Showing posts with label corporate disaster. Show all posts
Showing posts with label corporate disaster. Show all posts
Monday, October 19, 2009
China Disaster Preparedness and Reduction
Mr. Zou Ming, Director of Disaster Relief Department of Ministry of Civil Affairs, Mr. Cheng Dianlong, Deputy Director of Office of State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters, Mr. Du Wei, Deputy Director of Earthquake Defence Department of China Earthquake Administration and Mr. Chen Zhenlin, Deputy Director of Disaster Relief and Public Service Department of China Meteorological Administration briefs the media on the situation about China's disaster preparedness and reduction at 10 am on Monday, May 11, 2009.
Friday, October 16, 2009
Triple punch tests disaster preparedness in Asia-Pacific region
http://www.unicef.org/emerg/index_51287.html
NEW YORK, 2 October 2009 – A convergence of severe natural disasters has left millions of people in distress across Asia and the Pacific this week. Since 26 September, a total of six countries have been hit by flooding, a typhoon, a tsunami and earthquakes.
Triple punch tests disaster preparedness in Asia-Pacific region
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| © REUTERS/Erik de Castro |
| Residents in Cainta Rizal, Philippines, wade in floodwaters caused by Tropical Storm Ondoy. |
UNICEF’s emergency preparations are in full throttle in the region, with death tolls still rising in Indonesia’s earthquake zone; more severe tropical storms targeting countries from the Philippines to Viet Nam; and relief efforts continuing in the Samoan Islands.
“These disasters are larger than what the country can respond to,” says UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes Louis-Georges Arsenault, who called the triple punch in the Asia-Pacific region an “extraordinary” event.
More rains to come
In the Philippines, UNICEF emergency teams have been responding to the worst flooding in 40 years, triggered by Tropical Storm Ondoy. Teams are also being deployed to the north of the country in anticipation of a new and even more powerful storm, Parma, which is expected to make landfall this weekend.
With parts of Manila under six feet of water and hundreds of thousands of people in evacuation centres, the Government of the Philippines is breaking with past policy to solicit international aid.
“In the past, they have been reluctant,” says Mr. Arsenault, who notes that the country is a model of disaster preparedness. “But this time, they had no hesitation whatsoever,” he adds.
The United Nations will issue a joint appeal next week to respond to the crisis in the Philippines. UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes says the amount of the appeal will be in the “tens of millions of dollars.”
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| © Reuters/Enny Nuraheni |
| People sleep in a temporary shelter after fleeing homes damaged by a powerful earthquake in Padang, Indonesia. |
Meanwhile, the Philippines and its neighbours – including Viet Nam, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Cambodia – are bracing for Tropical Storm Parma, which meteorologists are calling a ‘super-typhoon’.
Quakes in Indonesia
UNICEF is also working to deliver relief for children and families affected by two successive earthquakes in Western Sumatra, Indonesia. The first, a 7.6-magnitude temblor, hit on 30 September; it was followed within 24 hours by a second, slightly smaller quake.
Hundreds are already confirmed dead in the affected areas. That number is expected to rise sharply as bodies trapped in the rubble are removed. Mr. Holmes suggested the death toll could surpass that of the 2006 quake in Central Java, which killed more than 5,000.
In addition, tens of thousands have been displaced. The Indonesian Government, like its counterpart in the Philippines, has issued a request for international aid.
UNICEF is providing emergency supplies for 50,000 families in Western Sumatra, and UNICEF Representative in Indonesia Angela Kearney plans to visit the quake zone over the weekend.
Tsunami in Samoa and Tonga
Separately this week, an earthquake in the South Pacific caused a series of tsunamis that swept coastal villages in the Samoan Islands.
Though the population of these islands is relatively small, children in Samoa and Tonga are at risk of respiratory disease, measles and tetanus, as vaccination rates in many communities are low. On some islands, all medical facilities have been lost along with water supplies.
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| © UNICEF Samoa/2009/Jackson |
| A family is left homeless after a tsunami swept the Samoan Islands, triggered by a massive underwater earthquake. |
In response to the crisis, UNICEF will coordinate an effort to provide safe water and adequate sanitation for tsunami-affected areas of Samoa and Tonga.
Improved preparedness
UNICEF acknowledges government efforts to improve emergency preparedness in all of the affected countries, especially in the wake of the 2004 tsunami and other disasters. But no amount of preparedness can prevent such disasters from happening.
Meeting the immediate food, water and shelter needs of millions of people simultaneously exceeds the preparedness capabilities of these countries. Therefore, it is crucial that the world community redouble efforts to support the Governments of Indonesia and the Philippines, in particular.
“They will need international support. These are very strong human catastrophes we have to deal with,” says Mr. Arsenault.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
9/11 ANNIVERSARY: EXPERTS WARN AGAINST COMPLACENCY
9/11 ANNIVERSARY: EXPERTS WARN AGAINST COMPLACENCY
Asia’s “It-Can’t-Happen-Here” Attitude May Spell Expensive Disaster, Say International Experts
It’s been eight years since the 9/11 attacks in New York, and yet Asia still has more to keep in mind to be prepared for the worst. Business in particular are vulnerable, and threats such as terrorism, natural disasters such as Typhoon Morakot, and public health threats like swine flu may pose some of the biggest threats to business continuity.
“Take the Golden Shoe carpark in Singapore’s CBD, are the businesses around it ready if there’s an earthquake?” challenges Nathaniel Forbes, Asia Council President of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). “It’s too easy to assume the government will take care of everything, but when the (World Trade Center) twin towers fell in 2001, the businesses based in and around the buildings were the ones who picked up the pieces afterwards.”
BCM expert Dr. Joseph Ruin believes the lack of time pressure may be a factor in complacency against such threats. After all, nobody really knows when an earthquake will hit. In his bestselling industry manual, he writes “crisis involves two key elements: time pressure, threat”. He continues “indeed, the temperature of crisis depends more on the time-scale than on the magnitude of the threat”, going on to cite examples of (i) a small bomb going off in 30 seconds, (ii) a hydrogen bomb exploding in Kuching in 3 years’ time, and (iii) an asteroid colliding with Earth in 300 years’ time.
However, the cost in lives and economic losses would still be that much greater for threats that may have long or unknown timelines. Just take the recent Jakarta bombing as an example. The task of rescuing survivors, airlifting some to region’s top hospitals, securing premises, rebuilding infrastructure is no less expensive than if businesses and the government had gotten some extra warning.
Experts warn that looking for least-cost measures is not the answer, “There is no low-cost emergency”, points out Mr. Zeev Sarig, Managing Director of Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel-Aviv, whose job includes looking after the security and safety of at least 150,000 people onsite at any given moment. He continues, “cost should not be the main factor when it comes to safety.”
Asia’s “It-Can’t-Happen-Here” Attitude May Spell Expensive Disaster, Say International Experts
It’s been eight years since the 9/11 attacks in New York, and yet Asia still has more to keep in mind to be prepared for the worst. Business in particular are vulnerable, and threats such as terrorism, natural disasters such as Typhoon Morakot, and public health threats like swine flu may pose some of the biggest threats to business continuity.
“Take the Golden Shoe carpark in Singapore’s CBD, are the businesses around it ready if there’s an earthquake?” challenges Nathaniel Forbes, Asia Council President of the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM). “It’s too easy to assume the government will take care of everything, but when the (World Trade Center) twin towers fell in 2001, the businesses based in and around the buildings were the ones who picked up the pieces afterwards.”
BCM expert Dr. Joseph Ruin believes the lack of time pressure may be a factor in complacency against such threats. After all, nobody really knows when an earthquake will hit. In his bestselling industry manual, he writes “crisis involves two key elements: time pressure, threat”. He continues “indeed, the temperature of crisis depends more on the time-scale than on the magnitude of the threat”, going on to cite examples of (i) a small bomb going off in 30 seconds, (ii) a hydrogen bomb exploding in Kuching in 3 years’ time, and (iii) an asteroid colliding with Earth in 300 years’ time.
However, the cost in lives and economic losses would still be that much greater for threats that may have long or unknown timelines. Just take the recent Jakarta bombing as an example. The task of rescuing survivors, airlifting some to region’s top hospitals, securing premises, rebuilding infrastructure is no less expensive than if businesses and the government had gotten some extra warning.
Experts warn that looking for least-cost measures is not the answer, “There is no low-cost emergency”, points out Mr. Zeev Sarig, Managing Director of Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel-Aviv, whose job includes looking after the security and safety of at least 150,000 people onsite at any given moment. He continues, “cost should not be the main factor when it comes to safety.”
The world’s top experts in Business Continuity Management, Disaster Management and Facilities Management will gather in Singapore next month to discuss how the government, businesses and the community can work together to build resilience in rapidly urbanising Asia. Emergency Mitigation, Preparedness, Response and Recovery 2009 will include case studies from the above experts, as well as case studies on Typhoon Morakot, the 2006 tsunami in Aceh, and Australia’s worst-ever bushfires in February of this year. EMPRR 2009 is organised by the AMG Center for Business Strategy and Tactics. Further information on the event is available online at www.arcmediaglobal.com/emprr09.
The CBST is a research and consultancy body, assisting organisations gain competitive edge and business optimisation through training and benchmarking in key strategic skill areas such as Human Resource Management, Finance, Risk Management, Marketing and Sales.
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For further information and to schedule interviews, please contact Rex Ian Sayson at +65 6844 2080 or email rex@arcmediaglobal.com
Building resilience in rapidly urbanising Asia: International conference to bring back your business back to normalcy if there’s a crisis
Building resilience in rapidly urbanising Asia: International conference to bring back your business back to normalcy if there’s a crisis
• When your hotel is bombed, how long would it take for your emergency team to save your guests?
• Are you sure that your crisis management plan will work if a crises happen?
• How long will it take you to reach everyone on the management committee if your organisation had a crisis at 2.00pm on a public holiday?
• How much information would your organisation give out if it has a crisis?
Hypothetical sounding, but didn’t it seem like a hoax when someone told you that the WTC Twin Towers has fallen?
Crises occur without clues or warning signals, except perhaps the early seismic monitoring and scientific surveillance for earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Everyone can still recall the trauma of recent major crises – such as the LA forest fire threatening thousands of homes, Victorian bushfires killing 200 in Australia, the Jakarta bomb attacks at two major hotels, the Timor Sea oil spill, and the Morakot typhoon – all affecting thousands of businesses, thousands of lives, and millions of dollars in economic costs. What would you have done if this happened to you instead of them?
Since the 9/11 attacks in New York and amid increasing threats from terrorism and climate change, it seems, If you’re not prepared for all threats, you’re not prepared for any.
70% of Fortune 500 organisations have increased purchases in managing organisational disasters and CEOs of Inc’s top 100 list have already put disaster preparedness, response and recovery at the top of their boardroom agendas.
With over 50% of the total world’s disasters happening in Asia, RESILIENCE means that your organisation is ready to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from organisational threats, whether from Acts of God, mechanical problems, human errors or management decisions (or indecision).
Studies show that RESILIENCE even substantially increases your bottomline and protects your business by at least 50%!
By investing in EMPRR 2009 Global Summit, you will receive the following benefits:
• You will UPDATE your crisis management, organisational response and business continuity manual from multi-hazard, multi-sector and full cycle approaches, allowing you to restore order and business continuity, protect organisational assets from further damage and protect and ensure safety of people
• You will IMPROVE your response time, organisational notification system, disclosure and information channels, whilst not compromising vital or confidential resources and maintain reputation and credibility internally and externally
• You will BUILD rapport with various partners and service providers and focus your efforts on resources and infrastructure you need to contain and ensure that the crisis will discontinue and not escalate or spread further and bring back your business to normalcy
Top organisations and businesses have already joined us including:
Singapore Civil Defence Force • Department of Transportation and Communications • Ministry of Defence • New South Wales
Fire Brigades • Siam Bank • Ben-Gurion International Airport • Communicable Disease Control • Toronto Public Health • PTIT Focus • Blue Energy • ConocoPhillips • Ministry of Home Affairs • International Association of Emergency Managers • National Science & Technology Center for Disaster Recovery • GVK Emergency Management Research Institute • Philippine Coast Guard • Risk First Consultancy • Business Continuity Institute • BCP Asia • IAEM CEM Commission • Nepal Center for Disaster Management • ASEAN Secretariat • Canadian Red Cross • Kyoto University • Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority • APEC • Asian Disaster Preparedness Center • Aviation
Security Company Limited • Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation • French Regional Police Attache • Singapore Contractors Association Limited • Independent Power Producers Forum • Utilis S.A.S • Kyoto University • White & Case • Airports Council International • Forbes Calamity Prevention • many more...
EMPRR 2009 Global Summit is your rare opportunity to benefit from a content –rich program that links emergency management (response), business continuity and facilities management, tackling how to save lives, secure your property and information and bring back your organisation to normalcy in the event of a disaster or crises.
You only need to invest SGD 1,499 to benefit from a full 2-day conference plus 3 workshops on crisis management for leaders, BCM testing and setting up a crisis command post. Plus – just add SGD 600 and you can benefit from an additional full-day BCM Implementation Seminar, in line with the BCI’s GPG and BSI’s PAS56, conducted by the Business Continuity Institute and receive your certificate of completion. Visit our website at www.arcmediaglobal.com/emprr09.
Sharpen your saw and ensure that your business keeps functioning even through the worst of crises! Call us on +65 6844 2080 or email info@arcmediaglobal.com to register.
Warmest regards,
Paul Adams, Marketing Manager
• When your hotel is bombed, how long would it take for your emergency team to save your guests?
• Are you sure that your crisis management plan will work if a crises happen?
• How long will it take you to reach everyone on the management committee if your organisation had a crisis at 2.00pm on a public holiday?
• How much information would your organisation give out if it has a crisis?
Hypothetical sounding, but didn’t it seem like a hoax when someone told you that the WTC Twin Towers has fallen?
Crises occur without clues or warning signals, except perhaps the early seismic monitoring and scientific surveillance for earthquakes and volcanic activity.
Everyone can still recall the trauma of recent major crises – such as the LA forest fire threatening thousands of homes, Victorian bushfires killing 200 in Australia, the Jakarta bomb attacks at two major hotels, the Timor Sea oil spill, and the Morakot typhoon – all affecting thousands of businesses, thousands of lives, and millions of dollars in economic costs. What would you have done if this happened to you instead of them?
Since the 9/11 attacks in New York and amid increasing threats from terrorism and climate change, it seems, If you’re not prepared for all threats, you’re not prepared for any.
70% of Fortune 500 organisations have increased purchases in managing organisational disasters and CEOs of Inc’s top 100 list have already put disaster preparedness, response and recovery at the top of their boardroom agendas.
With over 50% of the total world’s disasters happening in Asia, RESILIENCE means that your organisation is ready to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from organisational threats, whether from Acts of God, mechanical problems, human errors or management decisions (or indecision).
Studies show that RESILIENCE even substantially increases your bottomline and protects your business by at least 50%!
By investing in EMPRR 2009 Global Summit, you will receive the following benefits:
• You will UPDATE your crisis management, organisational response and business continuity manual from multi-hazard, multi-sector and full cycle approaches, allowing you to restore order and business continuity, protect organisational assets from further damage and protect and ensure safety of people
• You will IMPROVE your response time, organisational notification system, disclosure and information channels, whilst not compromising vital or confidential resources and maintain reputation and credibility internally and externally
• You will BUILD rapport with various partners and service providers and focus your efforts on resources and infrastructure you need to contain and ensure that the crisis will discontinue and not escalate or spread further and bring back your business to normalcy
Top organisations and businesses have already joined us including:
Singapore Civil Defence Force • Department of Transportation and Communications • Ministry of Defence • New South Wales
Fire Brigades • Siam Bank • Ben-Gurion International Airport • Communicable Disease Control • Toronto Public Health • PTIT Focus • Blue Energy • ConocoPhillips • Ministry of Home Affairs • International Association of Emergency Managers • National Science & Technology Center for Disaster Recovery • GVK Emergency Management Research Institute • Philippine Coast Guard • Risk First Consultancy • Business Continuity Institute • BCP Asia • IAEM CEM Commission • Nepal Center for Disaster Management • ASEAN Secretariat • Canadian Red Cross • Kyoto University • Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority • APEC • Asian Disaster Preparedness Center • Aviation
Security Company Limited • Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation • French Regional Police Attache • Singapore Contractors Association Limited • Independent Power Producers Forum • Utilis S.A.S • Kyoto University • White & Case • Airports Council International • Forbes Calamity Prevention • many more...
EMPRR 2009 Global Summit is your rare opportunity to benefit from a content –rich program that links emergency management (response), business continuity and facilities management, tackling how to save lives, secure your property and information and bring back your organisation to normalcy in the event of a disaster or crises.
You only need to invest SGD 1,499 to benefit from a full 2-day conference plus 3 workshops on crisis management for leaders, BCM testing and setting up a crisis command post. Plus – just add SGD 600 and you can benefit from an additional full-day BCM Implementation Seminar, in line with the BCI’s GPG and BSI’s PAS56, conducted by the Business Continuity Institute and receive your certificate of completion. Visit our website at www.arcmediaglobal.com/emprr09.
Sharpen your saw and ensure that your business keeps functioning even through the worst of crises! Call us on +65 6844 2080 or email info@arcmediaglobal.com to register.
Warmest regards,
Paul Adams, Marketing Manager
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