Lead centre: LIRNEasia - Contact: Ayesha Zainudeen
Hazards arise in the physical world. The hazard, if it is witnessed by human beings is warning in itself; the advice that is given to the citizens of Hawai'i about local tsunamis that may be created by proximate earthquakes exemplifies this: "your feet are your signal; if you feel an earthquake, head for high ground." If the hazard goes unnoticed by humans and the detection devices employed by humans, like an underwater landslide for instance, the hazard could not only become a disaster, but it would go undetected by the human world. The aim of disaster warning is to prevent a hazard from becoming a disaster. In order to accomplish this, accurate and credible warning must be communicated to the vulnerable population as rapidly as possible, as far in advance of the physical effects as possible. That is, the physical occurrence must be represented in the symbolic world as soon as possible.
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Dam-related Hazard Warning System |
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Written by Rohan Samarajiva et al
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Monday, 23 January 2006 |
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LIRNEasia in collaboration with The Vanguard Foundation, Sri Lanka National Committee on Large Dams (SLNCOLD), Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) and Sarvodaya has released A Concept Paper for a Dam-related Hazard Warning System in Sri Lanka: A Participatory Study on Actions Required to Avoid and Mitigate Dam Disasters. The paper is one of the outputs of the ICT and Disaster Warning topic of the current WDR research cycle. |
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Mobilizing information and communications technologies for effective disaster warning |
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Written by Rohan Samarajiva
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Saturday, 17 December 2005 |
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 As an output of the research on ICTs and disaster warning, Rohan Samarajiva, Executive Director of LIRNEasia has published a policy commentary in the journal New Media and Society, (Vol. 7, No. 6, December 2005) "Mobilizing information and communications technologies for effective disaster warning: lessons from the 2004 tsunami".
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Draft report: Actions Required to Avoid and Mitigate Dam Disasters |
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Written by Ayesha Zainudeen
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Friday, 01 July 2005 |
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LIRNEasia has published a draft paper based on research and an Expert Consultation held 20 May 2005 with participation of experts representing several decades’ worth of experience in several key Sri Lankan dam administration authorities.
Among the reports conclusions is: Last mile dissemination of disaster alerts and warnings should be well planned, with multiple redundant media and channels, ranging from cell broadcasts that will be limited to coverage areas of specific base stations to use of mosque loudspeakers and temple bells.
Comments on this Interim Concept Paper can be submitted until Wednesday 20 July 2005. |
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National Early Warning System: Sri Lanka |
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Written by Rohan Samarajiva et al
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Tuesday, 15 March 2005 |
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A Participatory Concept Paper for the Design of an Effective All-Hazard Public Warning System
The objective of this concept paper is to provide recommendations for the parameters and specifications of a national early warning system appropriate for Sri Lanka, with adequate regional and global linkages capable of conveying warning messages of any scale or type in the event of an impending hazard. |
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Special Dossier: Emergency Communication |
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Friday, 21 January 2005 |
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 The recent tsunami disaster in Asia would have been much less severe if modern ICTs had been employed in an effective disaster warning system. Yet the research and policy discussions on universal access, the digital divide and network development rarely even mention disaster warning as a service for which there should be universal access. Why not? A special dossier compiled by the World Dialogue on Regulation answers this and other questions on the role of regulators and policymakers in ensuring that adequate emergency communications are available.
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Regulatory Design for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery: The Missing Link |
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Written by Aad Correljé
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Tuesday, 18 January 2005 |
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Regulatory Design for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery by Infrastructure Providers: South Asian Experience - The Missing Link
The dramatic impact of the Tsunami on the shores of the Indian Ocean demonstrates the crucial importance of effective, all-embracing communication systems and very soon after the disaster hit articles began to appear arguing that many people could have saved their lives, if they had received a timely warning, via telephone, email or radio… Most of these focused on the technical aspects, ignoring the manner in which communication infrastructures are embedded within public policy frameworks and economic regulation. In his review of a study by Leena Srivastava and Rohan Samarajiva, Aad Correljé examines the missing link. |
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