About 3% of Asia’s land area is classified as a low elevation coastal zone, yet it is home to 13% of the region’s population and 18% of its urban population. Of the top 10 countries in the world with the largest population counts in low elevation coastal zones, eight are in Asia. Reducing risks through preparedness and mitigation is paramount, as migration away from these zones, though may be the most appropriate prevention measure, is not popular or acceptable. The project aims to reduce tsunami, storm surges, large waves, and other hazard risks in low-elevation coastal zones by strengthening institutional systems for end-to-end warning and building institutional capacities for the application of warning information products in decision-making.
Objectives:
- Strength institutional systems for end-to-end warning
- Build institutional capacities for the application of warning information products in decision-making
Activities:
- Strengthening institutional systems for end-to-end warning
- Connecting pilot communities to a national early warning system for 24/7 readiness
- Capacity building for the application of warning information products
- Capacity building for the generation of location-specific warning information products
- Regional sharing of experience, practice, lessons, and successes
Expected Outcomes and Performance Measures:
Monsoon Forum Reports
- Regular multi-stakeholder national forums gather information and assess disaster risk management and emergency preparedness capacities in participating countries, and assist them in planning at national to local levels to reduce risks, through the development of a basic set of standard operating procedures between the NMHSs, other stakeholders, and communities at risk.
- » A multi-stakeholder early warning national forum established in each target country
- » Number of multi-stakeholder national forums organized, with the participation of and recommendations from local institutions and authorities, NGOs and representatives from select at-risk communities
- » Number of visits made in each select community, and wider user feedback received
- Bangladesh
Bangladesh-3th Monsoon Forum Bangladesh-4th Monsoon Forum Bangladesh-5th Monsoon Forum Maldives
Maldives-First Monsoon Forum Myanmar
Myanmar-7th Monsoon Forum Myanmar-8th Monsoon Forum Myanmar-9th Monsoon Forum Myanmar-10th Monsoon Forum Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka-4th Monsoon Forum Sri Lanka-5th Monsoon Forum Sri Lanka-6th Monsoon Forum Sri Lanka-7th Monsoon Forum - Selected communities at-risk are connected to the warning system, with institutional capacity to receive and disseminate warnings 24/7 through effective communication pathways and to respond to emergencies.
- » Number of warning points connected to the early warning system at sub-national and national levels
- » Number of EOC volunteers trained in emergency operations
- » Number of communication pathways for receiving and disseminating warnings established at each EOC, and tested
- Selected communities at-risk use location-specific warning information products.
- » Number of sub-national and local working groups established
- » Number of local working groups trained in impact, vulnerability, capacity and user need assessments
- » Number of demonstration locations with risk profiles prepared
- » Thresholds for various hazard magnitudes and intensities in sites identified
- » Warning information needs in communities identified
- » Number of disaster managers trained in preparing impact outlooks and response options based on localized disaster risk information
- Report: Forecast Translation Training-Bangladesh
- Report: Forecast Translation Training-Maldives
- Report: Forecast Translation Training-Myanmar
- Report: Forecast Translation Training-Sri Lanka
- » Number of communities demonstrated to improve response to warning/ disaster risk information issued by NMHSs
- » Warning system gaps identified in locations
- Generation of location-specific warning information products, through the established WMO infrastructure including the RSMCs, with support from trained government institutions and local disaster management organizations.
- » Most relevant NWP techniques and products identified and analyzed for further cascading forecasting process
- » Data and products assessed as inputs for downscaling and documented
- » Uncertainties in forecasting products evaluated and documented for local application
- » Downscaled high-resolution disaster risk information generated and used by disaster management institutions in assessing potential impacts and possible response options
- » NMHS scientists from each target country demonstrate ability to produce tailored location-specific disaster risk information
- Countries in the Indian Ocean and Southeast Asia, which are not targeted by the project, learning from project experience, lessons and successes, express interest to replicate methods and tools.
- » Number of countries that participate each year, and share which tool, method, practice, etc. may be replicated
- » Number of country reports shared with ICG/IOTWS
- » Number of institutions informed of project progress, experiences and lessons
External Connections:
The project is implemented together with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). It builds on ongoing efforts in the target countries, such as by UNESCO/IOC on developing tsunami standard operating procedures in Myanmar, and UNDP on the establishment of Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs) and last-mile preparedness in small island communities in the Maldives.
Project Partners/Beneficiaries:
- Bangladesh
- » Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD)
- India
- » India Meteorological Department (IMD)
- Maldives
- » Maldives Department of Meteorology (DoM)
- Myanmar
- » Department of Meteorology and Hydrology (DMH)
- Sri Lanka
- » Sri Lanka Department of Meteorology (DoM)
- » Sri Lanka Disaster Management Centre of Sri Lanka (DMC)
- Thailand
- » Thai Meteorological Department (TMD)
- » Thailand’s National Disaster Warning Center (NDWC)
Information Resources:
Poster Photo Gallery e-Newsletter (Issue 1: October 2013) Video about Monsoon Forum
