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In this issue

PPRD South Threefold Event on “Earthquakes”

50 experts in earthquake emergency management from the Civil Protection Authorities, other ministries and organisations in Turkey, the Mediterranean and Western Balkan countries will participate from 22 to 28 November in three events in Italy organized by… [Read more]

Creating a European Disaster Response Capacity

On 28 October 2010, Kristalina Georgieva, European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, during a meeting at the European Policy Centre informed that the Commission has adopted a proposal to create a European Disaster Response Capacity which addresses … [Read more]

How to behave in the event of an earthquake

Appropriate preparations and correct behaviour during an earthquake can save lives!

PPRD South has collected some indications and prepared a series of information sheets on the basis of… [Read more].

New Directors General for the National Civil Protection in Egypt, Italy and Jordan

On 20 August 2010, Major General Mohamed Ahmed Abd El Fatah Nossier was appointed new Director General of the Egyptian General Administration of Civil Protection. Maj. Gen. General Nosier has been working for … [Read more]

The Algerian Digital Seismic Network – Le Réseau Algérien de surveillance et alerte sismique

The Algerian Digital Seismic Network (ADSN) was inaugurated in April 2007 by the Centre de Recherche en Astronomie, Astrophysique et Géophysique (CRAAG). This seismic monitoring system, the first automatic alert seismic system in Algeria, is based on … [Read more]

A short Note on the Seismic Hazard in Israel

This article by Avigdor Rutenberg and Robert Levy from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa and Avi Shapira from the UK-based International Seismological Centre introduces a set of seismic hazard maps for the country along with the … [Read more]

Assessment of earthquake hazard in Turkey and neighbouring regions

A probabilistic seismic hazard analysis for Turkey and neighbouring regions performed by the Bogazici University Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute in Istanbul … [Read more]

L’Aquila Earthquake Field Investigation Report

Following the April 6, 2009 earthquake that killed 300 people and destroyed many modern and ancient buildings, Miyamoto International, a Californian structural engineering firm and Global Risk Consultants, a company working on property loss control, sent a reconnaissance team to L’Aquila … [Read more]

The Croatian participation to the Safe Quake project

The Croatian National Protection and Rescue Directorate is partner of the EU-funded Safe Quake project – Improvement of the population’s post-disaster behavior living in urban areas with high seismic risk – together with the Romanian General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations and the Bulgarian Civil Protection Directorate. … [Read more]

The number of recorded disasters – she said – between 1975 and 2010 has risen fivefold and the damages caused have risen similarly. “We should be ready for more of the same”, she added.

Visit_MIC_052010_02Ms. Georgieva illustrated a very worrying global disaster scenario. World-wide, disasters affect around 230 million people and claim an average of 85,000 lives each year. In an average year damages cost almost €70 billion. Disasters hit developing countries hardest. The poorest populations are most vulnerable. For developing countries – for which the EU (European Commission and Member States combined) is the world’s largest humanitarian donor – the loss of life is particularly high and economic losses due to natural disasters are some 20 times greater than in industrialised countries. This is despite the fact that the economic losses in developed countries are potentially much higher because there is generally more infrastructure that can be destroyed. The Haiti earthquake wiped out the national economy and is estimated to have caused about $8 billion in damages. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina caused damages worth $81 billion – more than the combined economies of the 6 smallest EU Member States.

georgievaEuropean countries are relatively well prepared to deal with disasters. But Europe faces threats that range from flooding to forest fires, from hurricanes to earthquakes and from industrial accidents to terrorism. Over the last twenty years, disasters have killed nearly 90,000 Europeans and affected more than 29 million others. Economic losses are particularly high in Europe with annual losses averaging €15 billion.

The main reason behind this accelerating trend of disasters is climate change – almost 90% of all damages from natural disasters come from weather related events. Population growth and urban growth worsens the effects of natural disasters. The population in large cities exposed to earthquakes and cyclones is estimated to double by 2050 from 680 million in 2000 to 1.5 billion.

“We need to take precautions to face an increasingly risky world” says Kristalina Georgieva. “The primary responsibility for disaster prevention, preparedness and response lies with national governments, but coordinating activities between the EU and Member States will deliver a better European response than Member States can provide by working alone (…). Last but not least, a strong European response, both at home and in third countries, is a demonstration of solidarity which is the most precious of European values”, the Commissioner underlined.

The Commission proposal for the set up of an EU Emergency Response Capacity is centered on four key actions: the development of shared reference scenarios for the main types of disasters; mapping Member States’ civil protection assets that can be used for an EU response to these scenarios; ensuring common transportation arrangements for EU assistance are in place; and setting up a new Emergency Response Centre.

The new Centre will merge the ECHO and Civil Protection crisis rooms to create a re-enforced centre inside the Commission which will serve as a platform to provide a more effective EU response whenever and wherever a disaster strikes. It will collect real-time information on disasters, monitor hazards, prepare scenarios for different types of disasters, work with Member States to map available assets and coordinate the EU’s disaster response efforts. It will have direct links with the civil protection and the humanitarian aid authorities in Member States which will ensure a fully joined-up approach to disaster response.

“The EC proposal for an EU disaster response capacity – the Commissioner said – will allow us to transform the way that Europe manages disasters. When a major disaster strikes we know exactly what capacities we have on standby and are able to mobilise them immediately. The challenge of the coming months – Ms. Georgieva concluded – will be turning our proposal into a fully operational reality which will save lives, limit damages and ultimately save money”.

Download the European Commission Communication: Towards a stronger European disaster response: the role of civil protection and humanitarian assistance

[Download here]

To read more visit: http://www.enpi-info.eu/mainmed.php?id_type=1&id=22823&lang_id=450

HERIMED will attend the INCA project Final Event that will be held on November 9th 2010 in
Rome at the Lazio Region, Sala Tevere, Via Cristoforo Colombo 212.
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This issue the staff take an in-depth look at Open Days 2010 – the European week of regions and cities.

With more than 6000 people – including policymakers and regional experts – gathered in Brussels, the eighth Open Days promises to be one of the most fruitful yet.

Regional policy commissioner Johannes Hahn introduces the bumper edition, setting out the three themes for the annual event: competitiveness, cohesion and cooperation.

“Discussions on how to ensure a successful cohesion policy in the future will be at the heart of the Open Days programme,” he writes.

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In accordance with the NARPIMED project objectives, the final conference will offer participants an opportunity to

• present the project‘s results and outcomes;
• advance and communicate knowledge on hazard prevention and on disaster preparedness, response and recovery in the Mediterranean Countries;
• raise awareness on the Narpimed Operational Manual for risk prevention. This Manual is aimed at providing policy guidance in the field of natural hazard prevention and natural disaster risk reduction in Euro-Mediterranean countries;
• exchange experience among the scientific and civil protection community on fire and seismic prevention methodologies and strategies;
• enlarge the Narpimed project network (Sustainability).