Emergencies and Disasters
Emergency and Humanitarian Action in the South-East Asia Region
1989
1991
1994
1997
1999
2001
2002-03
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Frequent emergencies -major fl oods and tropical cyclones, volcano eruption and earthquakes
May, Cyclone in Bangladesh --138 000 dead and 136 000 injured
DPR Korea crisis – severe drought/ famine. Earthquake
in South Java, Indonesia -- 200 deaths and thousands displaced
East Timor crisis – civil confl ict after 1999 referendum
Gujarat (India) earthquake
HQ
Emergency Preparedness & Response (EPR) programme assessment for
Bangladesh, Indonesia and India.
Regional strategies for EPR developed
Support for response to cyclone and assisted in setting up a national health sector emergency programme in Bangladesh
WHO-SEARO set up
Emergency and Humanitarian Action (EHA) programme and eventually a full-fl edged WHO offi ce in DPR Korea
WHO-SEARO establishes its offi ce in the newly independent country through the EHA programme.
WHO supports health response and recovery with a fi eld offi ce Post for
Regional Adviser for EPR in WHO SEA Region established
Severe monsoon fl ooding in Bangladesh
Earthquakes and tsunami of 26
December 2004 affecting India,
Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar Sri Lanka, Thailand - 220 000 people dead
Yogyakarta earthquake, Indonesia Nias Island,
Sumatra, Indonesia earthquake
Severe monsoon fl oods- Bangladesh and India.
Sri Lanka - major fl oods in 2003 affecting many districts.
WHO country offi ces and SEARO
support health responses and interventions for tsunami-affected countries
Post for Technical Offi cer-EHA established in SEARO as part of institutional capacity building for WHO in emergencies
RC resolution on emergency health
preparedness was passed
Health Cluster Approach fi rst
implemented in South-East Asia Region
The South-East Asia Regional Health Emergency Fund (SEARHEF) established - rapid response fund provided 24 hours upon request
Formation of Regional Technical Advisory Group for Emergency and
Humanitarian Action with external partners
Regional stockpile of emergency supplies set-up in Bangkok and New Delhi
Regional Public Health Pre-Deployment Course conducted for country teams
Regional consultation on Keeping Health Facilities Safe from Disasters Globally, the
beginning of humanitarian reform initiative of the UN.
Development of SEAR benchmarks for emergency preparedness and response
Release of several documents on the tsunami response Development of SEAR
benchmarks for EPR
Support provided for fl oods in Sri Lanka
Network of EHA focal points in country offi ces begins.
First Inter-Regional PHEMAP conducted with ADPC and WHO-Western Pacifi c Region as partners
Cyclone Nargis, Myanmar- 130 000 dead
Flash fl oods in Sri Lanka
Kosi river fl oods, Nepal – around 30 000 displaced
Sri Lanka confl ict ends – approximately 300 000 displaced
Fire in Dhaka – 100 dead, over 200 with burn injuries
Mt Merapi eruption in
Indonesia – 3.5 million affected
DPR Korea fl oods from torrential rains
Thailand fl oods – approximately 2.84
million people affected
Myanmar fi re explosion
Global Campaign for Safe Hospitals: Save lives keep hospitals safe from disasters
Social media campaign launched: www. facebook. com/
clickabrick
Kathmandu Declaration by Health Ministers on Protecting health
facilities from disasters
South East Asia Disaster Health Information Network (SEADHIN) established www.
seadhin.org
Scaling up of WHO country offi ce operational readiness capacities
Health cluster coordinators training - Jakarta, Indonesia.
Regional meeting on primary health care approach in emergencies
WHO Country offi ces lead response and SEARO EHA
provides back-up fi nancial, technical and
operational support
Assessments using SEAR benchmarks completed in SEAR countries
