The first phase of the Last-Mile Hazard Information Dissemination (HazInfo) project funded by
IDRC, was completed recently with the training of trainer component. LIRNEasia is implementing this project along with its project partners
Sarvodaya, the largest community organization in Sri Lanka and
TVE Asia Pacific (TVEAP), a non-profit media organization working in the Asian region.
LIRNEasia has undertaken a number of initiatives in the area of ICTs disasters and early warning post the Indian Ocean tsunami disaster of 2004. However, this is by far the largest project undertaken LIRNEasia in this area to evaluate the suitability of a number of ICTs (information and communication technologies) deployed in varied conditions for their effectiveness in the last-mile of a hazard warning system.
Tags: Bandaragama, Buddhist Temple, Colombo, communication technologies, Dialog Telekom\'s University of Moratuwa Mobile Communi, early warning systems, GSM, Indian Ocean, last-mile hazard warning technologies, Mile Hazard Dissemination, non-profit media organization working, Panama, Sarvodaya, Sarvodaya Development Center, Sarvodaya\'s Development Educational Center, Shanthi Sena Peace Brigade, Sri Lanka, Technology Partners, Thalpitiya, Thalpitya, the Indian Ocean tsunami, Vanguard Foundation, Wadduwa, west coast.
NSF EXPLORATORY WORKSHOP ON SENSOR BASED INFRASTRUCTURE FOR EARLY TSUNAMI DETECTION, Maui, Feb 9-10, 2006
What I learned during my visits to the Civil Defense Center and the Tsunami Museum in Hilo and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Ewa Beach in Hawai’i last January greatly contributed to the disaster communication research program undertaken by LIRNEasia in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Therefore, I welcomed the opportunity to step back and reflect on the research program a year later, also in Hawai’i.
The occasion was a workshop funded by the National Science Foundation of the US. It was organized by Louise Comfort, Daniel Mosse and Taieb Znati, all at the U of Pittsburgh. Louise is from Public Policy and has been working on disasters for…
Tags: Arthur C. Clarke Centre, Chip McCreery, Civil Defense Center, Daniel Mosse, deep-sea sensor devices, Disaster Management Center, early warning systems, Ewa Beach, GPS, India, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Kenya, Louise Comfort, National Science Foundation, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, Pittsburgh, public warning systems, Rhett Butler, sensor networks, sensor-based networks, separate systems, Sri Lanka, Taieb Znati, Tanzania, Thailand, Tsunami Museum, United States, Vanguard Foundation, Walter Mooney.
LIRNEasia organised a press conference to highlight two major initiatives in the area of hazard warning, one that it launched on providing disaster mitigation and last-mile connectivity to tsunami-affected villages and the other that it wrapped up on dam-related hazard warning system for Sri Lanka.
LIRNEasia released A Concept Paper for a Dam-related Hazard Warning System in Sri Lanka: A Participatory Study on Actions Required to Avoid and Mitigate Dam Disasters in collaboration with its project partners, the Vanguard Foundation, Sri Lanka National Committee on Large Dams (SLNCOLD), Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) and Sarvodaya. This work was funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives. Prof. Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director of LIRNEasia, handed over the final concept paper to U. W. L. Chandradasa, Director, Disaster Management Centre,…
Tags: addressable satellite radio technology, Canada Fund for Local Initiatives, Gordon Gow, Government of Sri Lanka, Intermediate Technology Development Group, last-mile technologies, LIRNE asia, London School of Economics, Media coverage, Rohan Samarajiva, Samana Teta Disaster Management Institute, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka National Committee on Large Dams, U. W. L. Chandradasa, Vanguard Foundation, Vinya Ariyaratne, Wil Baker, WorldSpace.
LIRNEasia in collaboration with The Vanguard Foundation, Sri Lanka National Committee on Large Dams (SLNCOLD), Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) and Sarvodaya has released A Concept Paper for a Dam-related Hazard Warning System in Sri Lanka: A Participatory Study on Actions Required to Avoid and Mitigate Dam Disasters. This work was funded by The Canada Fund for Local Initiatives.
The Concept Paper (version 2.0) and Annexes can be downloaded by following the links:
Dam Safety Concept Paper (version 2.0)
Dam Safety - Annexes
LIRNEasia and Vanguard Foundation conducted a third community meeting in Polonnaruwa on July 16. Together with speakers representing project partners ITDG, Sarvodaya, and the Vanguard Foudation, Rohan Samarajiva and Luxman Siriwardena presented Kantale: 19 years later, a documentary on the survivors of the 1986 Kantale dam breach and LIRNEasia’s concept paper. The format of the meeting followed that of the earlier Kandy and Gampola meetings, with several presentations on different aspects of disaster response, community organization, and dam management, and extended question/comment sessions for public input.
The Polonnaruwa meeting, held at the Sarvodaya district office, was long and lively, with a diverse crowd of participants offering insightful input and illuminating commentaries. Local farmers’ organizations and Sarvodaya-Polonnaruwa officers were especially well-represented. During the audience-response period, many attendees shared…
The Presidential Commission on the Tsunami has been holding public hearings. LIRNEasia and Vanguard Foundation gave evidence last week, 14th of July 2005. Our evidence mostly covered the content and process of the NEWS:SL report, but in addition evidence was given of our experience with the 28th of March event and the earlier difficulties we experienced with the Met Department’s fax numbers not working and e-mail addresses given to Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaai bouncing.
The Navy and the Police are being questioned on who knew what when. It looks like the Commission is pursuing an interesting line of investigation. Truly surprising was the emptiness of the media desks and indeed the chairs set apart for the public at this public hearing.
To find out about…
A Participatory Study on Actions Required to Avoid and Mitigate Dam Disasters
download document in PDF
Executive summary in Sinhala (PDF)
Executive summary in Tamil (PDF)
The need for this project arose in the course of disaster-management expert consultations carried out by LIRNEasia and The Vanguard Foundation in the preparation of “NEWS-SL: A Participatory Concept Paper for the Design of an Effective All-Hazard Public Warning System” in January-March 2005. The current Concept Paper outlines the contours of an early warning system for dam related hazards in Sri Lanka. It is being developed in a participatory, consultative, and transparent process.
This interim draft has been compiled on the basis of research and an Expert Consultation held 20 May 2005 at the Distance Learning Center located on the campus of the Sri Lanka Institute…
Tags: (94) 11 452, Colombo, communication equipment, communication technologies, Dam Hazard Unit, dam network, dam operator, Distance Learning, Distance Learning Center, Kantale dam, Mobile telephone use, operators supply valuable services, Public Utilities Commission, redundant media, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration, Vanguard Foundation.
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As a follow-up to the all-hazards approach to developing an early warning system, LIRNEasia along with Vanguard Foundation, Sri Lanka National Committee of Large Dams and ITDG are working together to produce a concept paper that would outline the contours of an early warning system for dam related hazards.
There are approximately 320 medium and large dams in Sri Lanka and around 10,000 small dams, most of which are more than 1000 years old. The consequences of a major dam failure in Sri Lanka can be devastating to life, property and the environment. This is not a theoretical possibility but something that has occurred 19 years ago in Kantale, Trincomalee district in 1986. The Kantale dam which is more than 50 feet high and 13,760 ft long, breached…
LIRNEasia and Vanguard Foundation, in collaboration with the Sri Lanka National Committee of Large Dams, have conducted an Expert Consultation as the basis for developing a concept paper on an Early Warning System for Dam Related Hazards. Most of the Sri Lankan experts on dam management and safety were invited to this event.
The event was kicked off by Chandra Jayaratne, Director of the Vanguard Foundation and Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director of LIRNEasia with a welcome address and opening remarks.
The first presentation titled, Nineteen years later, what lessons have been learnt from the Kantale breach (and what changes have been implemented)? by D W R Weerakoon, Former Director General of Irrigation and Secretary, Presidential Commission on the Kantale Dam Breach.
It was followed by a presentation by Nimal Wickramaratne, Director,…
Tags: Anura Jayasumana, Badra Kamaladasa, Center for Experimental Study of Subsurface Environment, Chandra Jayaratne, Colorado, Colorado School of Mines, Colorado State University, Department of Irrigation, Early Warning, K.S.R. De Silva, LIRNE asia, Mahaweli Authority, Nimal Wickramaratne, Presidential Commission on the Kantale Dam Breach, Rohan Samarajiva, Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka National Committee of Large Dams, Sri Lanka National Committee on Large Dams, United States, Vanguard Foundation, video conferencing.
Ten preliminary lessons of the 28th March 2005 Sumatra great earthquake (Photo Source)
LIRNEasia, together with Vanguard Foundation, intends to systematically analyze the Sri Lankan media response to the great earthquake of the 28th of March. However, it appears useful to draw some preliminary lessons from this tragedy which has cost over 1,000 lives, including the people of Nias and other islands and those in Sri Lanka and elsewhere who died as a result of the warnings. The conclusions are preliminary; comments are welcome.
# Earthquake hazard detection is easy; tsunami hazard detection is not. One cannot simply infer the existence of a destructive tsunami from an earthquake. Whether a tsunami has been generated and the direction it is likely to go requires the application of expert judgment.
#…
Tags: Asia, Asian Center, BBC, CNN, conventional mass media, deep sea tsunami detection devices, Department of Meteorology, early warning systems, electricity transformers, Hawaii, insurance, media channel, media response, Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, SMS, Sri Lanka, telecom networks, University of Colombo, Vanguard Foundation.
NEWS:SL [National Early Warning System: Sri Lanka] was presented to the �Presidential Commission of Inquiry to Inquire into Matters Relating to the Conduct of Relevant State Institutions/Agencies Following the Natural Disasters which Occurred on 26 December 2004, and the Measures that Should be Taken to Improve Early Warning Mechanism for Natural Disasters and Thereby to Prevent or Mitigate Such Devastation� following a presentation of same to the Commission� on March 15 2005, less than three months after the greatest catastrophe faced by Sri Lanka in modern times.
The salient features of the Concept Paper were presented to the Commission, in addition several other research findings relevant to the Commission. The importance of an all-hazards approach was stressed and governance model options were discussed. Recommendations on actions…
Tags: Court of Appeal Judge P.H.K. Kulatilaka, H.S. Yapa, Lakshaman Bandaranayake, Malathy Knight-John, P.H.K. Kulatilaka, Presidential Commission of Inquiry, Presidential Commission of Inquiry NEWS:SL, Rohan Samarajiva, Sri Lanka, Supreme Court, Vanguard Foundation, Vanguard Services.
It has been three months since Sri Lanka lost 40,000 valuable lives and the Indian Ocean region 300,000. Given below is the e-mail message that LIRNEasia sent to its friends and well wishers on this sad day of remembrance. It is being posted here in case we missed your e-mail address or got it wrong.
Three-month alms giving in remembrance of the victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami
Prompt action to establish an effective National Early Warning System is the best memorial we can build to the 40,000 valuable lives that were swept away for the lack of a few minutes of warning and a little awareness.NEWS:SL Concept Paper
It is customary in Sri Lanka to offer a dana (an alms giving wherein offerings are made to…
Tags: Colombo, Department of Irrigation, HSBC, Indian Ocean, Indonesia, Jayatilake Mavata, LIRNEasia Tsunami Memorial Fund, LIRNEasia Tsunami Memorial Fund for Disaster Preparedne, MASTEL, media relations, Presidential Commission of Inquiry, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Sri Lankans, TAFREN, Telecom Regulatory Commission, Tsunami Memorial Fund, USD, Vanguard Foundation, web hamuva, Yala National Park.
A video news conference connecting experts in disaster warning systems in Colombo, Vancouver and Hawaii answered questions posed by the Sri Lankan press and television journalists. This event was organised by LIRNEasia and Vanguard Foundation on February 10 at the Distance Learning Center on SLIDA’s campus in Colombo.
The event was launched by the release of the draft report on a National All Hazard Disaster Warning System written by local and international experts. This draft report emerged from an Expert Consultation that was held in January 26, 2005 where broad input was obtained from Sri Lankans with disaster management expertise, experts in hazard warning and the public who responded to newspaper advertisements. The primary purpose of the video news conference was to discuss the concept paper with the…
Tags: Colombo, disaster warning systems, Distance Learning, Distance Learning Center on SLIDA, Hawaii, Media coverage, Rohan Samarajiva, SLIDA\'s campus, Sri Lanka, streaming video, Vancouver, Vanguard Foundation.
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