MAURITIUS: EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS ON AGENDA OF SMALL ISLANDS CONFERENCE

Record ID: 208426

  • Title: MAURITIUS: EARLY WARNING SYSTEMS FOR NATURAL DISASTERS ON AGENDA OF SMALL ISLANDS CONFERENCE
  • Date: 12th January 2005
  • Summary: (W5) PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS (JANUARY 11, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV SWAMI VIVEKANANDA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE CENTRE HOSTING SMALL ISLANDS DEVELOPING STATES (SIDS) CONFERENCE; SLV EXTERIOR OF CONFERENCE CENTRE; SLV DELEGATES ARRIVING 0.23 2. (SOUNDBITE) (English) KIRSTI LINTONEN, FINNISH AMBASSADOR TO SOUTH AFRICA AND MAURITIUS, HEAD OF FINNISH DELEGATION TO CONFERENCE, SAYING: "I think it's a very important timing now just after this Asian catastrophe, the tsunami. We are very, very happy you know that the SIDS are working with their own problems - of course the SIDS is part of the multi-lateral system. But it's very topical you know, that they can handle their own issues. We of course would like to see that SIDS is not only working with ecological issues but they see you know, and especially after this catastrophe, they see it also as an economical and also the social issues. We also find that it's very important that you know human beings are part of the SIDS process so the civil society should play an important role in the process." 1.21 3. SLV UNITED NATIONS FLAG WITH SIDS NATIONS' FLAGS IN BACKGROUND 1.26 4. MV JOHN TURNER, U.S. ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS (OES) AND LAURA KONG, DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL TSUNAMI INFORMATION CENTRE ARRIVING AT CONFERENCE 1.32 5. (SOUNDBITE) (English) JOHN TURNER, U.S ASSISTANT SECRETARY OF STATE FOR OCEANS AND INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL AND SCIENTIFIC AFFAIRS (OES) SAYING: "We have to look at what nations have to do because they're going to have to implement warning systems, risk assessment, ways to make their publics aware in how to respond, so it will be a long term effort and looking beyond the Indian Ocean we need to look at the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, other parts of the Atlantic so this is an opportunity for, not only to look at the risk and early warning needs of earthquake and seismic events but also cyclones, hurricanes, things that put the small islands, coastal communities especially at risk." 2.13 6. SLV ASIAN TSUNAMI EVENT NEWS CONFERENCE; MEDIA 2.19 7. (SOUNDBITE)(English) MICHEL JARRAUD, SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE WORLD METEOROLOGICAL ORGANISATION, SAYING: "What is required for disaster is that you need people to be on a twenty-four hour watch, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year, to have in place the right communication with the authorities - the people who can make decision and to have ways to warn the public. It's a whole sequence, it's a whole chain of things and these things is tested for many other disasters such as tropical cyclone." 2.42 8. MEDIA 2.45 (W7) PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS (JANUARY 11, 2005) (REUTERS) 9. SLV POINTE AUX PIMENTS BEACH/ FISHERMAN AND SWIMMERS (5 SHOTS) 3.16 (W5) PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS (JANUARY 11, 2005) (REUTERS) 10. (SOUNDBITE) (English) WALTER ERDELEN, ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL FOR NATURAL SCIENCES, UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANISATION, SAYING "We need possibly to broaden our approach and look into geo-hazards, natural disasters as a whole and get from a reactive mode into a pro-active mode. If you for instance calculate the losses, the costs involved in terms of having faced the disaster, this is very costly and if you had preventive measures in place and on time, you would have not only saved many lives, but you would have also saved a lot of money that now feeds into this recovery and reconstruction process." 3.51 11. SLV FLAGS OUTSIDE CONFERENCE VENUE 3.56 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 27th January 2005 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PORT LOUIS, MAURITIUS
  • Country: Mauritius
  • Reuters ID: LVAALDI9XWMC3LQ2BP61PMCIV7PR
  • Story Text: Early warning sysytems for natural disasters on
    agenda of Small Islands conference.


    As the second day of the Small Islands Developing
    States (SIDS) conference got underway on Tuesday (January 11, 2005),
    delegates were still focusing on the recent tsunami disaster.

    The Indian Ocean tsunami has pushed disaster early warning to
    the top of the agenda at a meeting of the world's small islands,
    potentially crowding out concerns about climate change and trade,
    some delegates say.

    The U.N. conference of 37 island countries, to be attended by U.N.

    Secretary-General Kofi Annan and donor nation diplomats, continued
    to discuss island challenges bred by geographical isolation, limited
    resources and exposure to the violent whims of nature.

    But the Dec. 26 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, which killed
    150,000, has given the meeting in Mauritius a new urgency and
    focus on island vulnerability to natural disaster.

    "I think it's a very important timing now just after this Asian
    catastrophe, the tsunami. We are very, very happy you know that
    the SIDS are working with their own problems, of course the SIDS
    is part of the multi-lateral system. But it's very topical you know,
    that they can handle their own issues. We of course would like to see
    that SIDS is not only working with ecological issues but they see
    you know, and especially after this catastrophe, they see it also
    as an economical and also the social issues," said Kirsti Lintonen,
    head of the Finnish delegation.

    Dominating the morning's meetings was talks and negotiations on
    creating a global early warning system to protect islands from
    natural disasters. Its absence was believed to have contributed
    to thousands of preventable deaths across the coastlines of the
    Indian Ocean.

    "We have to look at what nations have to do because they're going
    to have to implement warning systems, risk assessment, ways to
    make their publics aware in how to respond, so it will be a long-term
    effort and looking beyond the Indian Ocean we need to look at the
    Caribbean, the Mediterranean, other parts of the Atlantic so this
    is an opportunity for, not only to look at the risk and early
    warning needs of earthquake and seismic events but also cyclones,
    hurricanes, things that put the small islands, coastal communities
    especially at risk," said Head of the American delegation, John
    Turner.

    The World Meterological Organisation and International Tsunami
    Information Centre confirmed that they were working together
    on a global system, but it was as yet too early to put a price
    on its cost.

    "What is required for disaster is that you need people to be on a
    twenty-four hour watch, three-hundred and sixty-five days a year,
    to have in place the right communication with the authorities, the
    people who can make decision and to have ways to warn the public.

    It's a whole sequence, it's a whole chain of things and
    these things is tested for many other disasters such as tropical
    cyclone," said Michel Jarraud, Secretary-General of the World
    Meterological Organization.

    When it comes to the cost of such a system, the billions now being
    spent on Indian Ocean states as they try to recover from December's
    tsunami, is to an extent, keeping monetary concerns in perspective.

    "We need possibly to broaden our approach and look into
    geo-hazards, natural disasters as a whole and get from a reactive
    mode into a pro-active mode. If you for instance
    calculate the losses, the costs involved in terms of having faced the
    disaster, this is very costly and if you had preventive measures in place and
    on time, you would have not only saved many lives, but you would have also
    saved a lot of money that now feeds into this recovery and reconstruction
    process," said UNESCO spokesman Walter Erdelen.

    The meeting also plans to discuss trade and ways to promote
    tourism.

    The end of global trade quotas has opened fragile and traditionally
    undiversified island economies to competition from powerhouses like India and
    China, and some islands' existence is threatened by rising sea levels.

    The international community has traditionally resisted island calls for
    continued trade preferences and some rich nations have fought any suggestion
    their fossil-fuel emissions contribute to global warming and rising seas.


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