Risk-Based Community Resilience Planning is uniquein merging the disciplines of Engineering, Social Sciences and Economics to model community resiliencecomprehensively. Systems that are essential for the recovery and vitality of a community - technological,
financial, social and political support, healthcare delivery, education, and public administration - are being
integrated in the model, creating a nexus between social and technological infrastructure that will narrow thegap between engineering and social science aspects of resilience planning and will facilitate risk
communication among stakeholders and community resilience planners. The Center is composed of morethan 90 individuals, including researchers, programmers/developers, NIST collaborators, postdoctoral scholars,
and graduate students from our University Partners.

Suggestions for GADRI Future Directions:
We would like to learn more about GADRI and will provide input in due course .

www.resilience.colostate.edu/

PUBLICATIONSSEI Initiative of Transforming Development and Disaster Risk
The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is leading a global initiative on ‘Transforming Development
and Disaster Risk’ (TDDR). The TDDR Initiative seeks to integrate disaster risk reduction withequitable, sustainable and resilient development. It aims to improve the understanding of how risks are
created and how they accumulate, recognizing that disaster risk and development are closelyinterlinked. Phase I of TDDR will finish in late 2016. Phase II of TDDR is planned to start in early 2017.
It will continue to generate knowledge to support changes in governance, policy and practice, including
evaluation of the implementation of the Sendai Framework for DRR 2015-2030.
Publication:
SEI (2015). The SEI Initiative on Transforming Development and Disaster Risk. Stockholm
Environment Institute.
Link to publication:
https://www.sei-international.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-FS-2015-Transformingdevelopment-disaster-risk-initiative.pdf

Addressing the cultural gap between humanitarian assistance and local
responses to risk
SEI staff authored a crowd-sourced brief for the 2016 United Nations Global Sustainable Development
Report. The brief highlights the need to look at local cultural interpretations and responses to risks
to develop context-specific and more effective disaster risk reduction strategies.
Publication:
Johnson, K., Wahl, D., Thomalla, F. (2016). Addressing the cultural gap between humanitarianassistance and local responses to risk through a place-based approach. Crowd-sourced Brief for the2016 Global Sustainable Development Report. United Nations.
Link to publication: https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/994846_Johnson%
20et%20al._Addressing%20the%20cultural%20gap%20between%20humanitarian%20assistance%
20and%20local%20responses%20to%20risk%20through%20a%20place-based%20approach.pdf

SEI’s work on disaster risk reduction and sustainable development
SEI works around the world to support efforts to reduce vulnerability and enhance resilience todisaster risks among individuals, communities and societies. We have a strong track record insustainability science; risk assessment, vulnerability, adaptation and resilience research; as well as
stakeholder engagement, collaborative learning, policy engagement and capacity-building.
Publication:
SEI (2016). SEI’s work on disaster risk reduction and sustainable development. Stockholm
Environment Institute.
Link to publication:
https://www.sei-international.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/SEI-FS-2016-DRRdevelopment-capacity.pdf

UPCOMING EVENTS

3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes
for Disaster Risk Reduction (GSRIDRR)•

To serve as an advocate for key research policy
statements that are in line with real, evidencebased disaster research needs.

Background:•To carry out a more detailed assessment of key
research challenges and to identify priority research areas•

To identify pioneering scientific initiatives to effectively reduce the gaps between science and practice in disaster risk reduction activities.

In the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake
and Tsunami which impacted on the economy andmassive human loses, the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) Kyoto University engaged toorganize the First Global Summit of Research Institutes for Disaster Risk Reduction (GSRIDRR) in November 2011. The main objective of the summit was
to bring together research organizations involved indisaster risk reduction (DRR) to reassess and reflect
on the challenges posed, and discuss and identify
new paradigms based on the lessons learned fromrecent disasters around the world. At the end of theFirst Global Summit, a resolution was adopted to establish an international forum on natural disaster research. During the Second Global Summit of Disaster
Research Institutes for DRR in March 2015, the resolution was further discussed and the Global Allianceof Disaster Research Institutes (GRADRI) was formerly established to support the implementation of
the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction
2015-2030 (SFDRR) and the work of the Scientificand Technical Advisory Group of the United Nations
Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR). TodayGADRI has over 100 member institutions.
Objectives:
The 3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for
DRR: Expanding the Platform for Bridging Science and Policy Making will be held at the Disaster
Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, Uji Campus from 19 to 21 March 2017. The 3rd
Global Summit will build on the achievements of thelast two Global Summits and GADRI projects.
The 3rd Global Summit will bring together representatives from research institutes involved in DRR research with the following objectives:• To share and build on achievements, and outcomes of past and ongoing GADRI Projects addressing research gaps.
To foster links between local and international organizations and their programs through the GADRI network.
Expected Outcome:The 3rd Global Summit is an opportunity for various
stakeholders in local governments, private sector andothers to engage in risk management information,
share responsibility and resources, and voice in unification evidence-based statements for implementation. One of the expected outcomes of the 3rd Global
Summit will be a comprehensive table of researchareas by disaster management phases identifying key
and/ or critical research challenges.
Registration:
We extend an invitation to all stakeholders involved in
DRR and disaster research to join the 3rd Global
Summit.
Registration fee: JPY15,000/person(Early Bird Registration until 20 January 2017:
JPY10,000/person)

3rd International Conference on Safety during January 3-6, 2017 (ICS2017) at IIT Gandhinagar, Palaj, Gandhinagar, Gujarat – 382355,
India

We are pleased to send the announcement for submission of abstract forConferenceonpresentation
inthe
3rd International
Safety during January 3-6, 2017 (ICS 2017) at IIT Gandhinagar, Palaj,Gandhinagar, Gujarat – 382355, India. While the first two days are kept
for general conference including multiple sessions on Risk, Process
safety, Fire Safety etc., the last two days are kept for two simultaneous
symposium on (1) Symposium on Process Safety (SPS 2017) and(2) Symposium on Structure under Fire (SSUF 2017) by eminent
safety professionals around the world.
For all other information, please see the conference website http://
safety.iitgn.ac.in/ics2017 or contact Safety Centre. Also see the call for
abstract in attachment.

3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for Disaster Risk Reduction (GSRIDRR)
DPRI, Kyoto University, Uji Campus, Oubaku Plaza, Kyoto, Japan
19 to 21 March 2017
The 3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for DRR: Expanding the Platform for Bridging Scienceand Policy Making will be held at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University, UjiCampus from 19 to 21 March 2017.

The 1st GADRI General Assembly
DPRI, Kyoto University, Uji Campus, Oubaku Plaza, Kyoto, Japan
21 March 2017
On the occasion of the 3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for DRR: Expanding the Platform for
Bridging Science and Policy Making to be held at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto
University, Uji Campus from 19 to 21 March 2017, the Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI)
will hold its first General Assembly meeting on the afternoon of 21 March 2017.

The First Meeting of the DPRI Alumni and Visitors
DPRI, Kyoto University, Uji Campus, Oubaku Plaza, Kyoto, Japan
20 March 2017
On the occasion of the 3rd Global Summit of Research Institutes for DRR: Expanding the Platform for
Bridging Science and Policy Making to be held at the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto
University, Uji Campus from 19 to 21 March 2017, the first meeting of the DPRI Alumni and Visitors will takeplace during the afternoon of 20 March 2017 . The meeting will be followed by a dinner reception.

Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes (GADRI)
At the commendation of the Second Global Summit of
Research Institutes held in March 2015 at the Kyoto
University Disaster Prevention Research Institute,
Kyoto, Japan, the Global Alliance of Disaster ResearchInstitutes (GADRI) was established to support theimplementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster
Risk Reduction 2015-2030 (SFDRR) and the work of the
Scientific and Technical Advisory Group of the United
Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
One of the recommendations was to form a researchroadmap for the next decade.
To further realize these goals, GADRI join hands withresearch institutes around the world. Since March 2015,
GADRI’s membership has expanded to nearly 100
member institutions around the globe.
GADRI Secretariat is currently hosted by the Disaster
Prevention Research Institute (DPRI), Kyoto University,
Uji Campus, Kyoto, Japan.

To Join GADRI:
Contact GADRISecretariat-

secretariat-gadri@dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp.

Membership is free; and completely voluntary and non-binding.

Global Alliance of Disaster Research Institutes(GADRI) Secretariat
Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI)
Kyoto University, Uji Campus, Gokasho, Uji-shi
Kyoto 611-0011, JAPAN
Tel: +81-774-38-4621
Fax: +81-774-38-4254
E-mail: secretariat-gadri@dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Web: www.gadri.net

All rights reserved. GADRI ACTIONS is the property of GADRI andprotected by the international copyright laws. GADRI ACTIONS contents
may not be reprinted, copied, and distributed without the copyrightholder's prior written permission.