Foreword
Most of the world’s natural disasters occur in Asia and the Pacific. They cause enormous destruction and human suffering in the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) developing member countries (DMCs). Environmental degradation, which is often a result of economic development and associated human settlement patterns that ignore appropriate resource management, can increase a country’s vulnerability to natural hazards and exacerbate the impacts. As a development institution, ADB is quite concerned about the rising incidence and impact of natural disasters in Asia and the Pacific region.
Losses
from natural disasters reduce the pace of sustained economic development
and often lead to a heavy drain on available resources, diverting them from
pursuing developmental aims. Preparing for disaster situations and, if possible,
preventing them is considered by many as an integral part of development
planning focusing on achieving sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and
environmental balance. ADB shares this view.
In addition to utilizing its normal project lending operations for incorporating disaster-mitigation measures into developmental activities and financing disaster-rehabilitation projects, ADB may rely on its technical assistance facility for promoting disaster mitigation. Such assistance is available to its DMCs for the formulation of disaster-mitigation plans, devising mitigation strategies, and designing measures to carry them out. This type of ADB assistance is available on either a regional, country, or project level. An example of technical assistance on the regional level is the present effort by ADB to assist its DMCs to gain a better understanding of disaster risks and vulnerability to natural hazards, and to focus their attention on disaster management issues.
This Handbook, as well as the first volume Disaster Mitigation in Asia and the Pacific published in July 1991, are products of the ADB-financed Regional Seminar on Disaster Mitigation, October 1990. XIV Disaster Management
The principal concept underlying this handbook is that modern disaster management is very much an ongoing national requirement, important to governments and people alike. It has special significance today because of increasing dangers to the world environment posed by natural hazards and their effects on economic development. To be effective, disaster management should be implemented as a comprehensive and continuous activity, not as a periodic reaction to individual disaster circumstances. Consequently, national officials who are charged with disaster management responsibilities have to deal with a wide range of policy, planning, organizational, operational, and other matters.
It is clearly beneficial for them to have access to relevant guidelines and advice, especially in the form of a ready-reference handbook. The handbook draws upon disaster management practices in the region and endeavors to relate realistically to the needs of national disaster managers. It covers the broad disaster management field and offers guidelines on the major segments that constitute that field. The handbook does not attempt to deal with highly specialized aspects of disasters such as detailed economic, technical, and sociological issues.
These are more the concern of specialists who are normally available to provide the relevant advice. The reader should find the handbook simple and straightforward to use. Individual chapters are
as self-contained as possible, with adequate cross-references where necessary. Its content is not dogmatic, instead it takes an advisory line, including options and case material references to help disaster managers in resolving their local needs. This contributes to the application of past experiences accrued within the region and, where appropriate, elsewhere.
ADB’s chief consultant and lead author for this handbook was Air Vice Marshal Nick Carter. In putting these guidelines together, he has drawn upon more than 50 years of experience: first, during the Second World War when civil defense was, for many people, essential to survival; second, in civil unrest which is a problem that continues to plague the region; third, in strategic planning for the ultimate disaster, nuclear war; fourth, as director for 10 years of the Australian Counter Disaster College; fifth, for another 12 years, as an international disaster consultant undertaking numerous missions throughout Asia and the Pacific, and sixth, but by no means least, as a victim of one of the worst bushfires ever to strike Australia.
Thanks are due to the Director and staff of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, our consultants for the overall exercise, who also saw to the timely completion of the handbook; to the Governments of the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Queensland that have generously permitted the reproduction of their disaster legislation here; and the panel of experts who reviewed an earlier draft of the handbook: The Honorable Secretary Dr. Mita Pardo de Tavera (Philippines), Leith Anderson (Papua New Guinea), Hugh Brammer (United Kingdom), Nelson Delailomaloma (Fiji Islands), Charitha Ratwatte (Sri Lanka), and George Ritchie (United Kingdom). On the ADB’s side, the work was initiated and coordinated by Dr. Werner M. Schelzig of the Development Policy Office. Their contributions are gratefully acknowledged.
The publication of this handbook brings ADB activities under TA 5353-REG, Regional Study of Disaster Mitigation, to an end. I am pleased to note that judging from the overwhelmingly positive response we have had to the regional seminar and the first volume published, we have reason to believe that the findings of TA 5353-REG, as expressed in the two publications at hand, form a solid base for further action. ADB stands ready to continue its dialogue on disaster mitigation with its DMCs and in close cooperation with the international community, with a view to making disaster management an integral part of development planning in the region and a regular practice.
In addition to utilizing its normal project lending operations for incorporating disaster-mitigation measures into developmental activities and financing disaster-rehabilitation projects, ADB may rely on its technical assistance facility for promoting disaster mitigation. Such assistance is available to its DMCs for the formulation of disaster-mitigation plans, devising mitigation strategies, and designing measures to carry them out. This type of ADB assistance is available on either a regional, country, or project level. An example of technical assistance on the regional level is the present effort by ADB to assist its DMCs to gain a better understanding of disaster risks and vulnerability to natural hazards, and to focus their attention on disaster management issues.
This Handbook, as well as the first volume Disaster Mitigation in Asia and the Pacific published in July 1991, are products of the ADB-financed Regional Seminar on Disaster Mitigation, October 1990. XIV Disaster Management
The principal concept underlying this handbook is that modern disaster management is very much an ongoing national requirement, important to governments and people alike. It has special significance today because of increasing dangers to the world environment posed by natural hazards and their effects on economic development. To be effective, disaster management should be implemented as a comprehensive and continuous activity, not as a periodic reaction to individual disaster circumstances. Consequently, national officials who are charged with disaster management responsibilities have to deal with a wide range of policy, planning, organizational, operational, and other matters.
It is clearly beneficial for them to have access to relevant guidelines and advice, especially in the form of a ready-reference handbook. The handbook draws upon disaster management practices in the region and endeavors to relate realistically to the needs of national disaster managers. It covers the broad disaster management field and offers guidelines on the major segments that constitute that field. The handbook does not attempt to deal with highly specialized aspects of disasters such as detailed economic, technical, and sociological issues.
These are more the concern of specialists who are normally available to provide the relevant advice. The reader should find the handbook simple and straightforward to use. Individual chapters are
as self-contained as possible, with adequate cross-references where necessary. Its content is not dogmatic, instead it takes an advisory line, including options and case material references to help disaster managers in resolving their local needs. This contributes to the application of past experiences accrued within the region and, where appropriate, elsewhere.
ADB’s chief consultant and lead author for this handbook was Air Vice Marshal Nick Carter. In putting these guidelines together, he has drawn upon more than 50 years of experience: first, during the Second World War when civil defense was, for many people, essential to survival; second, in civil unrest which is a problem that continues to plague the region; third, in strategic planning for the ultimate disaster, nuclear war; fourth, as director for 10 years of the Australian Counter Disaster College; fifth, for another 12 years, as an international disaster consultant undertaking numerous missions throughout Asia and the Pacific, and sixth, but by no means least, as a victim of one of the worst bushfires ever to strike Australia.
Thanks are due to the Director and staff of the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center at the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok, Thailand, our consultants for the overall exercise, who also saw to the timely completion of the handbook; to the Governments of the Cook Islands, Papua New Guinea, and Queensland that have generously permitted the reproduction of their disaster legislation here; and the panel of experts who reviewed an earlier draft of the handbook: The Honorable Secretary Dr. Mita Pardo de Tavera (Philippines), Leith Anderson (Papua New Guinea), Hugh Brammer (United Kingdom), Nelson Delailomaloma (Fiji Islands), Charitha Ratwatte (Sri Lanka), and George Ritchie (United Kingdom). On the ADB’s side, the work was initiated and coordinated by Dr. Werner M. Schelzig of the Development Policy Office. Their contributions are gratefully acknowledged.
The publication of this handbook brings ADB activities under TA 5353-REG, Regional Study of Disaster Mitigation, to an end. I am pleased to note that judging from the overwhelmingly positive response we have had to the regional seminar and the first volume published, we have reason to believe that the findings of TA 5353-REG, as expressed in the two publications at hand, form a solid base for further action. ADB stands ready to continue its dialogue on disaster mitigation with its DMCs and in close cooperation with the international community, with a view to making disaster management an integral part of development planning in the region and a regular practice.
WILLIAM R. THOMSON
Vice President (Operations)
Asian Development Bank
February 1992
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