By Suvendrini Kakuchi
KOBE, Jan 18 2005 (IPS)

While the occurrence of natural events is largely beyond human control, the consequences are not. And this was the message brought forth at the opening of an international conference on natural disasters with a global reminder to heed the lessons of last month’s tsunami that killed over 160,000 in South and South-east Asia.

That the conference is held in Kobe is in itself a poignant reminder that modern metropolises can also be subject to natural disasters.

Monday marked the 10th anniversary of the 7.3 magnitude earthquake that ripped through the port city killing nearly 6,500 people and making thousands more homeless. And without doubt, the 1995 earthquake offers lessons for emergency response – lessons which can be drawn upon to cope with the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean tsunami.

”As a result of our experience in Kobe and other disasters, we have learnt many disaster reduction lessons that we can share with the international community,” Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi told the over 4,000 delegates gathered at the U.N.-organised World Conference on Disaster Reduction which runs till Jan. 22.

”Japan has proposed a special session during the conference to discuss a specific framework for an international tsunami warning system and cooperation for educating and raising awareness,” said Koizumi. ”We will provide support to help build the tsunami warning mechanism on a bilateral basis and in cooperation with international agencies like UNESCO (United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation),” Koizumi said.

Earlier, the Japanese government said in a statement it would use its Official Development Assistance to promote self-help efforts by developing countries to reduce disasters and help them foster human resources in this area.

Floods and earthquakes are the deadliest natural disasters, accounting for more than half of the total casualties, the report says.

Asia is named as the continent most affected during the period, accounting for more than half the casualties and more than 90 percent of those injured, left homeless or needing emergency assistance.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan urged the world to learn from the killer Asian tsunami, saying spending now could limit the loss of life and damage from inevitable natural disasters.

”It’s not enough to pick up the pieces,” Annan said in a video message following a moment of silence for tsunami victims. ”We must draw on every lesson we can to avoid such catastrophes in the future.”

Jan Egeland, U.N. under secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and now emergency relief coordinator, also echoed Annan’s call to the delegates.

”The best way we can honour the dead is to protect the living,” said Egeland.

He outlined the invaluable role of communication and education in making disaster- resilient societies a reality.

”Technology is not a cure-all. From Singapore to South Africa, experience shows us that people, not hardware, must be at the center of any successful disaster warning and preparedness measure,” said Egeland.

He added ”children everywhere should be learning about living more safely with the natural hazards around them, as a part of their basic life skills education.”

Egeland also proposed a new funding initiative to meet the global challenge posed by natural hazards recommending that countries earmark a minimum of 10 percent of the billions spent on disaster relief for disaster risk reduction.

Nonetheless, thousands might have been spared in the December tsunami if adequate technology was in place in countries such as Sri Lanka, India and far away Somalia to warn of the impeding catastrophe before the killer waves struck.

Japan, which has a long history of tsunamis, has a warning system that uses a network of seismic stations and water-borne sensors to issue a warning within three minutes of a quake. Because of this, Tokyo is spearheading the setting up of an early warning system for the Indian Ocean in collaboration with other countries that have the technical expertise.

Laura Kong, director of UNESCO’s International Tsunami Information Centre, explained in a special session with seismologists that the success of a warning system depended largely on smooth regional coordination that had to be based on transparency and the commitment to share vital information.

Kong also said, another equally important consideration is setting up programs to raise public awareness of disasters. Based on the experience from Kobe, she said communities, too, had to be trained and prepared in advance to face disasters.

But Kobe, itself, offers other lessons. For one the city has now been nearly completely rebuilt, after it was flattened in 1995.

”The most important lesson to learn from Kobe is how quickly the city was able to recover after the devastating earthquake,” Dr. Jamilah Mahmood, head of Mercy, a disaster relief group based in Malaysia, told IPS.

”This is not only the result of Japan’s strong economy but also because of the good work of grass root groups that were supported by local governments to work more efficiently and reach out to the people,” she pointed out.

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