Disaster Management

Residents walk on a road littered with debris after Super Typhoon Haiyan battered Tacloban city in central Philippines. 

Purpose-Built Financing for Disaster-Risk Management

April 19, 2023

Blog Post

Asian and Pacific nations need a big boost in spending to manage the growing risk of natural disasters, but several low- and middle-income countries will need help to meet these targets.

 

Still Recovering from the Earthquake, Nepal Faces Covid-19

April 15, 2020

Blog Post

The Covid-19 crisis may feel familiar to Nepalis. Just five years ago, Nepal was reeling from another disaster that destroyed critical infrastructure and cut people off from vital goods and services.

 

#Palukuat (Palu is Strong)

October 10, 2018

Blog Post

It was towards dusk on Saturday, September 28. At 6:02, four minutes after her father had picked her up from work, there were loud explosions. The world would later learn that a magnitude 7.4 earthquake had struck Palu, in Sulawesi, Indonesia, followed by a tsunami. For Yuni Amalia and her father, the explosions had no name. All they knew was their… Read more

 

In Vietnam: Assessing City Resilience

September 26, 2018

Blog Post

The violent storms that swept over the Philippines, China, and the southeastern U.S. seaboard earlier this month were a harrowing preview of extreme weather events that are likely to become more common as the 21st century unfolds. Cities in the paths of the storms lost power, water, and communications. Transportation networks were blocked. Homes an… Read more

 

The Vietnam City Resilience Index

August 8, 2018

Publication

Proof of Concept Report This ground-breaking report is the first effort globally to undertake comparative assessment of city resilience across a large cohort of cities within a single country. It provides a comprehensive view of strengths and weaknesses across 12 core areas and a number of subindicators, and can be used by government agencies, inte… Read more

 

The Asia Foundation Hosts Panel on Disaster Waste at the 2018 Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction

Ulaanbaatar, July 12, 2018

News Post

The Asia Foundation recently participated in the Asian Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction. On July 3rd, the Government of Mongolia opened the three-day conference which was attended by over 3,000 participants including over 50 countries and 1,500 organizations. The conference, held every two years, is an organized collaboration… Read more

Sichuan earthquake relief 

10 Years after Wenchuan Earthquake, A Silver Lining in Disaster Management

May 9, 2018

Blog Post

On May 12, China will mark the 10th anniversary of the devastating Wenchuan earthquake that struck Sichuan province, leaving more than 69,000 people dead and over 40 million affected. While the impact of the earthquake lasts today, the one silver lining is that the catastrophe has catalyzed improvements to China’s disaster management architecture…. Read more

 

Funding the Front Liners: New Disaster Fund Rules to Help Local Governments

August 2, 2017

Publication

On March 14, 2017, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council approved new rules administering the use of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Fund. The new Rules represent the culmination of a Coalitions for Change (CfC) effort that began in June 2015 under the Partnership of the Australian Government and The Asia Found… Read more

 

Disaster Preparedness and Response During Political Transition in Nepal

April 24, 2017

Publication

Using the 2015 earthquake response as a case study, this policy brief highlights the key factors that affected coordination between security-related agencies and the civilian agencies of the Government of Nepal, and identifies potential ways to improve future disaster responses. The paper also looks at ways that international organizations can supp… Read more

 

One Year After Bohol Earthquake, Partnerships Thrive Amid Rehabilitation Efforts

October 15, 2014

Blog Post

One year ago today, an earthquake reported to have the energy equivalent of 32 Hiroshima bombs struck Bohol and nearby provinces in south central Philippines. Generated from a fault in the northwestern sector of Bohol Island, the earthquake registered 7.2 on the Richter scale…

 

A Conversation with Chinese Fellow, Environmental NGO Leader Lican Liu

September 17, 2014

Blog Post

In Asia editor Alma Freeman recently interviewed co-founder and Director of Programs and Communications at the Greenovation Hub, a grassroots NGO that focuses on environmental protection and innovation in China.

 

Survey of Victims of Super Typhoon Haiyan Defies Preconceptions

February 5, 2014

Blog Post

It is perhaps unusual for survey research to provoke demonstrations denouncing the results, but that is precisely what happened last month when Social Weather Stations issued a survey release showing that victims of Typhoon Haiyan, “Yolanda” in the Philippines…

 

Philippines 2014: The Best of Times or the Worst of Times?

January 8, 2014

Blog Post

January, named after the two-faced Roman god Janus, is a time that invites us to look back and look ahead. Here in the Philippines, excitable headlines make it hard to discern if 2013 was the worst of times, or the best of times – but either way, Filipinos seem to be looking forward to 2014 with optimism.

 

Disaster Response Put to the Test: Lessons from Typhoon Yolanda

December 18, 2013

Blog Post

More than one month after typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), known as the world’s biggest typhoon, struck the Philippines, authorities now estimate that over 14 million people have been affected, including four million displaced. The estimated death toll is at 6,069. The government is now on the hard road to recovery and reconstruction, allocating…

 

The Yolanda Tragedy: 7 Lessons in Early Emergency Response

November 20, 2013

Blog Post

Last month, when the 7.2 earthquake struck the Philippine provinces of Cebu and Bohol, I was in the southern city of Zamboanga facilitating dialogues between Muslim and Christian leaders to alleviate possible religious tension following the September siege that displaced thousands and threatened the good relationship of the city’s two faith communities. It was the furthest thing from my mind that an even more devastating disaster would happen just a month later, right in Tacloban City, where I had left my wife and kids in safety (or so I thought) and in the province of Eastern Samar where I grew up playing in the gentle edges of the mighty Pacific Ocean.

 

Despite Double Disasters, Bohol’s Local Response Strong

November 20, 2013

Blog Post

Less than one month after a magnitude 7.2 earthquake destroyed areas of Bohol province in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines, Typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan), said to be one of the most powerful storms ever to hit land…