4Th International Conference on Earthquake
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4th Asian Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction November 26~28, 2017, Sendai, Japan COORDINATION EFFORTS IN THE CASE OF THE 2016 CYCLONE ROANU IN SRI LANKA Akiko IIZUKA1* 1 Assistant Professor, Center for International Exchange, Utsunomiya University (Japan) ABSTRACT Many studies and international frameworks have emphasized both the challenges and the importance of coordination in disaster management. Coordination is urgently needed among disaster management NGOs because its absence may negatively impact those affected by a disaster and may even cause secondary damage, tensions and conflict. The problems that result from a lack of coordination are lessons learned in every disaster worldwide, especially when the scale of a disaster is enormous. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution, and every event is unique with regard to coordination needs” [1]. This study examines who coordinated what in the case of the response to Cyclone Roanu, which hit Sri Lanka in 2016 and has been called the worst disaster in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. This paper examines three main coordination bodies: 1) the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) under Ministry of Disaster Management, national coordination body of Sri Lanka, 2) the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and 3) Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka (A-PAD SL), recently established private platform of mainly of business groups. This paper finds both the strength and the challenges of each coordination body. DMC has a built network from the central to village level and with national and international government agencies and militaries, but their resources and coordination capacity is limited. UNOCHA has a strong network with international community but it downsized in Sri Lanka and its function is limited at international and central level. A-PAD Sri Lanka has a balanced network with a variety of sectors including business, government sectors and international aid agencies, but their scale is still small compared to the huge damages caused by Cyclone Roanu. Finally, this study suggests the importance of sharing the role and information of each organization before and after disasters, the decentralization of the coordination level, and the importance of involving more stakeholders in its coordination. Keywords: coordination, partnership, Sri Lanka, urban disaster, Cyclone Roanu INTRODUCTION Disaster response has increased in complexity in recent years as a growing number of organizations have become involved. Many studies and international frameworks emphasize both the challenges and the importance of coordination in disaster management. Coordination is urgently needed among disaster management NGOs because its absence may negatively impact those affected by a disaster and may even cause secondary damage, tensions and conflict. With good coordination, the distribution and provision of relief will be efficient and will maximize resources, and the affected people will recover more effectively and more quickly. In response to the 2004 tsunami, for instance, aid agencies competed for the most affected and visible areas covered by assistance, and some fishermen obtained boats from various organizations even if they had lost only one boat. De Silva suggests that the inclusion of local networks and an understanding of the local cultural settings are necessary in the ethnically mixed communities in the Eastern parts of Sri Lanka [2]. Specific issues include the absence of a partnership among the stakeholders in Bangladesh [7] and the lack of coordination among British NGOs responding to Hurricane Mitch [8]. Coordination at various levels is required rather than only at the international and central levels. The problems that result from a lack of coordination are lessons learned in every disaster worldwide, especially when the scale of a disaster is enormous. According to Coppola, “There is no one-size- fits-all solution, and every event is unique with regard to coordination needs” [1]. Much of the disaster literature covers response efforts and lessons to specific actors. However, the examination of coordination efforts among actors is limited despite their practical efforts. 1 Corresponding author: Akiko Iizuka (Ms.), 350 Mine, Utsunomiya-City, Tochigi, 321-8505 JAPAN, e-mail: [email protected] 4th Asian Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction November 26~28, 2017, Sendai, Japan This study examines who coordinated what in the case of the response to Cyclone Roanu, which hit Sri Lanka in 2016 and has been called the worst disaster in Sri Lanka after the 2004 tsunami. The questions raised in this paper are as follows: • What are the nature and characteristics of disasters and disaster response actors in Sri Lanka? • Who are the disaster coordination actors in Sri Lanka? What are their purposes and functions? • How did they respond to the 2016 Cyclone Roanu? • What are the lessons learned and the challenges of their coordination efforts? In the next section, the nature and characteristics of disasters are discussed in addition to the actors who respond to the events. Then, three main coordination bodies are examined: 1) the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) under the Ministry of Disaster Management, a national coordination body of Sri Lanka, 2) the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), and 3) the Asia Pacific Alliance for Disaster Management Sri Lanka (A-PAD SL), a recently established private platform, mainly of business groups. Their responses to the 2016 Cyclone Roanu are examined. Finally, the lessons learned, potentials and limitations of their coordination efforts will be examined to discuss future directions for disaster response in Sri Lanka. DISASTERS AND ACTORS IN SRI LANKA After the 2004 tsunami, a legal framework of disaster risk management was set up in Sri Lanka, and the definition of a disaster was clarified and stated in Disaster Management Act No. 13. The Act described 21 types of disasters, including landslides, cyclones, floods, droughts, industrial hazards, tsunamis, and earthquakes [5]. Figure 1 shows the number of people affected by different disasters in Sri Lanka between 1974 and 2004, including floods, droughts, tsunamis, storms and landslides [9]. According to UNOCHA, a total of 47 disaster events affected 14 million people in Sri Lanka from 2000 to 2016. Among them, the largest number of people, 7.9 million, was affected by flooding. Second was drought, which affected 4.6 million people. More than 37,000 lives were lost to disasters from 2000 to 2016. Most of these, more than 35,000 lives, were lost in the 2004 tsunami, which reached two-thirds of the Sri Lankan coasts [10]. Floods and droughts are the most common natural disasters in Sri Lanka. Although no tsunamis have occurred since 2004, they have the potential to cause a large number of casualties when they occur. Recently, Sri Lanka has faced climate-related emergencies that are likely to increase in frequency and severity. The most recent ones include the flooding that caused nearly 200 fatalities and 100 missing in May 20162, the droughts that caused great damage to people’s livelihood3 and the Meethotamulla garbage collapse caused by continuous rain in April 2017.4 Figure 1: The number of people affected by different disasters in Sri Lanka (1984-2004) This paper considers the case of Cyclone Roanu of 2016 which is called the worst disaster after the 2004 Tsunami. Heavy rain influenced by a low pressure area started on 15 May and resulted in widespread flooding 2 The 2017 flooding and landslides severely affected over 70,000 people in 15 districts and destroyed or damaged over 20,000 houses. The 2016 flood was the worst before the 2017 flooding and landslides occurred. Sri Lanka has experienced the frequent and record-breaking disasters in recent years. 3 The drought has affected over 1.8 million people across 20 out of Sri Lanka’s 25 districts since June 2017. 4 Meethotamulla garbage dump collapsed on 14 April 2017. 19 people living in the neighborhood lost their lives and 1,500 people were displaced. Such man-made disasters are not discussed in this paper, but the garbage management and urbanization due to rapid economic growth are urgent issues to be tackled in Sri Lanka. 4th Asian Conference on Urban Disaster Reduction November 26~28, 2017, Sendai, Japan and serious landslides in 22 out of the 25 districts in Sri Lanka (see Figures 2 and 3). Particularly, the urban areas in the west of Sri Lanka were badly damaged due to the flooding, unlike other previous domestic disasters which have frequently occurred in rural areas. The nation experienced the highest reported rainfall since 2005 as a result of the cyclone, with Kelani Ganga, one of the main river basins in Sri Lanka, receiving 350 mm of rain within three days and experiencing 2,343 sq km of inundation [6]. The Government of Sri Lanka reported on 20 June that the disaster claimed the lives of 93 people and left 101 people missing [3]. The damage caused by Cyclone Roanu was mainly classified into two types of disasters. The first is the damage caused by flooding: twenty people lost their lives, and as many as 200,000 people were affected in the Colombo, Kalutara and Gampaha districts of the Western Province. The other is the damage caused by landslides. A series of landslides occurred in the Kegalle district of the Sabaragamuwa Province, and the Aranayaka landslide claimed the lives of 31 people, left 96 people missing and fully or partially destroyed 2,257 houses in a very short time [3]. Flooding affected a large number of people over a large area, causing significant economic and social damage to property and livelihoods in the western urban areas of Sri Lanka, and landslides killed a number of people and destroyed houses in mountainous inland areas. Many people responded to the disasters caused by Cyclone Roanu. First were the individuals who donated cash and in-kind to religious places, CBOs, NGOs and schools.