Sunday, December 25, 2005

"South Asia: U.S. provides hazard warning expertise to Indian Ocean nations"

Read the full article by Cheryl Pellerin on ReliefWeb.

"India meeting produces implementation outline for regional system"

"The yearlong international effort to secure Indian Ocean coastal populations against the ravages of another deadly tsunami is paying off, as members of the UNESCO International Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Intergovernmental Coordination Group (ICG) converge on basic principles of an operational early warning system for the region.

"Along the way, many countries, including the United States, have offered financial and technical support for the complex undertaking, which includes hazard and risk assessment for each nation, ocean observations and data management, forecasting, forecast and warning dissemination and capacity building.

"Over the past 12 months, the United States has provided $840 million in emergency recovery and reconstruction assistance to the region, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development. Private U.S. assistance amounts to $1.8 billion in cash and in-kind donations.

"Through the U.S. Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System (IOTWS) program, U.S. agencies will spend $16.6 million over two years to help develop early warning capabilities for tsunamis and other hazards in the Indian Ocean, and support the IOC’s lead in developing an international warning system with data sharing for 16 countries."

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