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PREPAREDNESS AND MITIGATIONIN THE AMERICAS
Issue No. 87 News and Information for the International Disaster Community April 2002
Pan American Health OrganizationRegional Office of the
World Health Organization
INSIDENews from
PAHO/WHO 2Other
Organizations 3Member
Countries 4Publications and
Multimedia 6Selected
Bibliography 8
Transparency is Not a One-Way StreetEditorial
In recent years, the international community hasfocussed its attention, and rightly so, on the needfor good governance in developing countries.
Today, transparency and accountability are no longerjust slogans but prerequisites for aid from abroad.
Humanitarian aid, which has seen its share ofabuses and mismanagement in the Americas andglobally is no exception. In the past, the misuse ofdonations, whether material or financial, hasdeprived disaster victims of a significant source ofaid. Therefore, any improvements to the system inthe area of accountability would certainly benefitdisaster-stricken communities.
Unfortunately, the humanitarian community,including bilateral agencies, international organiza-tions and NGOs, often views transparency andaccountability as a one-way street, a strong dose ofmedicine to be administered to local governments inemergency or disaster situations. However, nationaldisaster coordinators in Latin American andCaribbean countries also have expressed frustrationat the lack of accountability on the part of the exter-nal humanitarian response when it comes to coordi-nating and justifying post-disaster actions.
As we know, reality is always more complex.Prejudices, politics, turf issues and other non-human-itarian considerations can influence the judgement ofnon-governmental or UN organizations as well as
What happens when you gather 25 high-level disastermanagers from governmental and non-governmentalorganizations? You create an opportunity to initiate
change in traditional disaster prevention, mitigation andresponse measures. This has been the goal of the LIDERES course
since 2000, as executives in the field have gathered in Ecuador, Costa Rica
ISSN 1564-0701
(cont. on page 7)
(cont. on page 7)
local governments. How then can we overcome thelingering feeling in disaster-affected countries thatemergency response is predominantly donor-driven,in response to press coverage and therefore publicopinion, rather than to priorities determined by localgovernments or communities?
Fortunately, the problem is being addressed in anincreasingly straightforward manner by the interna-tional community. The Red Cross System and NGOshave launched Sphere, a valuable initiative for set-ting standards for humanitarian relief and monitoring
Pho
to:
PAH
O/W
HO
, J. J
enki
ns
Transparency must apply to all actors in humanitarian operations.If governments are tasked with managing aid in a transparent andaccountable fashion, then agencies from outside the disaster-affect-ed country must be held to the same standards when managingother commodities such as information.
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas ¥ April 20022
Claude de Ville de Goyet Retires as Director ofPAHO’s Disaster Progam
News from PAHO/WHO
After more than 25 years at the helmof the Pan American HealthOrganization s Program on
Emergency Preparedness and DisasterRelief, Claude de Ville de Goyet retired asChief of the Program at the end of April2002. His career represents quite a journey. Upon completing medical school, Dr. de
Ville coordinated a joint UNDP/RedCross/Government of Niger famine
relief program and managed otherhealth and emergency relief pro-
grams in Zaire, Tunisia andSouth Africa. In 1976, he wasthe Executive Director of the
Research Center on Disaster Epidemiology(CRED) at the University of Louvain, Belgiumwhen a massive and destructive earthquake rav-aged Guatemala. This quake came on the heelsof two other major seismic events: the HuaylasCanyon earthquake in Peru 67,000 dead and150,000 injured and a magnitude 7.5 event inNicaragua, which left 10,000 dead and 400,000affected. The health sector in the Americas real-ized that it must improve its own performancethrough planning and training. In 1976, theMinisters of Health of PAHO s member coun-tries called on PAHO to establish a disaster unitto define the policy of the Organization, to for-mulate a plan of action for the various types ofdisasters . . .
Dr. de Ville, who worked in Guatemala fol-lowing the 1976 earthquake, was tapped to createthis new Program. Over the course of the next 25
years, he transformed a two-person office into atruly regional disaster reduction program for thehealth sector. Today there are more than 40 full-time staff in eight countries in Latin Americaand the Caribbean and the support of a multidis-ciplinary cadre of disaster focal points culledfrom among staff in PAHO s country officesthroughout the Hemisphere.
Claude de Ville will be known and remem-bered for many things. As one U.N. staff mem-ber said, he, . . . never tried to promote Dr. deVille de Goyet; was always innovative; neverwaved the flag of PAHO; always fighting to do abetter job for those who need help. To thosewords his colleagues add: architect and promoterextraordinaire of SUMA and CRID; avid pho-tographer of some of the Program s best slides;someone who has opened doors to other UNagencies, NGOs and non-traditional partnerssuch as diplomats, banks, the military and oth-ers; a visionary, never short of ideas or newways to solve old problems; and an unwaveringconviction that his job was to serve the disastercommunity of the Americas.
Few who have met Claude de Ville will forgethim. Few who have worked with him will denythat he has left an indelible mark on the disastercommunity. And all those in Latin America andthe Caribbean who live in conditions of vulnera-bility to disasters, are grateful for his pioneeringefforts in the field.
Dr. de Ville will remain active in the disasterfield. His new e-mail address is [email protected].
Dr. Jean Luc Poncelet has been appointedChief of PAHO s Program on EmergencyPreparedness and Disaster Relief as of 1
May 2002. A national of Belgium, he has degreesin medicine and public health. For the last 16years, he has served as a disaster expert in a series
of PAHO posts in Costa Rica, Antigua, Barbados,Ecuador, and since 1999, as regional adviser inPAHO headquarters in Washington. Dr. Ponceletcan be contacted by phone: (202) 974-3434; fax:(202) 775-4578 or e-mail at [email protected].
At the December
2001 Hemispheric
Conference on
Disaster Risk
Reduction in Costa
Rica, the Office of
U.S. Foreign Disaster
Assistance paid trib-
ute to Claude de
Ville, saying “…your
insight, creativity
and search for inno-
vative ways to over-
come challenges
have played an
immeasurable role in
reaching our collec-
tive goal of saving
lives and reducing
losses caused by dis-
asters. You have bro-
ken new ground and
opened new paths.”
New Leadership for PAHO Disaster Program
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas ¥ April 2002 3
Other Organizations
Alittle more than one year ago (see issues82 and 83 of this Newsletter), theRegional Disaster Information Center
(CRID), with support from the U.S. NationalLibrary of Medicine (NLM) and PAHO, began aproject to supportinformation centersin Honduras andNicaragua. Theresults have beenso positive thatNLM has expandedfinancing to includethree sites in ElSalvador. Theseinformation centersare now receivingsupport in the formof equipment toprovide Internet access and special-ized training on disaster informa-tion managementand the creation ofinformation ser-vices (databasesand web pages).
Two training ses-sions were heldduring 2001 (onein Costa Rica andanother at NLMheadquarters in theUS). In Hondurasand Nicaragua,progress is very visible, and in some centers, spec-tacular. In Tegucigalpa, the National MedicalLibrary, with enthusiasm and dedication, has usedsupport from the project as the cornerstone fordeveloping library services and reaching out tonational authorities, the academic sector and stu-dents. The support is more than just theoretical:the university has destined ten new computers tothis library. Where one year ago there was onlyone computer, today the library has network with13 computers with full Internet access. TheLibrary has replicated the training it has receivedthroughout the country for students, academic per-
sonnel, and disaster organizations such as thenational emergency committee, COPECO. Thelibrary s new web page http://cidbimena.desas-tres.hn is a positive example of the excellent localinitiative.
The commitment of the universityin San Pedro Sula, Honduras is alsoadmirable. The building destined tothis project has become the universi-ty s Disaster Information Center andits web page is on line at http://cid-curn.desastres.hn. A network of ten
computers (sevendonated by the uni-versity itself) offersinformation servicesnot only to the uni-versity community,but to all disasterorganizations in thearea.
In Nicaragua thetwo centers partici-pating in the project( the CIES HealthStudies Research
C e n t e r a n d t h eMedical Library of the University ofLe n) have also kept pace. TheCIES s new web page is online athttp://desastres.cies.edu.ni. NextSeptember, a third regional trainingevent will be held at the CIES. Thistraining will focus on more advanced
aspects of Internet use and on new technologies.This new effort is expected to strengthen activitiesin the three countries.
Thanks to this project, the CRID is convertingto digital format an important part of its biblio-graphic collection to make distribution easier,quicker and less expensive. More than 250 docu-ments are already available in electronic format onthe web. They have also been included on CD-ROM, which is available for use at all participat-ing centers. For more information on this project,contact [email protected].
Access to Information on Health and Disasters is Improving inCentral America Thanks to the CRID/NLM Project
Thanks to all those
who completed the
survey included
with the last issue
of the Newsletter.
There is still time
to voice your opin-
ion! If you still
have the survey
from the last issue,
please take a
moment to com-
plete it and send it
in. Don’t have a
survey? Please
and we will send
you an electronic
version. Thanks for
your help.
Member Countries
Panama: Disaster ManagementCourse
The School of Public Health, Faculty ofMedicine of the University of Panama initiated theIII Intensive Course on Health and DisasterManagement in April. PAHO and the SocialSecurity Institute of Panama support the course,which runs three evenings a week through the endof June 2002. The course follows the structureproposed by the Central American Commission onUniversity Education for Disasters and is similarto the LIDERES course. It targets hospital directorsand administrators, although it is not limited to thehealth sector. For more information contact Dr.Laura de Thomas, who is a 2001 graduate of the
LIDERES course, at fax (507) 262-8780 or e-mail:[email protected].
Around the Caribbean¥ Disaster management personnel in key
Caribbean institutions will soon begin partici-pating in Internet workshops to familiarize themwith disaster mitigation, preparedness andresponse tools on the Internet, including theVirtual Disaster Library, hazardous materialsdatabases and other reference and resource sites.The first pilot workshops will be organized inBarbados and St. Lucia, in coordination with theCaribbean Disaster Emergency ResponseAgency (CDERA), national disaster manage-ment organizations, as well as other relatedinstitutions.
¥ In preparation for hurricane season, nationalhealth disaster plans are being reviewed. Thebest plans undergo a constant testing process,through simulation exercises, to update andimprove them as necessary. Effective disasterplans deal not only with hurricanes, but alsocontain elements of a hospital plan, a masscasualty management plan (a serious threat forsmall countries year round), and a checklist formass gatherings.
¥ Public and private hospitals and smaller healthcenters in the Caribbean are receiving a stock ofdisaster mitigation publications to encouragethem to check their facilities and, where possi-ble, implement technical recommendations toprotect buildings before the start of the hurri-cane season.
For information on any of these initiatives, con-sult www.disaster.info.desastres.net/carib/ or writeto [email protected].
South America at a Glance¥ Technical cooperation among countries became
a reality in the Southern Cone with the visit ofrepresentatives from Brazil s Ministry of Healthand Civil Defense to Santiago, Chile. At a seriesof meetings with counterparts from Chile sMinistry of Health, External Relations,University of Chile, Civil Defense, NationalForest Corporation, SAMU, NationalFirefighters Commission, the Red Cross andthe Office for National, Brazilian disaster man-agers exchanged experiences and analyzed
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas ¥ April 20024
SUMA, the Humanitarian Supply Management Project, began in1992 with funding from the Government of the Netherlands. In thelast ten years, more than 3000 volunteers have been trained to use
SUMA software and manage humanitarian supplies. Additionally, nation-al SUMA teams, whose members represent many professions and institu-tions, have been set up to respond in disaster situations. The result of tenyears of hard work by the countries is that SUMA is the standard regionaltool for humanitarian supply management and has played asignificant role in all major disasters in the Americas.Initiatives are underway in other regions of the worldto adapt and use SUMA in a similar fashion.More at www. disaster.info.desastres.net/suma or from [email protected].
SUMA Turns 10!
Number of people trained in SUMA 1992-2001
Training, as a means of developing self-reliance in humanitarian supply management,is an important part of SUMA. However, some disasters are so overwhelming, espe-cially in smaller countries, that it may be unrealistic to expect local professionals tosort through incoming supplies. Other life-saving priorities will prevail! This is whenassistance among neighbors comes into play and accounts for, in part, the growingnumber of people trained to manage SUMA.
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas ¥ April 2002 5
bilateral assistance proposals with their col-leagues in Chile. Other achievements includedthe strengthening of relations between thehealth sector and Civil Defense, which willfacilitate the execution of joint disaster mitiga-tion, preparedness and response measures.
¥ Bolivia s Ministry of Health fulfilled its com-mitment to provide permanent personnel and aregular public budget to recently createdDisaster Preparedness and Response Unit. Thehard work of the staff from this department wasevident during the serious floods that occurredin February, where the Unit helped to coordi-nate the well-executed health response. The
Unit also has Internet access and its own website: www.digesa-bo.net.
¥ National and state-level disaster managers fromthe health sector and civil defense participatedin Brazil s National Planning Workshop inMarch, under the auspices of Brazil s Ministryof Health. PAHO/WHO and the Office of USForeign Disaster Assistance (OFDA/USAID)offered support as well. The workshop conclud-ed with the preliminary design of a nationaltraining program on disasters and health. Thiswill require approval of the health authorities inBrazil, technical support from PAHO and assis-tance with methodology from OFDA.
HurricaneSeason
Approaching!
“The 2002 hurricane
season will see more
hurricanes than aver-
age—including four
major storms,” this
according to
Colorado State
University Professor
William Gray and
his colleagues. The
WMO selects the
names for storms
and retires the
names of particularly
devastating hurri-
canes. Six lists of
names are used in
rotation. The names
of the 2002 hurri-
canes and tropical
storms in the Atlantic
are: Arthur, Bertha,
Cristobal, Dolly,
Edouard, Fay, Gustav,
Hanna, Isidore,
Josephine, Kyle, Lili,
Marco, Nana, Omar,
Paloma, Rene, Sally,
Teddy, Vicky and
Wilfred.
How far should journalists go in warningthe community about the probability ofan imminent disaster? This question,
along with others, was the subject of debatebetween Honduran journalists and the Ministryof Health in Honduras at a day-long workshopon information management during disasters.The journalistsreflected on themost critical pub-lic health issues indisaster manage-ment, such when,who and how tovaccinate? Whenshould journalistsreport certain dis-aster informationand how? How torequest interna-tional aid that fitswith the damageand needs assess-ment? Do epi-demics emerge after a disaster? The journalistswere particularly interested in risk and vulnera-bility reduction in Honduras, concluding thatthey can help to reduce vulnerability by using themedia to run public education campaigns onresource conservation and proper basic sanitation
in communities and homes.This meeting strengthened the relationship
between the media and the Honduran Ministry ofHealth, which also contributed valuable insightsfrom its disaster-related experiences. The mediacan help to ensure that the public is not undulyalarmed by sensationalistic news; health institu-
tions, on the otherhand, shouldmake correct anduseful informationavailable to thepublic in a timelyfashion. The beststrategy is one ofcoordination andinformation man-agement proto-cols, an excellentrole for HondurasP e r m a n e n tC o n t i n g e n c yC o m m i s s i o n(COPECO). Themedia suggested
holding a Central American meeting on the topicof information management in disasters. Formore information contact Beatriz Velez,PAHO/WHO Honduras at [email protected].
Journalists and Health Sector Meet in Honduras
Photo: IDB, D. Mangurian
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas ¥ April 20026
Publications and Multimedia
The publication The Storms of 98: HurricanesGeorges and Mitch. Impact, institutional response,and policies for disasters in three countries(authors Olson, Richard S.; Alvarez, Ricardo A;Baird, Bruce P.; Estrada, Amelia; Gawronski,Vincent T.; Sarmiento Prieto, Juan Pablo) waspublished earlier in English by the NaturalHazards Research Center of the University ofColorado.
This excellent publication has been translatedinto Spanish and is now available through the webpage of the Regional Disaster Information Center(CRID) at www.crid.or.cr/digitalizacion/pdf/spa/doc13932/doc13932.htm.
This study analyzes, with a critical eye, theimpact, the institutional response, and the disas-ter policies of Hurricane Georges in theDominican Republic (Sept. 1998) and Mitch inHonduras and Nicaragua in (Oct. 1998), including
the way the press dealtwith both disas-ters. Special atten-tion is paid to theway in which agen-cies and organizationsin these three coun-tries, which shouldhave been responsiblefor response and coor-dination, were margin-alized.
Download theSpanish version of the pub-lication from the CRID web site at the addressabove. The English version is on the web site ofthe Natural Hazards Center of the University ofColorado at www.colorado.edu/hazards/sp/sp38/sp38.html.
Julio Kuroiwa. 2002 (Spanish only)This comprehensive publication looks at
disaster prevention from an overall multidis-ciplinary point of view. In a departure from a
more traditional focus on this issue, this booklooks at aspects of social science and economics
and how they can be applied to reduce vulnera-bility to these natural phenomena. The publica-tion is the product of field studies carried out at
the site of the most important disasters in theAmericas in the last 30 years. Its ten chaptersrange from geological phenomena to climatologi-cal disasters to reducing social vulnerability.
For an overview of the content of each chapter,visit the publication s web site at: www.reducciondedesastresjk.com/. For information onordering write to: [email protected].
This updated catalog contains all PAHO andWHO publications on important public healthissues, reflecting current knowledge of new andold problems, ongoing research, and importanthealth achievements in the Americas. It alsoincludes several publications that PAHO hascoedited with organizations such as the WorldBank, the American Association of Public Health,and the American Cancer Society. Disasters,health and equity, communicable and noncommu-nicable diseases, health promotion, and environ-mental health are but a few of themes addressed
by the works included.Visit the PAHO pub-
lications web page athttp://publications.paho.org/english/index.cfmto download the cata-log or browse throughthe site to see what isavailable. For a printcopy of the catalog,e-mail [email protected].
PAHO Publications Catalog 2002Includes Disaster Publications
Disaster Reduction: Living in Harmony with Nature
A Critical Look at Hurricanes Georges and Mitch
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas ¥ April 2002 7
compliance. The result is that transparency andaccountability in the relief activities of larger NGOsare expected to improve.
The UN should pursue similar efforts towardimproving transparency and participation. One wayis to step up consultation with national experts in theearly planning stage as well as during the implemen-tation of a relief operation. The evolution ofUNDAC, the UN Disaster Assessment andCoordination team, from a predominantly donorbody to a subregional team and capacity, is a positivestep. Another way is to include expert representativesfrom affected or at-risk recipient countries in exter-nal reviews or evaluations of major UN humanitarianinitiatives. We can only share the concern of PAHO sMember Countries when noting that funding govern-ments are the only ones represented in the reviewgroups of important initiatives such as OCHA sMilitary and Civil Defense Unit (MDCU). Indeed,civil-military coordination is a matter of prime sensi-tivity in Latin America. Perhaps this shortcoming isthe result of an over-emphasis on so-called complexdisasters, where governments are either nonexistentor part of the problem itself.
A broad consultation process with UN diplomaticmissions should be complemented by similar initia-tives that allow national experts, vested with theoperational responsibility for disaster management intheir country, to participate.
On the bright side, the UN is making significantprogress in several areas. As noted earlier, OCHA istransforming the post-disaster role of the UNDACteam from a tool that served the UN Coordinator intoan instrument to strengthen local authorities who are
responsible for humanitar-ian assistance and coordi-nation. This changing rolewas apparent in the wakeof the flash floods in LaPaz, Bolivia in February2002, when OCHA direct-ed UNDAC s technicalsupport toward the affect-ed municipality.
Confirming this encour-aging shift, OCHA, with the collaboration of PAHOand CEPREDENAC, the Center for the Coordinationof Natural Disaster Prevention in Central America,will organize a workshop in Costa Rica at the end ofMay to discuss ways and means of improving thiscoordination. Representatives from Ministries ofForeign Affairs, Civil Defense and the health sectorwill review with UN officials and UNDAC expertspast experiences in this Region.
Still, much remains to be done to transform inter-national humanitarian assistance (particularly follow-ing natural disasters in countries with legitimate andfunctional governments) from a short-term charityoperation into a participatory process that respectsboth the authority and the limitations of local institu-tions. Of special concern is the impact that foreignmilitary humanitarian interventions can have on frag-ile civilian leadership. Without a doubt, a mechanismmust be sought to ensure that the voice of civilianinstitutions in developing countries carries its dueweight, both in operations and in the UN review ofuse of military and civil defense assets.
A One-Way Street?(from page 1)
LIDERES Course in Mexico(from page 1)
and Argentina for the intensive 18-day course onmanagerial aspects of disaster risk reduction.
The fourth LIDERES course will take place inCuernavaca, Mexico from October 7-24, 2002.It is an excellent opportunity to tackle challengesand exchange knowledge and experiences withdisaster managers from different parts of thehemisphere. Although the course has theoreticalcomponents, it relies heavily on discussion and
analysis of new proposals. Consequently, LIDERES
is a participatory and interactive course.For more information, visit the website
www.disaster.info.desastres.net/LIDERES. Directinquiries to [email protected] or to Dr.Adriana Ramirez Sanchez of the National Instituteof Public Health in Mexico (co-organizer of thecourse) at [email protected].
Over the last two
decades, countries
that are vulnerable to
disasters have gar-
nered a great deal of
disaster management
expertise. The
UNDAC will study
ways to incorporate
the knowledge and
experience of these
experts into future
assessment missions
in the Americas.
Pho
to:
PAH
O/W
HO
, J. J
enki
ns
Selected Bibliography
The articles listed in this section may be of interest to health professionals and othersresponsible for disaster preparedness, mitigation and relief. They have been repro-duced and recently added to the collection of articles available from the Editor of thisNewsletter. A complete list of reprints is available upon request. Please quote the ref-erence code listed to the left of the publication title when requesting articles.
Alvarez Gutierrez, Sergio. Salud ambiental en el contexto de losdesastres naturales. REPINDEX (67):1-12; April, 1999.
Gilgan, Megan. The rationality of resistance: alternatives forengagement in complex emergencies. The Journal of DisasterStudies, Policy and Management; 25(1): 1-18; March, 2001.
Glass, Thomas A. and Monica Schoch-Spana. Bioterrorism and thepeople: how to vaccinate a city against panic. ConfrontingBiological Weapons; No. 34, Jan. 2002.
Parker, Dennis et al. Reducing vulnerability following flood disas-ters: Issues and practices. Reconstruction after disasters: Issues andpractices. Aldershot, Brookfield, Ashgate Publishing, 23-44, 1997.
Drabek, Thomas E. Disaster Warning and Evacuation Responses byPrivate Business Employees. The Journal of Disaster Studies, Policyand Management; 25(1): 76-94. March 2001.
Wisner, Ben. Lessons from Cuba? Hurricane Michelle. LondonSchool of Economics. Development Studies of Economics, Nov.2001. 6p.
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Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in theAmericas is the Newsletter of the EmergencyPreparedness and Disaster Relief CoordinationProgram of the Pan American Health Organization,Regional Office for the Americas of the World HealthOrganization. The reported events, activities and pro-grams do not imply endorsement by PAHO/WHO,nor do the statements made necessarily represent thepolicy of the Organization. The publication of thisNewsletter has been made possible through the finan-cial support of the International HumanitarianAssistance Division of the Canadian InternationalDevelopment Agency (IHA/CIDA), the Office ofForeign Disaster Assistance of the U.S. Agency forInternational Development (OFDA/AID), and theDepartment for International Development of the U.K.
Correspondence and inquiries should be addressedto:
The EditorDisasters: Preparedness and Mitigationin the AmericasPan American Health Organization525 Twenty-third Street, N.W.Washington, D.C. 20037, U.S.A.Tel: 202-974-3522 • Fax: 202-775-4578E-mail: [email protected]/disasters/
Regional Disaster Information Center
Apdo. 3745-1000, San José, Costa Rica
Fax: (506) 231-5973
E-mail: [email protected]
www.crid.or.cr
Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the AmericasPan American Health Organization525 Twenty-third Street, N.W.Washington, D. C. 20037-2895
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