ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian
Assistance on Disaster Management(AHA Centre)

30 Oct 2018

Primary Regional Coordinating
AgencyThe AHA Centre is the primary ASEAN regional coordinating agency for disastermanagement and emergency response, and has been entrusted under the Declaration on
One ASEAN One Response to develop measures, procedures and standards for effective andwell-coordinated regional response.
The AHA Centre will coordinate with
SG-AHAC, work in partnership with
relevant regional and international
agencies and centres to strengthen
HADR efforts,and engage with

relevant sectors and stakeholders topromoteResponse.

OneASEANOneASEAN Agreement on Disaster Managementand Emergency Response (AADMER)AADMER serves as the main regional policy
backbone for coordinated regional response
where One ASEAN One Response eminates. The
principles

ofAADMER

also

guide

theoperationalisation of One ASEAN One Response:
respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity andnational unity; respect for affected country’s overall
directionandcontrolofassistance;

promotesolidarity and partnership and in accordance with

their respective needs, capabilities and situations;and involvement of all stakeholders.

Regional cooperation

Standard operatingprocedure forregional standby
arrangements andcoordination of joint
disaster relief andemergency response
operations
Joint Operations
and Coordination
Centre of ASEAN
ASEAN
Joint
Disaster
Response
Plan

Regional cooperation through strategic
coordination and commitment
In the event of large-scale disasters or when there issignificant humanitarian impact, the AHA Centre establishes
coordination with the Secretary – General of ASEAN as theASEAN Humanitarian Assistance Coordinator

AHA Centre
responses

Till 20 October, AHA Centre has
responded to 25 incidents withpreparedness and assessment
missions for 5 occasions.

The latest responses were:• Super Typhoon Mangkhut(Ompong)• Central Sulawesi Earthquake

Regional Cooperation

Information
sharing

Relief items
and stockpile

Building strong
networks

Research
collaboration

Emergency
funds andfund raising

Capacitybuilding

Trainings andsimulation exercises

Data flow during peacetime operations
2°

2°
Scientific publication
to document risks
and review ofdisastermanagement within
ASEAN

2°

2°
Scientific platform toshare information
and research

2°
2°

2°

1°

Primary data

2°

Secondary data

Data flow during emergency operations
2°

Humanitarian
Data Exchange(HDX)2°1°2°

1°

2°

2°

2°

1°

2°

2°
2°

1°

Primary data

2°

Secondary data

Closed platform

Platform with openand closed platformAHA Centre Information Products:

Issuing information products which are disseminated to ASEAN
member states, humanitarian community and otherstakeholders (academic and private entities)

ASEAN Science Based Disaster
Management Platform

ASEAN-Emergency Response andAssessment Team (ASEAN ERAT)
To support the affected country in the initial phase of a disaster emergency, ASEAN
established the ASEAN-Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT)OBJECTIVES :1.Conduct rapid
assessment
2.Coordinate with theAHA Centre for themobilisation, responseand deployment ofregional disastermanagement assets
3.Facilitate incoming relief
assistance from ASEAN
Member States
A ten-day of 100 hours training on various aspects ofemergency response mirroring approximate reality withcombination of class rooms and field exercises

256 members trained from 10 ASEAN
Member States and 9 ASEAN ERAT
induction courses conducted

AHA Centre Executive (ACE)
Programme

Besides ERAT, we havethe ACE programme
where mid-level officersfrom National DisasterManagement
Organisations partake in a4-months training
programme
This fosters and build
greater network amongst
the countries andincreases the level of trust.

Disaster Emergency Logistics
System for ASEAN (DELSA)ASEAN Regional Disaster Emergency
Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX)ASEAN oganises regular exercises called the ASEAN Regional Disaster
Emergency Response Simulation Exercise (ARDEX) since 2005 to test & validate
the ASEAN-SASOP AHA Centre co-organised the ARDEX-16
Brunei Darussalam Previous to this, ARDEX was held in2013, Viet Nam
 ARDEX tested SASOP and other tools
and operational procedures, including theconcept of One ASEAN One Response

Total reported disasters within ASEAN(Between Jul 12 and Jun 18)

Viet Nam

Lao PDR

47

96

12Philippines

Myanmar106

Cambodia

142

11Thailand

Brunei
Darussalam

Malaysia81

44Indonesia

Singapore877

Total reported disasters breakdown by hazard(Between Jul 12 and Jun 18)

Moving Average (4 weeks) trend lines

4 week moving average for recorded disasters between 2012 and 2017 by weekWind

4 区間移動平均 (Flood)

Storm

4 区間移動平均 (Wind)

4 区間移動平均 (Storm)

3514301225

10208156104520005101520253035404550

Week No

Statistical correlation was not conducted at this point as the data would not have significant power and there isunder-reporting of disasters across certain countries.

55

No of Storm / Wind records

No of flood records

FloodData source: NASA Precipitation Measurement Missions, TRMM 3A26 Surface Rain Total

Data Source: MODIS MOD11C3 Land Surface Temperature/Emissivity Monthly

Rainy season(May – Sep)
Rainy season(Jul – Nov)

Rainy season(Oct - Feb)

Rainy season(Nov- Mar)

Growing concerns andpressures within ASEAN
1. Rural to urban
migration is projected
to increase (~48%
settled in urban areas)
2. Increasing demands
for energy, resources
and food to keep up
with economic growth
3. Increasing
industrialization andland-clearing leading toincreased pollution

Image source: http://luminocity3d.org/WorldPopDen/#5/8.733/107.183

4. Transboundary
pollution within theregion

Projections from academic studies
 Flood risk is projected to increase largely in Asia as the world
warms.
 Affected population is modelled at 35 million per year with impacts
largely on residential (39%), commercial (32%) and industrial(21%)
 Increasing deforestation and land cover loss may likely hasten theprocess and raise the risk including impact to such areas.
 Mekong river basin is predicted to decrease in frequency of 20
century 100 year flood (104.9 year), but an increase in annual
discharge (10.94 mm/day).
 In addition, drought is projected to increase with just small andminimal increase in proportion of drought days (+ 1.20 days).
References:• Alfieri, L., Bisselink, B., Dottori, F., Naumann, G., de Roo, A., Salamon, P., Wyser, K. and Feyen, L. (2017), Global projections of river flood risk in a warmer world.
Earth's Future, 5: 171–182. doi:10.1002/2016EF000485• HIRABAYASHI, YUKIKO & KANAE, SHINJIRO & EMORI, SEITA & Oki, Taikan & KIMOTO, MASAHIDE. (2008). Global Projections of Changing Risks of Floods andDroughts in a Changing Climate. Hydrological Sciences Journal-journal Des Sciences Hydrologiques - HYDROLOG SCI J. 53. 754-772. 10.1623/hysj.53.4.754.

Projections from academic studies
 Water scarcity will be an issue as per capita freshwater in SEA will
likely decrease due to climate change, increased population growthand increasing industrial activities.
 T.A. Räsänen, M. Kummu, 2013 found that flood period during La
Niña years were on average 1 month compared to El Niño years.
 The precipitation and discharge was found to decrease during El
Niño years and increase during La Niña years.
 M Thilakarathne, V Sridhar, 2017 model indicated an increased
probability of droughts in the lower Mekong Basin and projections
show that it is expected to be drier in the future.
 Even though these figures are obtained from models, ASEAN has tobe prepared for the worst.
References:• Timo A. Räsänen, Matti Kummu, Spatiotemporal influences of ENSO on precipitation and flood pulse in the Mekong River Basin, In Journal of Hydrology,
Volume 476, 2013, Pages 154-168, ISSN 0022-1694, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhydrol.2012.10.028• Zbigniew W. Kundzewicz, Daisuke Nohara, Jiang Tong, Taikan Oki, Su Buda, Kuniyoshi Takeuchi, Discharge of large Asian rivers – Observations andprojections, In Quaternary International, Volume 208, Issues 1–2, 2009, Pages 4-10, ISSN 1040-6182, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.quaint.2009.01.011• Madusanka Thilakarathne, Venkataramana Sridhar, Characterization of future drought conditions in the Lower Mekong River Basin, In Weather and Climate
Extremes, Volume 17, 2017, Pages 47-58, ISSN 2212-0947, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wace.2017.07.004

How does it link to the larger picture?
o Increased deforestation and change of green landscapeo Increased risk of natural hazards such as landslideso Climate change risk is unknown and such phenomenon willcontribute to the overall risko Threatens biodiversity and economic livelihoods which aredependent on eco-tourism, agriculture and aquaculture
o Food security is at risk aso Arable agricultural lands are at risk following flood and drought
events (topsoil wash off, decline in water table etc.)
o Aquaculture yields may be affected due to increasedhydrological-meteorological events
o Malnutrition and undernutrition will follow as food security isthreatened

How does it link to the larger picture?

o Increasing health risks:o Rising temperatures with variable precipitation may increase risk ofvector-borne diseases (malaria, dengue etc.)

o Increase in flood frequency and intensity could compromise hygiene
and increase risk of water-borne diseases.
o Introduction of novel pathogens to naïve communities arising fromlarge scale displacement resulting from biodiversity loss.
o Rapid industrialization and creation of huge Industrial estates (containing
Chemical Radiological or Nuclear elements) situated close to ad-hoc
residential areas poses a large threat following a natural disaster eventPotential considerations forcollaborations
Capacity Building Cross training programmes or short internships for staff to promote
greater understanding and sharing of experiences Development of innovative training programmes
Research capacity
 Increasing science generation (social science, earth sciences,international relations etc.) through collaborative research arrangements
 Studies on risk of technological disasters within the region
Operational support
 Supporting emergency operations on various aspects which can be done
remotely or in the EOC – satellite imagery analysis, social media analysis,
horizon scanning etc.

Delicate balance between scienceand policy in DRR• Data driven• Logic• RigourousScience

Appliedresearch

Policy(art)• Opportune timing• Social norms driven

In the pipeline
ASEAN Risk Monitor and Disaster
Management Review Report (ARMOR)

Consolidate and shareregional knowledge
related to Risk Monitoringand Disaster Management

Improve implementation ofOne ASEAN One Response
and AJDRP by providing
channel to access the latest
trends, innovations andtechnology in disastermanagement

ARMOR

Support ASEAN Vision
2025 on Disaster
Management as a network
coordinator by setting-up
disaster management
related standards (bestpractices and knowledge
sharing)

Contributes to AHA WP Priority 1 & Priority 2, AADMER WP PP1 & PP5

ASEAN Risk Monitor and Disaster Management Review(ARMOR)ARMOR Anticipated Outreach Impacts
Policy impact
 Inform the policy making of ASEAN and its Member States through provision of the latest
science available on risk identification, awareness, and governance.
 Reinforce disaster risk governance; increase investment in disaster risk reduction efforts;
and promote resiliency and preparedness through education and information sharing
Practical impact
 Promoting functional and application research by bridging greater understanding between
sectoral stakeholders, ranging from public, private, humanitarian to academic sectors
 Fostering inclusiveness of robust science-based techniques for informing operations
planning and decision making throughout the disaster management cycle
 Developing and nurturing successive generations of dedicated ASEAN disastermanagement professionals and researchers
Scientific impact
 Key periodic synthesis report on the ASEAN Member States’ disaster risks
 Provide reality-check, source of credible feedback and information for disastermanagement knowledge development through scholarly and scientific works
 Serve as credible information and key references on ASEAN disaster risks analysis,monitoring and research for academic and scientific works