Disaster Management Centre (DMC)

The Biggest Lessons Nepal Will Take Away From This Tragedy

By Amantha Perera
There has never been any doubt that Nepal is sitting on one of the most seismically active areas in South Asia. The fact that, when the big one struck, damages and deaths would be catastrophic has been known for years.

Sri Lanka Still in Search of a Comprehensive Disaster Management Plan

By Amantha Perera
About six months after a massive tsunami slammed the island nation of Sri Lanka on Dec. 26, 2004, large plumes of smoke could be frequently seen snaking skywards from the beach near the village of Sainathimaruthu, just east of Kalmunai town, about 300 km from the capital, Colombo.

Poverty and Fear Still Rankle, Ten Years After the Tsunami

By Amantha Perera
It took just 30 minutes for the killer waves to leave 350,000 dead and half a million displaced. Less than one hour for 100,000 houses to be destroyed and 200,000 people to be stripped of their livelihoods.

Building Disaster Resilience Amidst Rampant Poverty

By Amantha Perera
Of the thousands of landslide-prone villages he has visited and worked with, R M S Bandara, a high-ranking official from Sri Lanka’s National Building Resources Organisation (NBRO), says only one has made him sit up and take note.


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