Tsunami Rehab Information Network (TRINET) Weekly News May 7, 2007

TRINet’s May 2007 Newsletter be accessed at
http://www.trinet.in/modules/mydownloads/visit.php?cid=35&lid=325


GENERAL
Strong quake strikes tsunami-hit region: April 30, 2007 01:00am A Strong
earthquake shook the northwest Solomon Islands where an 8.1 magnitude quake
and ensuing tsunami killed at least 52 people and made thousands homeless on
April 2. The US Geological Survey reported today that at around 2.45pm local
time (3.45pm AEST yesterday) a 5.4 magnitude quake occurred 10km deep, 40km
southeast of the region's main town of Gizo. Provincial government member
and Gizo dive shop manager Danny Kennedy said there were reports of houses
being toppled on the island of Mono but Gizo appeared to have suffered
little damage.
http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,21640858-663,00.html


Mass grave yields secrets of 1755 quake, tsunami: Lisbon, Portugal — The
discovery was chilling: The mass grave contained human bones — skulls
smashed and scorched by fire, dog bites on a child’s thigh bone, a forehead
with an apparent bullet hole. Three years after the find by workers digging
up the cloisters of a 17th-century Franciscan convent, forensic experts and
historians say they have solved the mystery. They say the estimated 3,000
remains in the grave were those of victims of the earthquake that devastated
Lisbon in 1755, and that this is the first mass grave of its kind ever found
in the Portuguese capital. The earthquake, which included a tsunami and a
fire that raged for six days, was one of the deadliest catastrophes ever to
hit western Europe. It is thought to have killed up to 60,000 people, and it
destroyed much of the wealthy and elegant capital of a Portuguese empire
stretching across Asia, Africa and Latin America.
http://www.buffalonews.com/180/story/64351.html


‘Disaster plan should be grounded on geo-cultural realities of coastal
areas’:
Speakers at a discussion yesterday said disaster management plan should be
grounded on the geo-cultural realities of the coastal region and should be
part of regional development planning rather than ad hoc response measures.
They also recommended comprehensive cyclone preparedness, awareness and
training programme about cyclone disaster in the areas, protecting natural
resources and building more cyclone shelter centres in the disaster prone
areas to combat cyclone disaster. Chittagong Samity, Dhaka (Bangladesh)
organised the discussion at Jatiya Press Club in the city to mark the
devastating cyclone of 1991 that killed about 1.4 lakh people.
http://www.thedailystar.net/2007/04/30/d704301002100.htm


Seminar on disaster preparedness: "Renewal and Regeneration", a three day
conference on disaster preparedness with particular emphasis on mental
health is to be held in Sri Lanka from May 11 to 13 at the Sri Lanka
Foundation Institute. This conference is organised by Samutthana, which is a
resource for capacity building of mental health in Sri Lanka. Speakers of
this conference are from tsunami affected regions such as Indonesia,
Thailand, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan - a country devastated by
earthquake. Topics such as the impact of the tsunami and the conflict in the
East and initiatives of working with volunteers in the south of Sri Lanka,
research and ethics after a disaster, primary care interventions related to
depression and training counsellors on managing alcoholism will b dealt
with.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070506/Plus/020_pls.html

FINANCE
No action plan to utilise tsunami funds: CAG: Puducherry: There was no
comprehensive action plan on the part of the Puducherry Government to
utilise the funds received from the Centre for the relief, rehabilitation
and reconstruction in tsunami hit areas in Puducherry, according to the
report of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India for the Union
Territory of Puducherry for the year ending March 31, 2006. Chief Minister
N. Rangasamy tabled the report in the Assembly on Wednesday. The report said
33 villages in the Union Territory were damaged during the December 2004
tsunami. The Government provided assistance in cash and kind to the affected
families. However, there was no comprehensive action plan to utilise the
funds received from the Centre. There were deficiencies in identification of
beneficiaries for immediate relief and rehabilitation of the
tsunami-affected people. Assistance for repair and replacement of fishing
crafts was delayed by 4 to 17 months after the calamity. Considerable delay
was also noticed in reconstruction activities. Consequently, out of 7,567
families who were to be resettled in houses constructed for them, only 100
had resettled as of November 2006. Monitoring of the implementation was
poor, the report noted.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/03/stories/2007050303600500.htm


LIVELIHOODS
Protect livelihood rights: fish workers: Nagapattinam: A large number of
fish workers, including women, took out a procession from Kottaivasal to bus
stand here to mark the May Day on Tuesday and staged a demonstration to
protect their livelihood rights. The procession and demonstration was
organised by Vanga Kadal Meen Thozhilalar Sangam, a trade union struggling
for the protection of livelihood rights of fish workers in association with
Nagapattinam and Karaikal Fish Women Federation.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/03/stories/2007050310540500.htm


Plea for proper utilisation of fish landing, auction centres: Nagapattinam:
Fishermen have urged the district administration to take immediate steps for
effective functioning of the fish landing centre and the fish auction centre
built near the port. This would help fishermen to comfortably auction, dry
and store fish.R.M.P. Rajendiran Nattar, president of Tsunami Fishermen
Rehabilitation and Development Iyakkam and vice-president of Tamil Nadu
Meenavar Peravai, submitted a memorandum to the Collector on Friday. He said
that the centres, established at a cost of Rs.1.32 crore, were not utilised
properly. Fishing boats could not come to the jetty as the estuary of the
Kaduvayar was not desilted. Mr. Nattar said that the Fisheries Department
did not take cognisance of the plight of the fishermen. He urged the
Government to take quick steps for desilting the estuary in such a way that
big mechanised boats are berthed in the jetty. He also requested the
Collector to expedite port development work taken up at a cost of Rs.50
crore with assistance from Asian Development Bank.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/05/stories/2007050510530500.htm

HOUSING AND INFRASTRUCTURE
Mithi hands over houses to tsunami hit: Karaikal: Lt. Governor Mukut Mithi,
on Monday, handed over 230 permanent houses to the tsunami victims at
Pattinacherry in Karaikal district built by Mittal Steel Company,
Netherlands, and Lakshmi and Usha Mittal Foundation, Mumbai. Mr. Mithi, who
lauded the social service of the Mittal Steel Company, wanted the
beneficiaries to maintain the houses properly. Earlier, the Lt. Governor
inspected the construction of a new bridge at a cost of Rs.5 crore across
Arasalar that collapsed in the tsunami. This bridge will be in addition to
the bridge that was built across Arasalar just 200 feet away.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/01/stories/2007050102680500.htm


115 houses ready: Nagapattinam: The Managing Trustee of SOS Children's
Villages of India - Chatnath Homes, Chennai, Uma Narayanan, handed over keys
of 115 permanent houses to Nagapattinam Collector Tenkasi S. Jawahar on
Thursday. As many as 150 houses are being built at Pudukuppam by the
organisation near Sirkazhi for tsunami-hit fishermen families. Mr. Jawahar
also laid the foundation stone for a community centre to be built by the
organisation in Pudukuppam. A sum of Rs. 41 lakh has been allotted for
laying a cement road in the coastal hamlet.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/04/stories/2007050406260500.htm


Steps taken to ensure adequate water supply in Nagapattinam: Nagapattinam:
The State Government has taken steps to ensure adequate drinking water
supply in the district during this summer following representations from the
people, said the Minister for Local Administration, M.K. Stalin, here on
Saturday. Inaugurating the combined water supply scheme for Nagapattinam and
Velankanni at Poompuhar organised by the district administration, the
Minister said that the district would not face water scarcity and pointed
out that the Anaikarai-Kollidam combined water scheme would cater to the
drinking water needs of Kilvelur, Nagapattinam and Vailankanni areas. The
Minister also handed over the keys of 350 permanent houses to tsunami
survivors of Poompuhar constructed by `SEVAI', a non-governmental
organisation, at a cost of Rs.6.47 crore.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/04/30/stories/2007043011380500.htm


Water supply scheme to be completed in 2 years: Nagercoil: The integrated
drinking water supply scheme, estimated at a cost of Rs. 28 crore for the
benefit of the people of the coastal areas of the district would be
completed within two years, said the project adviser of Asian Development
Bank, Ram Mohan Rao. Under this project, the people from 79 coastal
villages, 19 wayside villages and 17 special grade panchayats would be
benefited. With its implementation, potable water can be provided to more
than 2.94 lakh people in the costal villages.
http://www.hindu.com/2007/05/01/stories/2007050106000500.htm

CHILDREN
Signature campaign by tsunami victims: Porayar, May 4: Around 10,000
tsunami-hit children in Nagapattinam district have initiated a post-card
campaign asking the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister to declare the Right to
Education as a basic human right. Under the guidance of People's Development
Association (PDA), an NGO, all the signed post cards will be sent to the
Chief Minister. PDA, along with other NGOs SAVE, AVVAI and VESA, are
conducting a Global Action Week programme for the education rights of
children, said Joe Velu, Director of the NGO. As part of the programme,
during a function at Velankanni yesterday, tsunami-hit children also took a
pledge to attend schools regularly and identify school dropouts for bringing
them to the mainstream.
http://www.chennaionline.com/colnews/newsitem.asp?NEWSID=%7B04572675-F58A-44B7-8\
46A-F16924362661%7D&CATEGORYNAME=Tamil+Nadu

INDONESIA
Nursing-school opened in tsunami-hit Aceh: Watermarks from the tsunami can
be seen one and a half meter up on the wall inside the nurse student's very
modest classrooms. In March the students got a brand new school - this time
it's placed on the top of a mountain. The Norwegian ambassador to Indonesia,
Bjørn Blokhus, and the president of the Norwegian Red Cross, Thorvald
Stoltenberg, was among the guests when the Norwegian-financed nursing school
on the island of Sabang north of Banda Aceh on Sumatra was opened. More
nurses needed - When we came here five months after the tsunami, we got a
tip from the Indonesian Red Cross directing us to Sabang to see the
destroyed nursing school there, says Olaf Ofstad, Norwegian Red
Cross-representative in Indonesia. The school was still in use, but it was
easy to see that it would be impossible to provide good teaching under such
conditions. In addition, we saw that healthworkers were much needed in the
region because so many people had perished in the tsunami, Ofstad explains.
Quality is important. The new and better equipped school-building opened
officially on March 1, and during the last month students have moved in
fully.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/norwayredc/117811114543.htm


Indonesia: World Bank Approves $123 Million for Poverty Alleviation & Local
Level Governance in Third Kecamatan Development Program: The World Bank
Board today approved the disbursement of a special US$123 million
interest-free credit to sustain and expand the activities of the Third
Kecamatan Development Program (KDP3), Indonesia's best known
community-driven poverty alleviation program. KDP works nationwide to
provide funds to rural communities so they can make poverty-reducing
investments based on their own plans and management. From covering 28
villages at its start in 1998, the program now covers 34,000 villages in 30
out of Indonesia's 33 provinces. In the nine years of its existence the
Program has generated 55 and a half million workdays resulting in the
creation of over 31,000 roads, over 8,000 bridges, over 9,000 sanitation and
irrigation units each, 3000 health posts and 5,000 schools.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/TKAI-72T5MQ?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA


RI, U.S. to work on tsunami study: JAKARTA: Dr. Yusuf Djadjadihardja from
the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) in
Indonesia and Dr. Chris Goldfinger from the Oregon State University in the
U.S. have agreed to a joint paleoseismologic study of the Sunda subduction
zone beneath the Sunda Strait, said a media statement from the U.S. Embassy
on Monday. "The objective of this joint research project is to determine the
history of earthquakes and tsunamis along the Sumatra and Java coasts," U.S.
Embassy Charge d'Affaires John Heffern said.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20070501.H11


Indonesia: Aceh park, a symbol of recovery, renewal and healing: On any
given afternoon at the Taman Sari Park in downtown Banda Aceh, Indonesia,
the approach of sunset bears little on the tireless energy of children
playing. High-pitched laughter — of children thumping to the ground from
jungle gyms and chasing each other through the grass — can be heard from
blocks away. The sound lasts into the night as entire families seize the
moment to relax, strike up conversations and enjoy reconnections with old
friends. This 300-meter stretch of park, which reopened in March with the
help of CRS, is not just a recreational outlet. It’s a symbol of
rejuvenation and hope. "It’s a public space that symbolizes recovery,
renewal and healing in the entire community, and stands as CRS' commitment
to rebuilding the many aspects of community in the overall post-tsunami
reconstruction process," says Scott Campbell, CRS' director of operations in
Aceh. "It is our hope that Taman Sari will enable the people of Aceh to
continue to improve their lives, free themselves from the nightmare of the
tsunami and realize their full human potential."
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/SHES-72TSLA?OpenDocument


Pulau Banyak SMP school reconstruction, Aceh Indonesia: The Pulau Banyak
School Building Project is the latest joint post-tsunami relief effort in
Aceh between Crisis Relief Society, Singapore (CRS) and the Singapore Red
Cross Society (SRC). The Pulau Banyak group of islands lie west of Sumatra
in the Indian Ocean and have only one SMP (Secondary School). However, it is
badly affected by incoming waters during high tide and heavy rain, as the
compound has sunk by one metre after the 26th December 2004 Asian Tsunami.
To provide a conducive learning environment for its 200 students, CRS has
committed to help the local community rebuild this school. Through this
close co-operation, the youths on the islands will soon be able to enjoy new
facilities.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/EGUA-72VQ2T?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA

SRI LANKA
Thirteen appointed to Tsunami Media Board: Colombo: The Human Rights
Commission of Sri Lanka recently appointed 13 members to the Tsunami Media
Board in the Trincomalee District to assist the families affected during the
Tsunami waves. Human Rights Commission, Commissioner Justice D. Jayawickrema
who interviewed the 13 members to the Tsunami Media Board said that the
selected members will be attached to the Ministry of Justice and they will
receive special training at the Ministry.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2007/04/30/news30.asp


RADA organizes Beyond the Tsunami to help tsunami affected community in Sri
Lanka: Government’s Tsunami reconstruction leader - Reconstruction and
Development Agency [RADA] has taken steps to support tsunami affected
community to improve their small and medium scale businesses and introduce
their products to up market. According to a spokesman, the RADA and some
other government and non-government agencies have entered into this effort
and organize handicraft exhibitions to display products of tsunami victims
to international and local community. Beyond the tsunami an exhibition of
the tsunami victims has already displayed at the Bandaranayaka International
Airport at Katunayaka and received high responses from the up market.
http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/5558


$7.6 million in aid approved by UMCOR board: Economically vulnerable Sri
Lankans who are still finding their footing after the 2004 tsunami are among
those to receive aid worth millions of dollars. The action was among several
approved April 24 by the board of United Methodist Committee on Relief
meeting in Stamford, Conn., and adding to more than $7.6 million. The aid
bolsters a "challenging, complex and often dangerous environment," the Sri
Lanka request stated in part. Total granted to the Sri Lanka project was
$4,715,395. UMCOR board president Bishop Edward W. Paup, Pacific Northwest,
praised the program's comprehensive approach. "It's not only about what
we're doing for individual families but how our service will strengthen
their sense of community," he said. Included in the funding was $159,764 for
upgrades to disaster response capacity of the Methodist Church in Sri Lanka.
Funds will be disbursed, as is UMCOR's usual practice, based on actual
expenditures in the field.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/TKAI-72T4JA?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA


Much maligned NGOs fill a gap in tsunami-hit Lanka: NGO-bashing is currently
a favourite pastime in Colombo, the capital city of tsunami-hit Sri Lanka.
The International NGOs, or INGOs as they are called, come in for special
flak. They are dubbed as huge hoaxes, money milking machines, Christian
proselytisers, and worst of all, a threat to the sovereignty of the country.
But in the tsunami-hit areas of the island, the victims have a somewhat
different view of these organisations. Admittedly, the refugees are not too
happy with the temporary shelters built for them by these NGOs, but they are
glad that they have some sort of a roof over their heads, and thank these
organizations for that. The tirade against the NGOs and INGOs is not without
significance because there are as many as 6,000 of these in post-tsunami Sri
Lanka. Much of the foreign money for post-tsunami work has come to the NGOs
and INGOs.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/StoryPage/StoryPage.aspx?id=c9bfc2fd-bd0f-43dc-84c\
8-967e9f272db9&ParentID=6a9e632b-ec89-4451-b33f-04249a7a9485&&Headline=NGOs+fill\
+gap+in+tsunami-hit+Lanka


Tsunami survivors in north affected by intensified fighting: "The resumption
of the conflict in the north and east has taken its toll on whatever
recovery had taken place, especially in the Jaffna district," observes a
report compiled by the government's leading tsunami recovery outfit,
Reconstruction and Development Agency (RADA), and the International Labour
Organization (ILO). Survivors of the 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka's northern
Jaffna peninsula are continuing to struggle to make a living. In contrast to
victims outside the war zone who have better access to economic
opportunities, housing and other recovery initiatives, over 70 percent of
tsunami-affected families in Jaffna earn less than Sri Lanka rupees (Rs)
2000 (about US $ 20) a month, the findings of the survey reveal. Notes the
report: "Their purchasing power has declined as subsidies were reduced
several times for essential items such as fuel as well as foodstuffs such as
sugar and rice during 2006." Among the key recommendations made by RADA and
ILO are that permanent solutions must be found for people still living in
camps and transitional sites and that employment and job opportunities
should be created for the displaced.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/ACIO-72VDYF?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA

THAILAND
Trust opens fourth Thai orphanage: In addition to the original orphanage in
the coastal city of Pattaya which looks after around 80 babies, the Pattaya
Orphanage Trust UK is caring for children in a centre in the north of
Thailand on the banks of the Mekong River, and a project some 60 kilometres
from Pattaya in the town of Rayong for children living with the HIV/Aids
virus. The new orphanage, called Ban Tharn Numchai, is in the
tsunami-stricken area of Kao Lak. Originally planned to accommodate 14-18
children, the need in the area has increased steadily in the wake of Boxing
Day 2004. Children traumatised by the tsunami have taken longer than
expected to come to terms with the physical and emotional after effects.
http://www.indcatholicnews.com/thaio438.html


MALDIVES
World Red Cross Red Crescent Day: reducing, reusing and recycling in the
Maldives: in the Maldives, a country of 1,200 small islands spread across a
thousand kilometres, managing household waste has been anything but simple.
And it's a task that was made practically impossible by the tsunami that hit
the Indian Ocean almost two and a half years ago. "Before the tsunami, any
garbage that couldn't be burned ended up in the water or was scattered on
the ground or beaches," explains Jo Sanson, the Australian Red Cross'
country representative in the Maldives. "After the tsunami, it was even
worse because dangerous and sometimes toxic debris was everywhere." Thanks
to a joint effort by the Australian and Canadian Red Cross Societies,
excellent progress has been made in cleaning up 74 of the worst affected
islands. Already, 55 islands have been cleared and 28,000 cubic metres of
debris have been removed as part of the 11.3 million Swiss franc (US$9.4
million / €6.9 million) clean-up and sustainable waste management programme.
The remaining islands are expected to be cleared by mid-2007.
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/LSGZ-72SDQK?OpenDocument&rc=3&emid=\
TS-2004-000147-LKA



Disclaimer:
This news update is provided by TRINet for the benefit of those working in
tsunami rehabilitation
purely for information purposes only.
Please send your comments to info.trinet@... Visit us at:
www.trinet.in




_______________________________________________
Network mailing list
Network@...
http://inapp.com/mailman/listinfo/network