Managing Disasters: Lessons Learnt from Sri Lankan ExperienceChaminda Hettiarachchi Sri Lanka is not unfamiliar with natural disasters commonly caused by floods, cyclones, landslides, and droughts mainly due to the fact that the country is an Island in a complex geographic location. However, the tsunami in 2004, took Sri Lanka by surprise warning that the country is vulnerable to low-frequency high impact events with extensive damage. The Tsunami killed more than 35,000 Sri Lankans, damaged 100,000 houses and caused a economical damage estimated at US$ 1.3bn (6% of the GDP). However, 2004 Tsunami taught bitter lesions to Sri Lanka forcing the responsible parties to act collectively for a comprehensive, long term and holistic disaster risk management framework. In May 2005, the Sri Lanka Disaster Management Act No 13 of 2005 was enacted providing a solid legislative and institutional arrangement for Disaster Risk Management establishing a powerful National Council for Disaster Management under the President and the Disaster Management Centre (DMC) as the lead agency for disaster risk management. It is also important to note that Sri Lanka simultaneously suffered due to a man-made disaster too. The country experienced an ethnic war fought in the Island for more than three decades starting in 1980s. Sri Lanka has incurred significant losses because of the war with more than 100,000 deaths, 1minlloin refugees and IDPs and an economic loss equals to one year of GDP of the country. Sri Lankan conflict is considered as “the bloodiest war in Asia” due to its long period, magnitude of the loss and also the complexity of the issue. Sri Lankan government however managed to end the war in 2009 by militarily defeating the “Tamil Tigers” rebel group. The country currently has a “no war situation” and trying on nation building and development in the post-war context. The presentation will look at Sri Lanka in above context with the reference to lesions learnt in managing complex disasters and emergencies. The presentation will examine the nature of the both disasters and stages of forming them. It will also pay attention the roles played by various stakeholders, the process of institutional building and also the use of ICTs in disaster management. The presentation will discuss about lessons learnt as well as not learnt in this process with the objective of improving disaster management programs in the future. |
