3. Information Management on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reductuion

3. Information Management on Natural Disasters
and Disaster Reductuion
3-1. Policy and Methods
3-1-1. Policy
With the consent from the 24 countries in the Asian region, ADRC has been collecting andorganizing information on the situation of natural disasters in each member country and , aswell as information, knowledge and experience related to the systems, plans, and specificmeasures of each country for disaster reduction in order to facilitate information sharing ofbetween member countries. ADRC has been committed to establishing the foundation for suchan information network in order to promote establishment of national disaster reduction
framework in each member country, and multinational cooperation for disaster reduction inAsia.
In addition, ADRC has collected information from related materials available, the disaster
reduction officers of various countries and other related organizations, and constructed an
up-to-date database of natural disasters and disaster reduction specialist resources, to help
disseminate the information. Furthermore, through collaboration with visiting foreign
researchers, the Asian Unit of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian
Affairs (UN OCHA), and OCHA ReliefWeb Office in Kobe, ADRC has also obtained quick
access to more detailed and specific information, which is incorporated in information ADRC
disseminates.
ADRC will continue collecting and releasing detailed information on the following throughthe Internet and other media:① Disaster management systems (legal frameworks, organizations, basic plans, and disastermanagement manuals, etc.)② Actual cases of disaster countermeasures (taken by the member countries in the past)③ Information on natural disasters (descriptions of natural disasters such as earthquakes,floods, cyclones, etc., and resulting damages)④ Human resources information (disaster reduction administrators, academic experts,international organizations, private companies, NGO members, etc.)

3-1-2. Collecting Information from Member Countries
In fiscal 2003, as in the previous year, ADRC collected disaster reduction related information
on member counties through the following methods:

1)

Requests to member countries for information
ADRC has made efforts to gain the understanding of each member country on the purposesof establishing the ADRC and the need for multinational disaster reduction cooperation. Uponthe request from ADRC, member countries have been providing natural disaster information, as
well as information on actual disaster management measures and disaster reduction systems.

2)

ADRC International Meeting 2004 (Refer to Chapter 2)
At the Fifth ADRC International Meeting (February 4 to 6, 2004), member countries, andadvisor countries, and countries and organizations participating as observers provided natural
disaster information including country reports, and other materials on actual cases of disastermanagement, and disaster reduction systems. They also voiced their requests concerning theactivities of ADRC.
The Sixth ADRC International Meeting attracted attendance of many disaster-related
international organizations, which also participated in the Third ISDR Asian Meeting co-hosted
by the ISDR Secretariat Goverments of Cambodia and Japan at the same location. Thus, theSixth ADRC International Meeting provided a meaningful opportunity for reconfirming theneed of building an international cooperation system for more diverse collaboration and more
efficient disaster information sharing.

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3. Information Management on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reductuion

3)

Use of WWW (World Wide Web)
(1) Disaster reduction information of each member country
As it did in the last fiscal year, ADRC is collecting information on the disaster reduction
systems of member countries from WWW, in addition to related information provided byadministrators in charge at international organizations and countries.
In the future, it will be important to keep a close eye on disaster reduction information
provided by member countries, and provide technical and other forms of support to member
countries for constructing disaster information databases for an information network thatfacilitates active involvement of member countries in information dissemination.
(2) Disaster reduction information provided by academic research institutions and internationalorganizations
There are other international organizations and research institutions engaged in collecting
and providing disaster reduction information from various perspectives. The Internet has
expanded over recent years, gradually providing an infrastructure for access to suchinformation.
However, such information is circulated via different and independent channels. As a result,
it is not always easy to access the exact information needed. To resolve this problem andpromote disaster-related information sharing, ADRC has proposed use of common disaster IDs.
The disaster database (EM-DAT) run by CRED of Louvain Catholic University in Belgium
provides access to statistical data of disasters all over the world via the Internet. While theEM-DAT serves as a statistical database, OCHA provides information on natural disasters andreliable information on disaster countermeasures and management at its “ReliefWeb” site on
the Internet in order to support humanitarian activities during disasters. Use of common disasterIDs for the disaster reduction information will facilitate easy access to information of both
EM-DAT and OCHA. ADRC intends to further promote the GLIDE (GLobal unique disaster
IDEntifier number) ID project launched in 2001 in order to facilitate effective integration of
information disseminated by many disaster management-related organizations on the samedisasters.

3-2. Information on Disaster Management Systems
3-2-1. Scope of Information
Major components of a disaster management system include a legal system that prescribes the due
process to be followed by the government, organizations that implements actual measures under thegovernment, and a basic plan for ensuring the establishment of the disaster management system. In
addition, disaster management manuals, hazard maps, disaster management trainings and seminars,
and disaster reduction education programs are also included.

4)Legal frameworks
Not all countries have national level laws comparable to Japan’s “The Disaster
Countermeasures Basic Act.” In some countries, government decrees and rules of specified
organizations provide for disaster management systems. The backgrounds and processes offormulating laws and regulation vary from country to country, and there is no single “Best way”
for all countries. Still, shared information on disaster legislation of different countries will
provide a useful reference to countries that are making efforts to establish similar legal
frameworks or improve their current frameworks.

5)Organizations
Similarly to the case of legal frameworks, disaster reduction agencies vary from country tocountry. In addition, these organizations are often restructured while the fundamental legal
framework for disaster reduction remains unchanged. Differences among countries in naturalenvironments and socio-cultural background do not reduce the significance of studying
organizational systems of other countries, in that the purpose “disaster reduction” is common to６７

3. Information Management on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reductuion

all countries. Furthermore, knowledge of the roles and command chains of organizations ofother countries is important to facilitate international collaboration for disaster reduction.

6)

Basic plans
Many of the member countries are yet to strategically strengthen their disaster preparedness
according to comprehensive disaster reduction plans. Open and shared information on disaster
reduction plans of other countries will provide good reference materials for countries planningto formulate or revise their disaster reduction plans. Feedback and reviews that these countries
would give will be useful in promoting multinational disaster reduction collaboration.

7)

Disaster manuals
It is considered that most disaster manuals or hazard maps are compiled based on naturaldisasters experienced by each country or region, or on the type of natural disaster specific tothat country or region. However, such manuals and hazard maps make it difficult for countries
and regions having suffered same kinds of disasters to share experiences and information on
countermeasures, and might cause inconveniences in the actual implementation of international,
regional-national, or inter-regional cooperation. Therefore, as it was in the previous fiscal year,
ADRC is committed to collecting information to enable the sharing of these existing disastermanuals and hazard maps. Waves of urbanization and globalization continue increasing thepace of changes, and ADRC will continue its effort for the Asian region to share valuable
experiences, knowledge, and views of disaster management measures that have been
accumulated in different countries and regions.

3-2-2. Level of Information Source
It is important to collect information not only at the national government level but also atlocal government (city, town and village) and community levels. This is because that the first tocope with a disaster is the individuals, and then local communities and municipal governments(cities, towns or villages). Central governments or the international society moves only when
the disaster exceeds the capabilities of local governments. Legal and organizationalframeworks established by a central government alone do not automatically improve actual
disaster reduction capabilities and preparedness down to municipal and grassroot levels. To
build a disaster-resistant society, cross-organizational cooperation is indispensable. Sharing of
information at all levels is the first step to this goal.

3-2-3. Methods of Collecting Information
In 2003, as explained in 3-1-2, ADRC continued its effort to gather information on thedisaster reduction systems of member countries through requests to them, field surveys, andinternational conferences, and by its own unique methods using the Internet.
Table 3-2-3-1 lists the reports provided from counterparts of member countries. All thesereports are available on the ADRC website. Over recent years, disaster reduction organizationsof many countries have been actively promoting information dissemination over the Internet.
Therefore, the ADRC website has links to some of these websites, when it is more efficient tojump to them for the latest information than view the reports on the ADRC website.

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3. Information Management on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reductuion

Table. 3-2-3-1

No.

List of reports from ADRC member countries

CountryYear prepared1

Armenia

2001, 2002, 2003

2

Bangladesh

1998, 1999, 2001, 2003

3

Cambodia

1998, 1999, 2002

4

China

1998, 1999

5India1998, 1999, 2002

6Indonesia

7

Japan

1998, 1999, 2002

8

Kazakhstan

1998, 1999, 2002

9

Korea

10

Kyrgyzstan

11

Laos

12

Malaysia

1998, 1999, 2003

13

Mongolia

1998, 1999, 2002

14

Myanmar2002

15Nepal1998, 1999

16

Papua New Guinea

1998, 199917The Philippines

18

Russia1998, 1999

19

Singapore

1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003

20

Sri Lanka

1998, 1999

21

Tajikistan

1998, 1999, 2003

22

Thailand

1998, 1999, 2003

23

Uzbekistan

1998, 1999

24

Vietnam

1998, 1999

1998, 1999, 2002, 2003

1998, 1999, 2001, 2002
Now Preparing
1998, 1999

1998, 1999, 2002, 2003

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3. Information Management on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reductuion

3-2-4. Future Tasks
As for future tasks, ADRC will further reinforce and expand its database, analyze collected
information, and identify the needs of the member countries based on such analyses in order topromote multi-national disaster reduction cooperation.

1)

Reinforcement and expansion of the disaster reduction database
ADRC constructed a database on its homepage to give free access to disaster reduction
system information it collects for member countries to share. It enables countries and regions torefer to actual examples from other countries to establish and improve their own national orregional disaster reduction systems. ADRC will continue updating and enhancing the contentsof its disaster reduction database in cooperation with member countries to make the database
more accessible and user-friendly.

2)

Analysis of information and dealing with the needs of countries
Information becomes useful only when referred to for analyses. Analysis of collected
information is beginning to help clarify the specific circumstances and needs of variouscountries. Some countries already have national level disaster reduction systems, while others
are currently preparing to establish disaster reduction systems at the initiative of the centralgovernments. It is considered that the former countries need to add improvements to enhanceand reinforce their existing systems, while the latter group should give priority to theestablishment of disaster reduction systems as part of intra-region cooperation.
In order to reduce Asia’s vulnerability to natural disasters, it is essential for countries in theregion to consider and include disaster reduction measures in their long-term basic nationalplans. The prerequisite for this to happen is that the central government as well as citizenry has
a higher disaster reduction awareness. For a society to give equal weight to post-disasteremergency assistance and to disaster preventive preparations, it is always necessary forlawmakers, policy makers and planners to properly include and incorporate disaster reductionissues into the basic national and regional plans.

3)

Promotion of cooperation
As agreed at the Sixth ADRC International Meeting (Feb. 4 to 5, 2004, Siem Reap), it isimportant to hold regular meetings of disaster reduction administrators and specialists frommember countries for exchange of the latest information on disaster reduction systems anddisaster management measures. It is also important for ADRC to continue making full use of its
visiting researcher program launched in July 1999 so that researchers from the member
countries working as its staff will help to promote active personnel and information exchanges
in the Asian region. In addition, to reduce damages from natural disasters in Asia, there ismounting expectation that ADRC should serve as a facilitator in formation of a network human,technological, and physical resources in Japan and the other Asian countries for further
promotion of exchanges in the region.

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