Disaster Management Activities in Sri Lanka by Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi (Retd)

1. Disaster Management Activities in Sri Lanka by Major General Gamini Hettiarachchi (Retd) Director General Disaster Management Centre

2. Post Tsunami Disaster Risk Reduction Measures • Legal and Institutional frameworks. • Road Map • Capacity building, Preparedness measures and reaction capacities. • Early Warning systems including forecasting, dissemination of warnings and Last Mile activities.

3. Legal and Institutional Frameworks

4. Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act; No.13 of 2005 • Provides for a Framework for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) in Sri Lanka • Addresses Disaster Management (DM) holistically, leading to a policy shift from response based mechanisms to a proactive approach

5. Hazards that come under the purview of the DMC • Air Raids • Civil or Internal Strife • Chemical Accidents • Radiological Emergency • Oil Spills • Nuclear Disaster • Urban and Forest Fire • Coastal Erosion • Tornadoes, Lightening Strikes and Severe Thunder Storms • Floods • Droughts • Landslides • Industrial Hazards • Tsunami (Seismic Wave) • Earthquakes • Air Hazards • Fire • Epidemics • Explosions

6. National Council For Disaster Management Ministers in charge of Ministers in charge of Social Services National Council for Disaster Management Chair Person : H.E. President Vice Chairman: Hon. Prime Minister Police Rehabilitation & Reconstruction Finance Land Home Affairs Fisheries & Aquatic Resources Health Science & Technology Foreign Affairs Ministry of Disaster Management & Human Rights Water Supply Housing Highways Coast Conservation Urban Development Irrigation Education Power DMC Environment Defence

7. The Disaster Management Centre (DMC) was established in August 2005 as the lead agency in disaster risk management in the country • In December 2005, the Ministry for Disaster Management was established. On January 2006, above Ministry was renamed as the Ministry of Disaster Management & Human Rights with human right portfolio being added to the Ministry

8. Organizational Structure Disaster Management Centre National Level Disaster Management Centre (Director General) National Consultants Tech. Com. in each division Risk Assessment, Data Collection, Research & Analysis Centre Disaster Management Technology, Mitigation Unit Multi-Hazard Early warning & Dissemination Unit Preparedness Planning Unit Training, Education & Public Awareness Unit 24 x 7 National Emergency Operation Centre Personnel & Administration Branch Finance Branch Media Unit Intermediate & Local Levels District Emergency Operation Centres (DRM Coordinators) Disaster Management Assistants

9. Radio Comm SLT/ Dialog, SMS Fax Internet Satellite com Cell Broad. Police Com Military Com Warning Towers DEWNS Radio / TV Speaker Sys. Bells / Sirens Messengers Riders / Cyclers Multi-Hazards Warning Dissemination System Atomic Energy Authority PWTS DOM NBRO NARA DOI GSMB CCD Regional & International Organizations Receiving Early Warnings Government Agencies, Critical Agencies & Stakeholders Police Media & General Public Military UN System, INGOs, NGOs Multi-Hazards Early Warning Dissemination Unit of the DMC Out Puts Dissemination of Warning 24/7 Emergency Operation Rooms Provincial Councils District Secretariats Divisional Secretariats Local Authorities Police Stations Hospitals Government Dpt. NGOs, CBOs District Disaster Management Committee Divisional Disaster Management Committee Villa level DM Committees

10. 24 x 7 National Emergency Operations Centre

11. Relief and response work during recent flood & landslidedisasters in the country has been coordinated effectively

12. Disaster Risk Management Mechanism at Sub-national Level District Secretary District Disaster Management Committee Disaster Management Centre Prov. Level Disaster Management Committee Emergency Op. Rooms Local Authority Committees Govt. Departments District Disaster Management Coordinators Military & Police Div. Level Committees Private Sector GN Committees NGOs/ Civil Societies Village volunteer Committees Business Communities Early Warning, Medical / Health, Search & Rescue, Camp Management & Security Committees

13. Devolved Disaster Management Framework • National Disaster Management Coordinating Committee • Provincial / District Disaster Management Committees • Divisional Disaster Management Committees • Community Disaster Management Committee • Sub Committees • Early Warning, • Medical / Health • Search & Rescue • Camp Management • Village Security

14. National DRM Committees • National advisory Committee • Emergency Response Committee • Disaster Victim Identification • Building Guideline Committee • Colombo Flood Committee

15. The Roadmap Towards a Safer Sri Lanka The Roadmap is a 10 year DRM framework to be addressed in a systematic manner with the involvement of all relevant stakeholders. These priorities of actions are consistent with the Sri Lanka DM Act No. 13 of 2005 and also in line with the Hyogo Framework For Action 2005-2015.

16. Community Capacity Building, Preparedness Measures & Response Capacities

17. Risk Awareness • & • Knowledge Building

18. Awareness and Knowledge Creation among the Stakeholders

19. Training of Stakeholders

20. Knowledge and Awareness Building in Communities and Stakeholders for Risk Reduction

21. Community Awareness

22. Participatory Hazard Mapping to identify safe routes and safe areas

23. Participatory Hazard Mapping in Vulnerable Communities

24. Community Evacuation Plans Mock Drills to ensure response capacities

25. Evacuation Mock Drills

26. Community De-briefing

27. Lidar Survey of the coastal belt was carried out with Italian Government sponsorship.

28. Community Response Capacity • Community response capacity enhance through the training of village level volunteers for the following; • First Aid • Life Saving • Swimming • Boat handling • Leadership (Outward Bound Training) • Search & Rescue • Camp Management

31. Preparedness & Response Plans • National Level Plans • Provincial Level Plans • District Level Plans • Divisional Level Plans • Gramaniladhari Level Plans

32. Preparation of SOPs Preparation of SOPs at National, District, Divisional and Community Levels.

33. Disaster Management Plans • School Preparedness Plans. • Institutional Preparedness Plans • Hospital Preparedness Plans for mass casualty transfer.

34. Building Codes • DMC has established a Committee for Development of Guidelines for Construction in Disaster Prone Areas • Hazard specific Building Codes for Landslides, Cyclone, Flood prone areas and for Seismic Activity has been finalized. • The Department of National Housing has compiled Building Codes for Tsunami prone areas which are pending finalization.

35. Early Warning Systems including Forecasting, Dissemination of Warnings and Last Mile Activities

36. Technical Agencies involved in issuing warnings • Meteorological Department • National Building Research Organization • Irrigation Department • Coast Conservation Department • National Aquatic Resources Agency • Geological Survey & Mines Bureau • Health Department (Epidemiology Unit)

37. Multi-Hazard Early Warning System Warning Given by Technical Agencies DMC & Other Relevant Agencies Vulnerable Communities

38. Methods of Dissemination • Mass Media (TV/Radio/News papers) • Police/Military Communication • Multi Hazard Warning Towers • DEWN Devices • HF/VHF Communications • Telephones/CDMA/GSM • Satellite Communication • Internet • Cell Broadcast/ SMS • RANET

39. Seeking a Reliable Communication System for “Last Mile” In cooperation with CBDM

40. Community level Last Mile Activity Messengers/RunnersMotor cyclists/Cyclists/Three WheelersSirens/Bells Speaker systems in villagesTelephone/MobilesPolice vehicles with speakersHand held VHF setDEWN TV RADIO RANET E-Communication TelephonesMobile/SMS Warning Towers

41. LANDSLIDE WARNING Near Real Time Landslide Early Warning NBRO Traditional communication systems in villages Public Announcements through Radio, TV (Cyclones, Floods, Landslides) Public Evacuation

42. Early Warning Network Observation Observation Information Transfer DOM DOI Information Transfer Data Analysis DMC NBRO District Community Warning Evacuation Warning Police Media Intra-gov. Network JICA Funded

43. End-to-End EW System in Pilot Project Grant Aid Project Satellite District DM Coordinator DMC AWS DOM DS Office Telephone Line Last Mile DOI Rainfall Gauge Waterlevel Gauge Pilot Project in Kelani River Basin

44. Grant Aid : Meteorological Information Network Real Time Monitoring of Meteorological Data 38 Automatic Weather Stations Satellite DOM

45. 50 x Tsunami Warning Towers in the coastal zones. • VHF / HF Radio Communication System to be established. • 10 line call centre to be established. • Establishment of 10 EOCs at District levels. • Establish community based Fire fighting capacity. • Community based rainfall assessment for localized Early Warning capacity. • Last Mile Warning Dissemination to be strengthened . • Vertical Tsunami evacuation structure to be built at selected locations.

46. National Level Activities • National DM plan to be approved • National Policy to be approved • DesInventar to be consolidated • SLDRN to be consolidated • Risk Profile to be completed • SMS & Cell broadcasting on going • Safety Day Celebration to be continued • CBDRM Manual • Streamlining gender to Disaster Management • ICS to be integrated • Ranet to be consolidated • Colombo Flood Mitigation Programme to be completed • JICA Projects on going • USTDA Projects (SIAC) • DM Communication & Response Capacity Development Project - ICET • Strengthening Local Authorities • UNESCAP – Communication Project • School Disaster Management Activity -UN OCHA funded • Environmental Project – Funded by the Korean Government

47. Consolidation of DM Activities in Line with the HFA

48. Thank You