Asia and Pacific Disaster Preparedness and Mitigation Programs Fact Sheet #1 FY 2009

Agency for International Development's (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The programs aimed to assist in the development of preparedness, mitigation, and emergency response capacities in the region. USAID/OFDA provided more than $42 million for ongoing preparedness and mitigation projects throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including nearly $4.9 million in FY 2009. The Program for the Enhancement of Emergency Response (PEER), Phase III, was implemented by the National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET) in Kathmandu. PEER promotes disaster preparedness through the development of national and regional cadres of professional emergency response instructors. The program assists local, regional, and national disaster management agencies in organizing and conducting training in medical first response, collapsed structure search and rescue, and hospital preparedness for mass casualties following a disaster. USAID/OFDA has provided $12,586,203 to date to support PEER, including $1.5 million in FY 2009. The Program for Hydrometeorological Risk Mitigation in Asian Cities (PROMISE) was implemented by the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) from 2005 to 2009. PROMISE promotes disaster preparedness through demonstration projects in six rapidly growing urban areas that have been significantly impacted by hydrometeorological disasters. In the target cities, ADPC has facilitated preparedness and mitigation action planning workshops, carried out hazard mapping and vulnerability assessments, and established community-based early warning mechanisms. USAID/OFDA funding since FY 2005 totals $2,221,916, including $366,630 in FY 2009. The Pacific Islands Disaster Assistance Program (PDAP) was implemented by The Asia Foundation (TAF) since 1995. The objectives of the program are to improve the capacity and performance of local and national disaster management agencies, develop and adapt training materials relevant to the region, and strengthen the capacity of South Pacific nations to organize and conduct disaster management courses. The program has expanded to include the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and USAID/OFDA provided $569,551 to PDAP in FY 2009. The Asia Flood Network (AFN) aims to strengthen the capacity of regional and national hydrometeorological institutions in climate, weather, and hydrological forecasting while directly involving communities at risk in reducing vulnerability to hydrometeorological hazards. AFN is jointly implemented by USAID/OFDA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Current activities are focused on Cambodia, China, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam in the Mekong river basin and Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Pakistan in the Ganges-Brahmaputra-Megna (GBM) basin. USAID/OFDA has provided a total of $2,729,927 for the program, including $150,000 in FY 2009. The Volcano Disaster Assistance Project (VDAP) provides technical assistance to national volcano monitoring organizations. In Asia, VDAP assists the Philippines Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHILVOLCS), the Center of Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (CVGHM) in Indonesia, and the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory and Rabaul Volcano Observatory (RVO) in Papua New Guinea. VDAP assistance includes training in hazard assessment, development of early warning plans, and installation and updating of volcano monitoring equipment. USAID/OFDA has provided a total of $4,275,000 to date to support VDAP, including $550,000 in FY 2009. The Disaster Needs and Damage Assessment Manual and Workshop is a program assisted by USAID/OFDA in developing a manual on disaster needs and damage assessment, adapting existing best practices to the Southeast Asian context. In FY 2008, USAID/OFDA staff facilitated a capacity-building workshop for ASEAN country focal points in the Philippines, the lead country for the initiative. USAID/OFDA provided $220,000 through USAID's Regional Development Mission in Asia to Nathan and Associates to promote disaster assistance capabilities in ASEAN. The Flash Flood Risk Reduction: Strengthening Capacity in the Hindu Kush-Himalayas program is implemented by USAID/OFDA in partnership with the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD). The project aims to build and strengthen the capacity of communities, community organizations, and national partners to reduce the risk of flash flood disaster in the Hindu Kush-Himalaya region, including China, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and other member countries. The project also aims to increase understanding of the physical and socioeconomic dimension of flash floods in the target areas, enhance and encourage transboundary coordination, and share lessons learned.