The International Telecommunication Union along with the Commonwealth
Telecommunication Organization (CTO) organized a three-day Forum 26-28 September
on Using ICT for Effective Disaster Management. The meeting at
Ochos Rios, Jamaica adopted a road map for better coordination in the use of
state-of-the-art information and communication technologies (ICT) aimed at
improved disaster preparedness and mitigation. This includes:
formulation of appropriate policies
deployment of appropriate technologies
ratification and implementation of the Tampere
Convention for free movement of technical equipment in case of disaster
capacity building for users of ICT services and
applications
establishment of national platforms that help
countries to be ready to use ICT when disasters strike
development of common regional strategies on
integrating ICT in all phases of disaster mitigation: early warning,
preparedness, response and relief
Speaking at the opening session of the Forum, Mr Philip Paulwell, Minister of
Industry, Technology, Energy & Commerce of Jamaica, reiterated that the
Caribbean countries are among the most vulnerable areas in the world to tropical
cyclonic events. "Following the 2004 Ivan hurricane disaster and Emily in 2005
it became evident that the lack of communications was one of the significant
weaknesses of the regional disaster management framework," Mr Paulwell said.
"Both intra-agency communications as well as public information have been
identified as requiring improvement." He added that we should "move forward
through the creation of an effective process for the development of
early-warning information using ICT and media broadcast technologies, develop a
publicly accessible website containing real-time disaster monitoring
information, and implement a regional database of survey results and findings
for selected disaster events to support the project’s engagement with
policy-makers."
The three-day forum focused on improving early-warning communication and
disaster preparedness in the Caribbean region, developed practical tools to
augment national disaster management strategies and initiatives, built effective
relationships among national and regional stakeholders in effective disaster
management and mitigation, assessed the impact of recent disasters and discussed
the role of ICTs in disaster risk prevention, preparedness, relief and
reconstruction.
Still reeling from the aftermath of the 2005 hurricane season, the most active
and destructive in history, experts in the Caribbean region decided to look the
storms in the eye and prepare for future disasters. In 2005, a record number of
27 storms and as many as 13 hurricanes pounded the vulnerable Caribbean
coastline. These included Hurricane Wilma, the most intense in recorded history,
and Katrina, the most destructive with an estimated USD 50 billion in insured
damage.
Access to information is of paramount importance in the immediate aftermath
of a disaster for relief agencies to coordinate search-and-rescue, medical
intervention and rehabilitation efforts. There is an urgent need to establish
effective and comprehensive communication links between the affected area,
national disaster response facilities, and with the larger international
community. This is particularly important for countries with fragile economies
and countries with special needs, such as least developed countries and Small
Island Developing States.
Focusing on the vulnerable
The poor are most at risk in the event of natural disasters and bear the
brunt of any catastrophe. They are also the first to be further marginalized as
overall development and economic growth suffer major setbacks in the aftermath.
The Doha Action Plan adopted at ITU’s World Telecommunication Development
Conference 2006 focused attention on emergency telecommunications in least
developed countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). "A number
of initiatives are already off the ground," said Cosmas Zavazava, Head of ITU’s
unit for Least Development Countries, Small Island Developing States and
Emergency Telecommunications. "One of the key elements relates to the promotion
of ‘emergency telecommunications readiness’ rather than to response and relief."
The Caribbean region is the first to initiate a high-level event to tackle the
issue, and this will be replicated in other regions, Zavazava added. This
follows successful deployments of satellite terminals in Suriname following
catastrophic floods. Prior to this, deployments had been made in a number of
Asian countries following the tsunami and in Pakistan in the aftermath of this
year’s devastating earthquake.
Chairman of CTO, J. Paul Morgan applauded the cooperation between ITU, CTO and the Office of Utilities
Regulation, Jamaica, in organizing the event which provided a platform to
exchange ideas and facilitate the development of a Regional road map for
improving the use of ICT in Disaster management. "ICTs are the key to saving
lives and property because they enable the collection and timely dissemination
of accurate information on acts of nature," Mr Morgan said. "All of us must
remember that acts of nature only become natural disasters when we do not
prepare to mitigate their effects. I'm looking forward to the follow up
event so that we can chart the progress that has been made on the agreed actions
from this inaugural forum. Indeed with the information and best practices
gathered from our previous Asian forum and future Pacific and African events
next year I believe that the 2007 conference will be even more important in
shaping the region's planning."
Attending the event were senior government
and telecommunication regulatory officials, private sector organizations,
Caribbean donor groups and senior regional coordination and intergovernmental
bodies, as well as disaster management agencies from the Caribbean region such
as the Caribbean Telecommunication Unions (CTU), the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), Caribbean Association of National
Telecommunication (CANTO), Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency
Management of Jamaica (ODPEM), among others.
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