Originally published as Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal Volume 15 Number 1, 2006
ISBN: 1 84544 954 1
Guest edited by: Rajib Shaw, Kyoto University, Japan.
On the morning of 26 December 2004, an earthquake that measured 9.0 on the Richter scale hit the province of Aceh on the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. The resulting tsunami affected not only the Aceh area, but shores as far afield as Kenya, Somalia, and Tanzania.
Reconstruction to avoid long-term negative effects has posed a tremendous challenge to governments, international communities, professionals, practitioners, and the civil societies in bringing expertise and experiences together. In a vital collection of fifteen case studies, reviews and research papers published a year after the tsunami, this Special Issue outlines how the recovery process has been taking place and offers guidance on how lessons can be learned from the reconstruction process in pre-disaster mitigation activities worldwide.
Contents:
Indian Ocean tsunami and aftermath: Need for environment-disaster synergy in the reconstruction process
The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview on two specific issues of the reconstruction process: environment disaster linkage, and cross-learning among affected countries. The paper also demonstrates a unique community-based reconstruction program in three affected countries.
Earthquake and tsunami questionnaires in Banda Aceh and surrounding areas
During a survey by Japanese researchers in Banda Aceh and surrounding areas in Indonesia after the great Sumatra earthquake, questionnaires were distributed to the people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. The article shows that education, socialization (software) and escape structures, warning systems, and wave resisting structures (hardware) are important factors for people to be safer against future earthquake and tsunami attacks.
Sustainable livelihood considerations for disaster risk management: Implications for implementation of the Government of Indonesia tsunami recovery plan
The purpose of this paper is to build on recent analysis of sustainable vulnerability reduction of the Government of Indonesia tsunami rehabilitation and reconstruction plan by applying a sustainable livelihood framework for disaster risk management (DRM) for improvement in understanding potential livelihood strategies for the specific context of vulnerable people previously involved in fisheries livelihoods in Aceh.
Some aspects of tsunami impact and recovery in India
This article presents a general discussion of the 2004 tsunami and its effects in areas in South East Asia, followed by the specific impacts in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, including the damage to water supply and power systems, and a situation analysis of the communities, land and housing.
Compounded loss: the post tsunami recovery experience of Indian island communities
It has been observed in a number of recent disasters, and most evidently after the South Asian tsunami, that remote, underdeveloped, and most vulnerable communities take the longest to recover, in-spite of an abundance of resources available for supporting them. The loss compounding approach of analysing the tsunami impact is a useful way of identifying those factors within the recovery process that need attention for helping affected communities get rehabilitated in a better and faster manner. The paper seeks to address this issue.
Tsunami reconstruction and redevelopment in the Maldives: A case study of community participation and social action
The purpose of this paper is to address the significance of trans-disciplinary and inter-disciplinary collaboration, and local community participation in redevelopment efforts. In order to illustrate this model of redevelopment, the rebuilding efforts in Maldives in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami, are presented as a case study.
Tsunami public awareness and the disaster management system of Sri Lanka
This study aims to assess and evaluate the disaster management system in Sri Lanka and the capacity of a local community to respond to natural disasters, and to propose a strategy for the dissemination of tsunami knowledge while raising public awareness of tsunami disasters.
Reputational disaster in Phuket: the secondary impact of the tsunami on inbound tourism
Based on qualitative field research intermittently conducted between February and July 2005, this paper describes the process and mechanism of this secondary impact (the reputational disaster) in Phuket. The main data sources are semi-structured interviews with Thai and Japanese workers at hotels, restaurants and tour operating companies.
Tales from the margins: small fishers in post-tsunami Thailand
This article critically examines how the post-tsunami recovery process has affected the livelihoods of small fisher communities in southern Thailand. The study was carried out as part of on-going work with small fisher communities in southern Thailand. It was based on direct observations and interviews in fishing communities and following decision-making processes through attending meetings and reviewing secondary reports.
Taking care of people and communities: Rebuilding livelihoods through NGOs and the informal economy in Southern Thailand
The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of non-governmental organizations in facilitating economic recovery to the tsunami devastated regions in Southern Thailand. This includes large international NGOs as well as small community based or local NGOs and how these organizations engage with one another as well as with government authorities and of course the local community to aid recovery.
Tsunami construction risks in the Mediterranean – outlining Malta's scenario
This article provides data on the tsunami hazard of the Mediterranean region and outlines the Maltese Islands specific tsunami risks. Planning is to consider various options available including tsunami barriers, evacuation paths, and buildings with vertical evacuation facilities. It would be more prudent to work with nature by moving all inessential structures further into the interior and to protect the shoreline with suitable vegetation.
A snapshot of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami: societal impacts and consequences
One month after the tsunami, a group of social science researchers from the Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, and the Emergency Administration and Planning Program, University of North Texas, participated in an Earthquake Engineering Research Institute reconnaissance team, which traveled to some of the most affected areas in India and Sri Lanka. Data were obtained through informal interviews, participant observation, and systematic document gathering.
Warning for the 26 December 2004 tsunamis
This paper examines short-term actions related to warning following the earthquake and long-term actions related to setting up an Indian Ocean tsunami warning system prior to the disaster. The evidence is presented in the context of the long-term processes needed to create and maintain successful warning systems.
The drinking water response to the Indian Ocean tsunami, including the role of household water treatment
This article documents the drinking water component of the humanitarian response to the Great Sumatra-Andaman earthquake of December 26, 2004, including a focus on the promotion of household water treatment (HHWT)/safe storage to minimize the spread of diarrhoeal disease.
Not through women's eyes: photo-essays and the construction of a gendered tsunami disaster
This paper aims to critically appraise the representation of women through photo-essays used immediately following the December 26, 2004 tsunami disaster. Through analysis of photo-essay images published online, the author argues that women were largely represented in the samples as helpless victims who are passive, prone and inhabiting domestic or quasi-domestic settings. The paper argues that a “disaster genre” has emerged, and that disaster images matter.
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Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, sets out to advance the available knowledge in the fields of disaster prevention and management and to act as an integrative agent for extant methodologies and activities relating to disaster emergency and crisis management. Publishing high quality, refereed papers, the journal supports the exchange of ideas, experience and practice between academics, practitioners and policy-makers.
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