Representatives of disaster authorities from six Pacific countries came together this week in Fiji to review their use of data after disasters.
According to the UNDP, countries and territories in the region have reported 615 natural disasters over the past three decades that cost their economies around $US4.4 billion dollars.
In 2005 small island nations began conducting post-disaster needs assessments or PDNAs to ensure adequate support was given to areas worst affected by disasters and try and build some resilience to future disasters.
On Wednesday and Thursday a regional review of this process was undertaken in Fiji by representatives of disaster authorities from six Pacific countries.
It was faciliated by UN consultant and disaster assessment expert Asha Kambon.
Dr Kambon spoke with Koroi Hawkins who began by asking her to explain what conducting a PDNA involves.
Makarita from Nukubalavu Village watches as her house is rebuilt after Cyclone Winston
Photo: Supplied/Fiji Red Cross
Transcript
ASHA KAMBON: A post-disaster needs assessment is an assessment of the extent of the effect, including both the damage which is the economic cost of the infrastructure and assets and the losses which is the economic value of the chance in economic flows. Rather large idea. But it is the loss of lets say income and livelihoods and revenue. As a result of an event. Such as a disaster a hazard of any kind that becomes a disaster.
KOROI HAWKINS: And why is it important that the Pacific review its Post Disaster Needs Assessment at this time?
AK: Okay the Pacific I think is at a good mid-point where they have undertaken maybe since about 2003 to now they have undertaken about eight or so PDNAs as they are called. Post Disaster Needs Assessments. And it is a good stock taking time to see how has the information been used? How has it been received? Whether it has had the intended effect? Now when you undertake a post-disaster needs assessment the most important thing is not only are you trying to put some cost some economic value to the extent of the event to the country and its economy and the society and so on as a whole. But you are also trying to identify what the cost for recovery will be. And once those costs are identified they have to be detailed in terms of based on people's needs and the needs of the various sectors of the economy. Then it becomes important to see whether or not all that information has been used and how it has been used. Has it been used for planning? For distribution of resources? And it is a good opportunity to see whether or not people require more training. How deep is the whole process? And so on. So that is actually what is happening now over these next couple of days.
KH: It is almost a constant barrage of natural disasters though for the Pacific. It has a annual cyclone season there are often natural disasters and floods. So it is almost a constant state of post-disaster isn't it? How does that work into this model?
AK: Right well the thing of it is whether events occur annually or they occur every three or four years. Remember a government prepares its budget annually. It needs to know how to spend its resources. It needs to know which sectors have been affected worst. Whether or not you have to move money from one area of the country lets say from a plan to build houses to help the agriculture sector which has been more affected than the other sector. So if you did nothing. If there were events every year and you never assessed them to find our which sectors of your economy were worst affected and which geographic areas were hardest hit. Then governments would be planning and planning on their budgeting cycles and so on without information. It would be like shooting in the dark. So you have got to undertake the assessment so that you can understand the costs that have come upon you as a result of a disaster. And you can plan to use your resources better. Now theoretically and in fact governments then decide to utilise their resources to build some resilience. So that the next time things happen it won't affect as many people maybe as the first occasion. Or it will not hit a sector of the economy as hard as it has hit them before.
KH: So how long have Pacific governments or countries been shooting in the dark as you put it and are they still shooting in the dark?
AK: Well I would say I mean countries have been experiencing hazards of tropical cyclones forever. But remember people used their own traditional knowledge to make decisions about how they would do things better and so on. But of course societies are modernised now and therefore we are facing different risks. For instance in some territories people may build hotels right on the beach. Because that is where tourists want to be. And yet storm surge may knock those out. So are we putting things in place such as risk financing insurance policies are we making regulations for how those things will happen? And I think about, I would say about mid 2005 - 2008 governments have been engaged in undertaking PDNAs now. And so there are more and more countries in the region, it is eight now that is eight more than there were before who have been trained and who are engaged in undertaking PDNAs and so on. And the hope is that they will be able to share this information with the other territories and countries in the Pacific and build up a good sturdy body of knowledge that allows people to plan more effectively for disasters.
To embed this content on your own webpage, cut and paste the following:
See terms of use.