ADRC P
Peer R
Reviewi
Mission to Maldives
Members:
Anawat Suppasri, Tohoku University, Japan
Nwet Yin Aye, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, Myanmar
Junji Moriwaki, Asian Disaster Reduction Center, Japan

23rd – 29th December 2013

1

BackgroundIn theh Maldives,ldi
theh maximumitsunamii heights
h i h reached
h d
up to only 4 m above sea level on Vilufushi Island. The
unique topography and bathymetry, with offshore coral
reefs and deep channels separating individual atolls,
significantly
i ifi
l reduced
d d theh impacti
off theh tsunami,
i ascompared with Sri Lanka or even Somalia—which was
twice the distance from the epicenter along the main
westward tsunami trajectory. Although the terrain
elevations
li
off theh entire
i islandi l d chainh i are lowerlthan
h 2 m,
the 26 December tsunami had limited impact on theMaldives, because of the characteristic bathymetry withdeep ocean channels separating the individual atolls.

In theh Maldives,ldi
88 people
l were killed
kill d andd 24 reporteddmissing and presumed dead after it was hit by a tsunami
caused by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December
2004. Two-thirds of the capital city Malé was flooded during
theh firstfi hoursh
off theh day.
d Outlying
O l i low-levelll l atolls
ll were badly
b dl
affected and some low lying islands, including some of the
major resorts, were completely submerged at the peak of thetsunami. Since then disaster became an issue of the country
andd in
i attention
i off many sectors.

Up to > 7 m
Male
<3m

Tsunami height (m) in 20042

Low seawall

Low seawall

CoastaldefenseSeawall + Breakwaters

Seawall + Breakwaters

Seawall + Breakwaters

Tsunami memorial

3

Present vulnerability

Containers

Cars and boats

Evacuation route

Dense traffic4Results of the interviews

5

Ministry of Defense and National Security (MDNS)
Current efforts in managing IDP and DRR
Some facilities such as boats and helicopters can be used in case of emergency but still facing logistic problem
as the country contains large number of islands and limit budget for getting new facilities.
Strengthening based on observation and analysis
MDNS is the most important visible support as they have man power and other facility to be used during the
emergency. They will be one of the first team who must reach to the affected areas to solve physical problem
and support the later activity.
activity This is similar to the Ministry of Land,
Land Infrastructure,
Infrastructure Transportation andTourism (MLIT) and National defense in japan. One good example from MLIT was that they could clear all
main road from tsunami debris by just three days. Since then disaster support goods can be sent to disaster
affected areas.
Points to be considered for further improvement based on observation and analysis
Response time is probably the most important. The shorter response time of the MDNS, the longer working
time for other activities such as medical team, supporting material and volunteer work.
work
Findings and recommendations
Since logistic and budget are still the two most limitation for the support from the national defense, the best
thi isthing
i probably
b bl tot reducedth communication
thei ti timeti
d i disaster.
duringdi t Prior
P i rulel agreementt or regulationl ti mighti ht
be the most appropriate for this case. If the disaster exceed a certain level, local community should have theirright to start their activities for disaster response. Local community should be strong and independent as it willtake time for the support
pp from the central g
government. This is similar to a small island ((200 in p
population)p) thathad very good response to the 2011 Japan tsunami. They have their own disaster response team to clear
evacuation route from collapsed wall after the earthquake and warning team to called out and help evacuating
6
those vulnerable persons.

Ministry of Education (ME)
Current efforts in managing IDP and DRR
Trying to implement disaster related curriculum in schools from kindergarten level and interesting incollaboration on disaster education and training based on lessons from the 2011 Japan tsunami.
tsunamiStrengthening based on observation and analysis
ME has strong point of view that well educated young children will lead adult in such future disasterevent. This idea is actually has some good examples such as the 2004 tsunami in Thailand as young British
girl advocated more than a hundred people to evacuate and survive from tsunami. Similarly, the 2011
tsunami in Kamaishi, Japan that students in two schools decided themselves that tsunami would larger
than what estimated in hazard map.
map Finally,
Finally all of them were safe and most casualties in the area were oldpeople within estimated tsunami inundation zone shown in the tsunami hazard map.
Points to be considered for further improvement based on observation and analysis
We hope that the government could help to implement the disaster curriculum in schools. Adaptation ofteaching materials are also important. Book and other paper based materials are good but many not beinterested by children. Other stuff such as cloth wrapper and handkerchief in Japan are some effective
example because children will carry these stuff together with them during their daily life.
life
Findings and recommendations
At this moment ME is going to a good way but they still need support from the government andcollaboration from local community. Observation of disaster teaching class in Japan might help for
adaptation of disaster class to be applied in Maldives.
7

Ministry of Tourism (MT)Current efforts in managing IDP and DRR
They have now very good practice, i.e., a brief introduction of disaster related stuff before check in at eachresort. In addition, their idea of considering the total expose population (local population plus number ofy sustainable. One example
p from the Great East Japanp Earthquakeqin Sendai can be ggiven. A
tourist)) is very
school near Sendai station which is the biggest station in Tohoku region was designated as an evacuation
shelter considering only local population. However, during the earthquake, there were large number of people
during their business and sightseeing. As result, they experienced difficulties in taking care of evacuee of aboutfour times larger than their estimation.
estimation
Strengthening based on observation and analysis
MT can be considered as the ministry that has more support but fragile at the same time. As tourism is themain economic of the country, MT is now taking care closely to any kind of disaster that might interrupt the
tourism activities.
Points to be considered for further improvement based on observation and analysis
Information related to disaster should be well disseminated as tourists are more sensitive to media which
always mainly mention on bad news. For example, during the discussion we learned that tourists worried thattsunami from Japan will affect the Maldives. One example for this is that Thai government failed to convinced
Th i people
Thai
l to
t believe
b li
about
b t informationi fti duringd i theth greatt flood
fl d in
i 2011.
2011
Findings and recommendations
The government should be the key person for disseminating disaster information, especially for tourists. Thisshould not be failed like the flood in Thailand or Fukushima accident in Japan. Linkage and integration
between local facilities for an emergency and quantifying the real exposure is very important and will become8
a future challenge.

Ministry of Housing and Infrastructure (MHI)
Current efforts in managing IDP and DRR
Some problems found during the interview 1) logistic for importing construction resource from othernearby countries (India or the Middle East), 2) Lacking of skilled man power, 3) Group relocation isnecessary to reduce limited cost for construction of basic infrastructure and 4) education is need forpeople who get compensate money but spent for different objectives. To solve one of these problems,
they are now encouraging children to relocate to big island for better education. By doing this, parents
also
l havehto follow
f ll theirh i children
hild
andd construction
i cost forf infrastructurei f
can beb reduced.
d dStrengthening based on observation and analysis
MHI iss thee main
a key
ey pe
personso duduringg longo g term
ereconstruction
eco s uc o as theire woworkss aaree relatede a ed too dadailyy life.
e.
Construction of housing and infrastructure in tsunami affected areas and other areas are still on goingunder limited condition.
PointsPi t tot beb considered
id d forf furtherf th improvementit basedb d on observationbti andd analysis
l iPre-fabricated houses (both temporary and permanent) are successfully used, for example, after thetsunami in Japan. We need to educate people to understand the recent advance housing technology whichis as ggood or the same as their traditional house.
Findings and recommendations
Information and technology sharing seems to be the most important at this stage. Training should beorganized
i d underd a certaint i condition
diti thatth t theyth haveht workk fortof theth ministryi i t forf a specific
ifi period.
i d NewNbuilding code and education on basic understanding of civil works would help for long term sustainable9
against future disaster.

Maldives Meteorological Service (MMS)
Current efforts in managing IDP and DRR
Although MMS does not have their own warning system and have to rely on other international services,the present warning and observation systems seemed enough at the moment.
momentStrengthening based on observation and analysis
In terms of tsunami warning, MMS has network linked to all four major institution that take respond in
the Indian Ocean. Warning information such as expected tsunami arrival time and amplitude from these
institutions is enough for such short term measure but for the long term, more detail information such as
hazard map for such predicted future event may necessary.
Points to be considered for further improvement based on observation and analysis
Warning dissemination method seemed still be a problem. Communication network that can be promised
to be used during the disaster should be set up together with local practice to disseminate the information
with easier to understand by non-educated people. One example for each issue was the typhoon Haiyanthat attack the Philippines in 2013. The government did warn local people about the storm surge but local
people did not understand correctly the phenomenon of the storm surge or how it differ to normal wind
wave.
wave
Findings and recommendations
Good weather observation data and geographical data such as detail bathymetry data is important for longterm hazard and risk assessment. Education for local people to make them understand the exact meaningof the warning and suitable response might become their most important and future challenge.
10

Local relocated residents and stakeholders in tsunami hit areas
Thulusdhoo Island¾ Total population = 1,361¾ Relocated population = 340¾ Used to be many factories such as Coca Colaand tissue paper but were used as temporary
shelter after the 2004 tsunami for 4 years¾ Tsunami was about 2-5 feet
¾ Temporary houses were built by donation from
Saudi Arabia for those who used to have theirown land in previous island¾ Each temporary house has 3 rooms. Sometime itis unfair because it should depends on thefamily size instead¾ Typical disaster is storm surge, flood, tsunami
and coastal erosion
Thulusdhoo

Sea

Sea

25 km
k

Sea
Male

11

Findings and needs from local relocated residents andstakeholders in tsunami hit areas (Thulusdhoo Island)
Local residents
Local residents who kindly cooperated for the interview are relocated people who lost their houses by
the 2004 Indian ocean tsunami in their previous island. At first, government gave them three possible
island for their relocation. All of them satisfy with their new place as it is better in terms of economic
reason. Even though 9 years have passed after the 2004 tsunami, they still have high awareness andstrong will in participating disaster related activities.
Stakeholders
We have talked with representative from school,
school health center,
center police and atoll council.
council Although local
people satisfy with the present condition but still not for the stakeholders because the facility andinfrastructure are still not reach the level that the government have promised. Number of population
have been increasing but with still the same capacity of the capacity such as school and health center.
Especially for the health center, they would like to adapt to hospital level. At this moment, there is stilllacking of necessary medical tools.
Workshop with local residents
We had a chance to participate a workshop on disaster resilience. Maps produced by the participants
are very useful and providing all necessary information. The level of the workshop is quite similar towhat has been doing in Japan. Implementation of the map against future disaster will be challenge forthem
12Local relocated residents and stakeholders in Thulusdhoo

Speaker

Highest building in the island

House for relocated people

Factory used to be
temporary house13

Workshop with local residents in Thulusdhoo

Resource map

Risk map

Opportunity map

14

Similar with a workshop in Japan (25/5/2008)

Finding evacuation routes and shelters

Overlaid on the simulated tsunami hazard map

Estimating tsunami hazard

Estimating evacuation time15Conclusions
Nine years after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, some recovery and reconstruction process can still beseen. The ggovernment ppointed out their target
g to completepthese activities,, in other word,, zero affectedththpeople by the 26 December 2014 or the 10 year memorial day. Male, the capital city is althoughprotected by seawalls and breakwaters which were built before the 2004 tsunami but still vulnerable tofuture tsunami such as (1) large number of floating debris (motorcycles, cars, boats and containers), (2)narrow evacuation
ti routes
t whichhi h obstructedb t t d byb many stuff
t ff andd no sign
i forf tsunamiti hazardhd andd (3)evacuation information at all.
As conclusions for overall assessment,, all sectors we have visited have their own wayy for managing
g g
IDP and DRR. Their ideas on sustainable disaster mitigation are good and similar to other countries thatsucceed in reconstruction after such great disaster or preparation for future disaster. However, similar
problems found which are mostly the logistic as the geography of the country and budget limitation. For
the logistic,
logistic the situation might be become better if some agreements have made in advance to thegeneration of disaster could safe response time during emergency. In addition, skilled man power is also
still lacking and can be improved by such training cooperate with international experts. At the end,
supportpp from the ggovernment in terms of laws and regulations
gwill helpp for the implementationpof theplan for managing IDP and DRR for each government institution. Strengthening of disaster prevention
at the community level will be one of the most important final goal to create disaster resilience
community in sustainable way against future events.

16

Recommendations
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.
7.

Strong legal framework on disaster management is critical need for Maldives as most of theconcerned ministries could not speed up their disaster management related interventions due tolack of legal enforcement. At the same time, strong institutional framework can also be set up
after the law is enacted.
While disaster management is the mandate of the Ministry of Defense and National Security,
the Local Governance Authority (LGAs) should be strengthened to tackle with emergencies
since they are first responders before the arrival of National Defense force.
force There needs
Community Based Disaster Risk Management programmes to widen local peoples’
knowledge.
Trainings on Volunteer Fire Fighting of the Ministry of Defense and National Security shouldbe geared up since the islands are dispersed and logistic is the very first challenge for thecountry.
Most of the two or three-storeyed buildings are constructed only in large islands and there isno high buildings to take refuge in case of disaster in small islands.
islands So,
So it is recommended that
the Government should take into considerations on creating safe shelters (Mosque or
Community Hall) for small and isolated islands with less population.
Scientific risk assessment should be conducted for the most high risk islands with highpopulations (including tourist population) and with important economic infrastructures. This
assessment report should also be applied by policy makers , and decision makers and planners.
More human resource should be mobilized in National Disaster Management Centre and otherrelevant ministries.
ministries
Maldives National Disaster Risk Management Plan should be developed for comprehensive
and long-term sustainable development.
17

Lessons from the 2011 Japan tsunami

18Lessons # 1: Tsutsujigaoka Elementary School
Number of evacuee = 2,500 !! (four times over than the estimation!!)--Sendai station suffered serious damage Æ Failed to serve as
evacuation shelter
Just 10 min by walk from Sendai station
Estimated no. of evacuee was only based on the local
residence population which was 600
About 11,200200 meals were stored for 600 persons (1 person = 2
meals). After asking from other community, finally got 3,080
meals on the following day
Most evacuee started leaving the school from 12th night
The school served as evacuation shelter until 24th March

Sendai Station

http://www.kahoku.co.jp/spe/spe_sys1071/20110726_01.htm

S h l
School19

Lessons # 2: Unosumai Disaster Prevention Center
One actual disaster differ from million drills-

34 survived and 128 or more becoming deaths
Original evacuation places are on the high groundThe center was newly opened on Feb 2010 and were used as a goal of tsunami
evacuation drill on 3rd March 2011 or just 8 days before the event
Tsunami reached almost the roof of the second floor
As results, 150-200 residences selected this center as their evacuation destination

http://www.at-s.com/news/2012/03/07/images/11.jpg

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/earthquake/sonae/20120
312/images/PK2012031202100063_size0.jpg
20

Lessons # 3: Unosumai Elementary and Junior high schools
Miracle of Kamaishi…Awareness for expected event- All nearly 3,000 students survived
Three principles- First,First don't put too much faith in outdated assumptions.
assumptions “InIn
other words, don't trust hazard maps.
- The second rule of thumb is for people to make their best
efforts to deal with the situation. They urged the teachers tokeep moving higher, adding that the older kids also
remembered to help the younger ones.
- And finally, to takeCasualty
the initiative in any
distribution
evacuation.
of deaths
http://mnj.govonline.go.jp/kamaishi.html

http://insite.typepad.jp/.a/6a0120a6885bf1970b01543336c30e970c-320wi

on hazard
map

Hazard map

Historicaltsunamis

http://www.chunichi.co.jp/article/earthquake/sonae/20120
312/images/PK2012031202100063_size0.jpg
21

Lessons # 4: Minami-Sanriku Kanyo Hotel
Hotel built on strong ground served as evacuation shelter-High awareness due to the 1933 Showa and 1960 Chile tsunamis
Th hotelTheh l was built
b il on hardh d rockk foundationf d i -> NoN ddamage at allllIsolated for one week, less support as it was not the designatedevacuation area
The hotel capacity is 240 rooms with maximum 5 person/room
Out of water supply system for four months but could manage to
get water of 80 tons/day (300 tons needed).
The owner’s house also saved many lives as they built higher
ground floor and evacuation staircase outside.

22

Lessons # 5: Unosumai Horaikan Hotel
Last way to survive…evacuation route up hill--

Based on experience of the 1933 Okushiri tsunami (arrived in 2-3 min after theearthquake), the hotel was built as four stories RC building intended to serve as
an evacuationi shelterh l ini case off emergency forf theirh i guests andd local
l l resident.
id
But still the owner worried about if they only have the building so they also built
an evacuation route to a mountain behind.
The owner once evacuated to the high ground, went down to call out forevacuation. She was in the water for a while but finally survived.
There were 120 peoples at the beginning and continued until 26th March 2011.

23