January 2012
DRM has been awarded the supervision of the installation of a system for monitoring of landslides in Prahova and Brasov counties, Romania.
The system consists of an array of automatic sensors for observation of displacements and meteorological conditions, automatic data
transmission and a monitoring center.
March 2011
The Faculty of Agriculture, University for Development Studies, Tamale,
together with the Centre for Remote Sensing and Geographic Information Services (CERSGIS), University of Ghana, Legon, Accra partnered
with DRM for the preparation of the proposal for the Weather Risk mapping of Northern Ghana.
October 2009
The Global Earthquake Model (GEM) initiative brings together worldwide
expertise on all aspects of earthquake risk to produce tools that help to reduce earthquake losses. The GEM is assessing User Needs
via a web-based survey. DRM supports this initiative. The survey can be found at www.globalquakemodel.org.
July 2009
The DRM Inc. Board of Directors elected at its meeting of 22 July 2009 Kay
Heidbreder and Silvio Seno new Directors. Richard Benson was elected President. Walter Ammann was elected Secretary / Treasurer.
June 2009
The Second Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction,
organized by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN-ISDR), took place 16 - 19 June in Geneva.
The meeting was attended by representatives from 152 governments and 137 organizations. The Platform recognized that solutions
for disaster risk reduction exist and called for practical action. DRM was represented by Prof. Silvio Seno.
www.preventionweb.net/globalplatform/2009
May 2009
DRM presented the Standard for risk assessment in the tourism sector,
which was developed under a contract with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency, to an audience of tourism professionals
and risk management specialists. The event took place 6 May at the Standards Bureau, Tunapuna, Trinidad & Tobago. The event included
presentations, discussion and group work for the implementation phase. The workshop was conducted by DRM representatives
Drs. Manfred Thüring and Jürg Hammer.
March 2009
DRM conducted a landslide hazard seminar at the University of Transylvania,
Brasov, Romania, 9-13 March 2009. The seminar is part of the consultancy on landslide studies and monitoring of two landslides at Sacele
reservoir and in Sinaia town, contracted with the Ministry of Environment. The seminar was attended by municipal personnel, water
authority representatives, academic staff and graduate students. It was organized and conducted by Dr. James Martin, professor of
geotechnical engineering and director of DRM@VT.
www.unisdr.org/english/events/v.php?id=8268
November 2008
The landslide monitoring project was presented to an audience of public
officials of the Brasov prefecture and the Romanian Water Authorities, at the town hall in Sacele, November 11. The implementation of
the warning and evacuation system was discussed by the representative of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the Prefect of
Brasov County, and the Mayor of Sacele.
September 2008
DRM provides technical advice to the Government of Saint Lucia for the Climate
Change Vulnerability and Adaptation Assessment of its Second National Communication, at the Modeling Workshop held in Port of Spain, Trinidad
and Tobago, September 19-25.
June 2008
DRM has signed a contract with the Governorate of Kerman for the provision of
consultancy services for seismic retrofitting of essential buildings within the Bam Earthquake Emergency Reconstruction Project. The services
include risk assessment, engineering design and construction supervision for ten building complexes of hospitals, schools, the governorate,
a telecommunication building, a police station and a fire station.
March 2008
DRM has signed a contract with the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response
Agency CDERA for Consultancy Services for the Development of Standards for Conducting Hazard Mapping, Vulnerability Assessment and
Economic Valuation for Risk Assessment for the Tourism Sector. The services will be conducted in cooperation with the CARICOM Regional
Organization for Standards and Quality CROSQ.
January 2008
DRM wins a contract from the government of
Romania for landslide evaluation and monitoring. The project analyzes eight landslide zones and selects
priority areas for monitoring and early warning. The duration of the project is two years.
October 2007
The
Hon. Richard Frederick, Minister of Physical Development, Housing,
Urban Renewal and Local Government received the products of the
DRM Drought Hazard Project at the final workshop, held October 30,
2007 at the Glencastle Resorts, Saint Lucia. The workshop was attended
by an audience of senior officials from all involved government
branches. The project
results were presented by DRM representatives Jürg Hammer, Manfred
Thüring and James Martin.
The DRM infrastructure vulnerability and drought hazard projects
were presented at the 8th Forum Katastrophenvorsorge, an event jointly
organized by the German Committee for Disaster Reduction and CEDIM,
and held October 15 and 16, 2007, at the University of Karslruhe.
The Forum was attended by 200 professionals from academia, industry,
public administration.
July
2007
DRM
Director Mauro Dell'Ambrogio has been appointed to the post of Secretary
of State for Higher Education and Research. The Swiss Federal Council
elected Dr. Dell'Ambrogio in its session of June 7. He is currently
CEO of SUPSI University of Applied Sciences and president of the Ticino
Electricity company AET. He will commence the position as Secretary of State
in January 2008, taking over from Charles Kleiber who will retire. DRM wishes
Dr. Dell'Ambrogio best success in his new post.
March
2007
DRM participated in the Dubai International
Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference & Exhibition - DIHAD, held March 31 - April 3, 2007, at the Dubai
International Convention Centre. The conference contributes to the further enhancement of technically sound
and principled international humanitarian and development assistance. It was supported by the United Nations
and the UAE Red Crescent Society.
December 2006
DRM participated at the Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management, organized by CDERA and held December 11-14, 2006 in Barbados. DRM gave a presentation on GIS developments for applications in disaster preparedness. DRM was also present at the UNDP sponsored Knowledge Fair with an exhibition on its services in the field of disaster risk management. DRM was represented by Dr. Massimiliano Cannata and Dr. Jürg Hammer.
The DRM Europe Consortium lead by the Economic Research Institute of USI has won a research contract within the Swiss Science Foundation's Research Programme 54 "Sustainable Development of the Built Environment". The project is titled "Evaluation of the optimal resilience for vulnerable infrastructure networks. An interdisciplinary study on the transalpine transportation corridors." The project will involve scientists of the Earth Science Institute of SUPSI.
November 2006
The Government of Saint Lucia has awarded to DRM a contract for the development of Drought Hazard Maps, a component of the Second Disaster Management Project. The project is designed to enhance the Saint Lucia National Hazard Mitigation Plan. The client's personnel will receive training at the DRM SUPSI-IST lab in Lugano, Switzerland.
August 2006
The International Disaster Reduction Conference IDRC 2006 took place August 27 - September 1, 2006 in Davos, Switzerland. The conference focused on implementation of risk management tools. DRM presented its activities in the fields of infrastructure security and greenhouse gas solutions. DRM was represented by its president Dr. Stephan Bieri and Dr. Jürg Hammer. The conference was organized and chaired by DRM Director Dr. Walter Ammann.
June 2006
DRM has been formally established in Switzerland at SUPSI Canobbio-Lugano with the signing of respective memorandums as a joint collaboration of the University of Southern Switzerland USI, the University of Applied Sciences SUPSI, the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL, and DRM Inc.
January 2006
DRM has successfully completed the Risk Analysis for Land-Use Planning project in 30 municipalities in Nicaragua. The project was executed for the Secretariat of SINAPRED (National System for Disaster Emergencies and Prevention) and in close cooperation with municipal authorities and national institutions. The project produced hazard and municipal zoning maps, and proposes structural and non-structural mitigation measures.
December 2005
The DRM Board of Director decided at its meeting of December 6 the establishment of DRM in Switzerland. It was also decided that business in the United States will be primarily handled by DRM-VT, and business overseas primarily by DRM from Switzerland.
July 2005
DRM Director Dr. Walter Ammann has been awarded the UNESCO / Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction (GADR) Medal. The award is for distinguished leadership and personal commitment to ongoing activities to build a global culture of community disaster resilience.
June 2005
DRM won a contract in connection with the component "Hazard Vulnerability Studies, Land-Use Planning and Enforcement of Building Codes for Disaster Mitigation in Pilot Municipalities" which is part of the Marmara Earthquake Emergency Reconstruction in Turkey. DRM will provide the services under an agreement with ABS Consulting and in association with the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute.
May 2005
DRM presented the findings of the Seismic Vulnerability Study of Managua at a workshop held May 24-26, 2005 in Managua, Nicaragua. The audience included professionals and researchers from the Nicaraguan Institute for Territorial Studies (INETER), universities, the municipal planning department, the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, and consulting firms.
December
2004
DRM presented the new Building Code to an audience of engineers, construction professionals, municipal technicians and representatives of government agencies on December 10, 2004 at the National University in Managua. The Building Code for Nicaragua, General Procedures, with particular emphasis on earthquake resistant design, was developed by a team of international and local experts lead by DRM.
October
2004
The
Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation project, executed by
DRM for the General Directorate of Disaster Affairs, Republic of
Turkey, and financed by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation,
has successfully been completed. The project documentation consists
of a seismic microzonation manual, pilot studies and materials on
sustainable implementation, training and public awareness. An Executive
Summary of this project and the Seismic
Microzonation Manual and are available online.
July
2004
DRM won a contract for the provision of disaster prevention expertise to the GTZ Rural Development Program in Mozambique.
May
2004
DRM won a contract for the Risk Analysis and Land-Use Planning component of the Natural Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project in Nicaragua.
April
2004
DRM conducted a workshop on the development of seismic load parameters for the new building code. The workshop was held April 19, 2004 at the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure in Managua, Nicaragua.
March
2004
DRM affiliates met at the Global Disaster Information Network Conference, which took place March 26-28, 2004 at the State Department in Washington, DC. DRM Board Member Dr. Walter Ammann presented recent advances in the fields of early warning and communication systems.
February
2004
DRM offered a Seismic Microzonation Training Course to 30 participants from municipalities, central government and the private sector, as part of the Seismic Microzonation Project. The course was conducted February 16-20, 2004 at Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute, Istanbul.
January
2004
The DRM Board of Directors held its annual meeting on January 28, 2004 at SLF in Davos, Switzerland. The IDB ECLAC advisory group to the Risk Information Project met January 13, 2004 in Washington, DC. DRM was represented by Dr. Jürg Hammer.
December
2003
DRM Board of Directors member, Dr. Walter J. Ammann, made a presentation on "Development of Disaster Management Strategy" at the GTZ workshop on the Rural Development Program in Buzi, Mozambique.
October
2003
DRM is awarded the "Evaluation of the Seismic Vulnerability of Managua, Nicaragua" and the "Revision of the Building Code" projects. The projects are scheduled to begin in mid-January 2004.
September
2003
Within the DRM Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation project, DRM conducted a Workshop for Municipalities on the Implementation of Seismic Microzonation for Land Use Planning on September 17 in Adapazari, Turkey. The workshop aimed at urban planners and local government official and explained the use of seismic microzonation in the planning process.
July
2003
DRM
has signed a contract with GTZ for consultancy and the establishment
of an integral risk management system in the Buzi Region in Mozambique.
The services are provided by an on-site risk management specialist
and advice by SLF experts.
June
2003
DRM
presented its work and approach at a workshop on natural disaster
risk management, organized by GTZ, held June 3-6, 2003 in Piura,
Peru. The workshop was attended by project leaders from Andean and
Central American projects. Project experiences were exchanged and
new fields for action explored.
The
products of the DRM Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation
project were discussed and approved by the Technical Advisory Board,
at its final meeting which took place June 2-3, 2003 at ETH Zurich.
The
DRM Board of Directors appointed Dr. Jürg Hammer to the post of
Managing Director of World Institute for Disaster Risk Management,
Inc. (DRM), at its annual meeting held in Zurich June 30, 2003.
April
2003
DRM
and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) signed an agreement
for the evaluation of IDB's policy on natural and unexpected disasters
(OP-704). DRM built a multi-disciplinary team of experts in order
to evaluate the policy in terms of its relevance for the Bank's
mission, as well as in terms of the effectiveness and efficiency
of the development and implementation of the Bank's instruments
in the 26 borrowing countries over the past five years. Field studies
are being conducted in seven borrowing countries.
DRM
presented its current work and approach at the World Bank on April
17, 2003. The audience included sector specialists from the Bank
and other interested institutions.
January
2003
The German Corporation for International Cooperation GTZ awarded a contract to DRM for a multi-hazard and risk assessment study in parts of the Arequipa region in southern Peru. DRM has formed a multi-disciplinary team for the execution of this project which is composed of headquarter staff and experts from member institutions.
December 2002
A DRM delegation participated at the ProVention Consortium Conference titled "The Future of Disaster Risk: Building Safer Cities" organized by the Disaster Management Facility and held December 4-6, 2002 at the World Bank in Washington, DC. Professors Henry Quarantelli, head of the DRM Scientific Advisory Committee, and Carlos Levinton of the DRM Affiliate Institution at the University of Buenos Aires acted as panelists on the topics " Social Infrastructure and Vulnerability of the Poor" and "Vulnerability of Public/Social Infrastructure".
November 2002
The DRM Board of Directors convened for its annual meeting November 6, 2002 at Heathrow, England. The meeting was attended by all board members, the management and the DRM program advisors. The strategy for the coming year was discussed and approved.
September 2002
DRM Co-Director Juerg Hammer participated in the annual meeting of Natural Hazards Competence Center (CENAT), held September 12, 2002 at the University of Berne, and discussed current and future DRM projects with its members. It was agreed that strong links between CENAT and DRM should be established through project development and collaboration.
August
2002
DRM
Program Manager Dr. Silvia Mosquera Machado represented DRM at the
Crowding the Rim workshop held in Costa Rica August 8-1, 2002. The
Crowding the Rim initiative promotes international, cross-sectoral
discussions to better understand and prepare for the potential reverberating
effects of hazards in the Pacific Rim region. Participants included
government officials, technical advisors, emergency managers, professionals,
and academicians.
July
2002
DRM
Co-director Dr. Jürg Hammer presented the DRM Microzonation
for Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project (MERM) to an audience of
experts and decision makers at the Third Meeting on Seismic Microzonation,
organized by FUNVISIS (Venezuelan Foundation for Seismic Investigation)
and held July 15-18, 2002 at Universidad Central in Caracas, Venezuela.
DRM is planning to adapt the methodology which is currently being
developed for the MERM Project in Turkey, to the Latin American
context.
On July 17,2002 Dr. Krimgold contributed to the Panel Discussion
‘Challenges for Humanitarian Assistance in the Last Decade
and into the Future” on the occasion of the 10th anniversary
of the United Nations General Assembly Resolution 46/182. The event
was held in the Dag Hammarskjold Auditorium of the United Nations,
New York. Dr. Krimgold spoke on challenges in the area of natural
disaster risk management.
On July 31, 2002 Dr. Krimgold made a presentation of the DRM project
“Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation” at the
Second Annual IIASA-DPRI Meeting “Integrated Disaster Risk
Management: Megacity Vulnerability and Resilience”, held at
the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg,
Austria. The meeting was co-sponsored by the Disaster Prevention
Research Institute of Kyoto University, Columbia University and
the World Bank.
June
2002
Professor
Atilla Ansal, leader of the research task group in the DRM Microzonation
for Earthquake Mitigation Project organized and directed the meeting
on Concepts for Analysis and Interpretation of Results, which was
held June 13-14 at the Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research
Institute, Bosporus University Istanbul. The purpose of the meeting
was to discuss and decide the approach in conducting the seismic
microzonation study in the case study areas of Adapazari and Degirmendere.
May
2002
Recent
developments and prospects of DRM were presented to an audience
of representatives of Swiss government and academia by members of
the DRM Board of directors, management and member institutions at
a special event held May 8, 2002 in Lucerne.
DRM Co-director Dr. Jürg Hammer participated on behalf of
the SwissRe Climate Board in the Conference on Climate Risks for
Insurance and Finance Industry, which was jointly organized by the
Dialogue on Water and Climate and the Potsdam Institute for Climate
Impact Research, and held May 17, 2002 at MunichRe in Munich, Germany.
The conference marked the initiation of a dialogue for knowledge
transfer between water/climate science and insurance/finance industry.
April
2002
Co-Director Fred Krimgold made a presentation on comprehensive regional risk assessment and management at the 3rd Applied Services Economic Centre Seminar on Services in Manufacturing and Finance held in Toronto, Canada, April 18 - 19, 2002. The Seminar was supported by the Geneva Association. Dr. Krimgold's contribution was part of a session on " Scenario Planning: Dealing with Risk and Vulnerability". The seminar brought together experts on supply chain management and risk management.
Co-Director Fred Krimgold presented a discussion on "Vulnerability Assessment" at the Columbia-Wharton Roundtable "Risk Management in an Uncertain World" held at the IBM Palisades Executive Conference Center in New York on April 12 - 13, 2002. The Roundtable brought together a range of specialists from the research disciplines of engineering, economics, finance, insurance, political science, psychology, sociology, urban planning and associated professions.
The Roundtable produced recommendations of research priorities related to risk assessment and management for extreme events.
DRM has been invited by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expand the project "Incremental Seismic Rehabilitation Manuals" to include three additional manuals and an added year of project activity. The project is developing guidance for engineers and building owners on the incremental reduction of earthquake risk in existing hazardous buildings including schools, hospitals, office buildings, retail buildings and multi-family housing.
The DRM Board of Directors appointed Lenwood D. McCoy, Associate Vice President for Special Initiatives and formerly Controller of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, to the position of Business Consultant for DRM. With his long and broad experience in international business, Lenwood McCoy will be a major pillar for the DRM operation.
March 2002
The Board of Directors of the World Institute for Disaster Risk Management, inc. (DRM) was installed at its first meeting held March 11, 2002 in Alexandria. The Board members are: Dr. Charles Steger, President of Virginia Tech (DRM President); Dr. Stephan Bieri, Vice-President and CEO of the Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology (DRM Secretary/Treasurer); Dr. Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser, President Earth 3000 (DRM Director); Dr. Bruno Porro, Chief Risk and Reinsurance Officer, Swiss Reinsurance Company (DRM Director).
Members of the United States Congress and their chiefs of staff met the DRM Board and Management at a luncheon at the United States Capitol on March 12, 2002. The event was supported by Présence Suisse and organized in conjunction with the Embassy of Switzerland in Washington DC. Speakers included Congressman James Moran, DRM President Charles Steger, Ambassador Christian Blickensdorfer, DRM Program Advisor Heinrich Neukomm and DRM Co-Director Fred Krimgold.
Co-Director Fred Krimgold participated in a United Nations Expert Workshop in Geneva, Switzerland on March 21 - 22, 2002. The meeting was organized by the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The workshop prepared recommendations on innovative roles for the United Nations in reducing the negative consequences of natural disasters. Recommendations were presented to Mr. Oshima, the Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, who also serves as Emergency Relief Coordinator.
February 2002
Co-Director Fred Krimgold served as co-chairman of a NATO/Russia Joint Scientific and Technological Cooperation Advanced Research Workshop on the topic of "Vulnerability of Natural and Technogenic Sphere, Estimation of Integral Risks of Territories and Objects". The Workshop was held at the State University of Management in Moscow , January 28 - February 1, 2002. The workshop included representatives of six NATO countries and eight Russian research institutions. The workshop identified research topics of common interest which could provide the basis for future collaborative research.
Co-Director Fred Krimgold presented an "Earthquake Case Study" at the NSF sponsored workshop on "Planning for the Unexpected". The workshop was held at the Financial Center Marriott in New York City on February 27 - 28,2002. The workshop brought together researchers from computer and information science, engineering and the social and behavioral sciences to examine research opportunities in the field of disaster management and response. The workshop will result in a multidisciplinary research agenda on disaster management and risk reduction.
January
2002
Forthcoming
event: On March 12, 2002, DRM will make a presentation on the
benefits of this successful Swiss - US collaboration to the members
and staff of the US Congress at Capitol Hill. The event will be
held in cooperation with the Swiss Embassy and is supported by Présence
Suisse.
DRM
has signed a collaboration agreement with the General Directorate
for Disaster Affairs (GDDA), Ministry for Housing and Settlement,
Ankara. The agreement is for the installation of GIS capabilities
and corresponding training to GDDA personal and will enhance GDDAs
capabilities in the preparation of seismic microzonation maps. The
Microzonation Manual for Turkey, which is currently under preparation
by DRM members, will be an official recommendation by GDDA. This
agreement is part of the DEZA funded Microzonation for Earthquake
Risk Mitigation Project.
DRM
in collaboration with the State University of Management, Moscow
has organized a NATO/Russia Advanced Research Workshop on the topic
of "Vulnerability of Natural and Technogenic Sphere, Estimation
of Integrated Risks of Territories and Objects". The workshop
was held in Moscow January 28-February 1, 2002. Three DRM affiliate
institutions were represented and Professor Nikolay Makhutov, member
of the DRM Scientific Advisory Committee participated in the workshop.
The workshop identified research topics of common interest to NATO
and Russian researchers and established contacts for future collaborative
research.
December
2001
The
Centre dEtude des Risques Géologiques, the DRM partner
at the University of Geneva, announces the 15th edition of its Postgraduate
Certificate Course Analysis & Management of Geological
Risks, to be held April 22 to June 12, 2002 in Geneva. Detailled
information and an application form are available at www.unige.ch/hazards/cerg/.
November
2001
DRM
partner and sponsor Swiss Re appointed Dr. Jürg Hammer to the
Task Force on Climate Change, Adaptation and Vulnerable Communities.
The objective of this task force, which is organized by IUCN, The
Stockholm Environment Institute and the International Institute
for Sustainable Development, is the provision of guidance on ways
in which natural resource management can decrease the vulnerability
of communities, by increasing their resilience and capacity to adapt
to climate related disasters. The task force's first meeting will
convene November 19 - 20, 2001 and will provide guidance for a project
research agenda, including the design of an analytical framework,
identification of case studies, and the articulation of a preliminary
strategy for integrating this work into research and policy frameworks.
Professor
Carlos Levinton, Director of the DRM affiliate Center at the University
of Buenos Aires, co-organized the PAHO Interagency Seminar on Health-in-Housing,
which was held November 7 and 8, 2001 at the Pan American Health
Organizations headquarter in Washington, DC. DRM Co-Director Jürg
Hammer gave a presentation on DRMs Latin American activities and
interests. The event was attended by representatives from the Health
in Housing network from across the Americas, whose objective was
the promotion of inter agency cooperation and joint collaborative
efforts.
October
2001
A delegation
of DEZA (Swiss Development Corporation, SDC) representatives visited
the DRM office at Sakarya (Turkey) and the project area of the DEZA
financed Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation project. The
delegation was headed by DEZA project coordinator Mrs. Barbara Dättwyler.
DRM resident coordinator Dr. Mehmet Dinçer Köksal lead
through a program which included a briefing on the project status,
a visit to Professor Onalps geotechnical laboratory at Sakarya University,
where DRM has installed DEZA donated cyclic laboratory equipment,
and a visit to the downtown Adapazari where building damage patterns
caused by ground liquefaction and recent retrofitting projects were
shown.
The creation of new ideas for financial solutions to reduce risks
was a topic of the conference "Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions:
Anticipating tomorrow's drivers, opportunities and financial solutions",
which was held October 11 and 12 the Swiss Re Centre for Global
Dialogue in Rüschlikon. DRM was represented by DRM director
Dr. Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser and Dr. Jürg Hammer
The former lead through the session on voluntary commitments and
stakeholder cooperation.
September
2001
Jürg
Hammer made a presentation on DRMs approach and project work at
the International Workshop on Environmental Change: Implications
for Population Migrations, which was organized by the Geosciences
Department of the University of Fribourg and held September 19-22
in Wengen, Switzerland. Scientists and policy makers from around
the globe discussed a range of interdisciplinary issues related
to climate change and migration.
"Financial
Services - Drivers to Sustainability?" was the title of the
International Symposium organized by the Sustainability Forum and
held September 24 & 25, 2001 at the University of Zurich. Leaders
from the business and governance sectors, among them DRM director
Dr. Bruno Porro as a keynote speaker, discussed the opportunities
of the triple bottom line approach for the corporate world. Jürg
Hammer attended the symposium.
DRM
and the International Institute for Critical Infrastructure (CRIS)
jointly organized a workshop on the subject of "Mitigation
of the Vulnerability of Critical Infrastructures to Catastrophic
Failures". The workshop was attended by 40 domestic and international
experts from government, industry and the research community. The
workshop addressed issues of vulnerability of infrastructure systems
to natural and man-made hazards. It was held September 10-11, 2001
at the Lyceum in Alexandria Virginia and chaired by Dr. Lamine Mili
of CRIS and Dr. Frederick Krimgold of DRM.
DRM
Co-Director Frederick Krimgold was interviewed on CBS Television
(Bryant Gumble, The Early Show, September 13,2001) on the structural
failure of the towers of the World Trade Center and the feasibility
of measures to reduce future risk.
DRM
was short listed and invited by the Ministry of Finance of Honduras
to present a proposal for the execution of the World Bank loan supported
Natural Disaster Mitigation Project. The invitation is for the components
which deal with the vulnerability analysis and identification of
mitigation measures, including the design of a plan for capacity
building at the municipal level.
Dr.
Mehmet Dinçer Köksal, Field Manager of the DRM DEZA
Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation project in Turkey,
represented DRM at the 20th European Regional Earthquake Engineering
Seminar, which was held September 3-7, 2001 at the Institut Universitaiere
Kurt Boesch in Sion, Switzerland. The seminar was on seismic assessment
and upgrading of existing structures, and was jointly organized
by the European Association for Earthquake Engineering and the Swiss
Society for Earthquake Engineering and Structural Dynamics. 67 people
from 17 countries have attended the seminar, which included a field
trip to the chemical tanks of Lonza in Visp.
August
2001
DRM
Co-Director Dr. Frederick Krimgold participated in the August 30,
2001 meeting of the Endowment Committee of the Earthquake Engineering
Research Institute in Oakland, California. The Endowment Committee
has funded the development of an "Encyclopedia of Housing Construction
Types in Seismically Prone Areas of the World" and a collaboration
of the earthquake engineering community and the Public Agency Risk
Management Association (PARMA), two project of particular interest
to DRM.
August
27-30, 2001 DRM Co-director Dr. Juerg Hammer conducted a post- earthquake
damage reconnaissance mission in the area of the June 23, 2001 earthquake
in southern Peru. The mission was jointly prepared and conducted
by DRM and the Japan Peru Center for Earthquake Engineering and
Disaster Mitigation (CISMID). The heavily damaged areas of Tacna,
Lucumba, Moquegua, Camana and Arequipa were visited and assessed.
The town of Camana was hit by both earthquake and tsunami. The report
will be made available on the DRM website.
The
DRM DEZA Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation project was
presented by Prof. Giardini and Dr. Delouis with regard to the application
of remote sensing to earthquake reconnaissance, at the 2nd Space
Science and Technology Day, held August 28, 2001 at the University
of Zurich, Switzerland. Dr. Stephan Bieri, CEO and Vice-President
of the ETH Board, and Member of the DRM Board of Directors, gave
a presentation on Monitoring and Risk Management, with particular
emphasis on the importance of the systems approach in risk management.
The
DRM Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project was presented
by poster and brochures at the Satellite Conference "Lessons
Learned from the last Earthquakes " of the "International
Conference on Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering in Istanbul"
on August 23-25,2001. The first day was mainly targeting young researchers
and focused on theory , while the last two days were dedicated to
case studies. Dr. Studer, Dr. Laue and Dr. Köksal represented
DRM as well as several Turkish and International DRM Project Task
Leaders who presented papers on seismicity and topics related to
earthquakes.
DRM
in collaboration with the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
and six partner organizations from the private and public sectors
organized the "International Workshop on Disaster Reduction"
which was held August 19-22, 2001 at the ASCE World Headquarters
in Reston, Virginia. The workshop was attended by more than 100
experts from around the world, among them Dr. Walter Ammann, President
of CENAT and member of the DRM Program Advisory Committee, and Dr.
Franz Stoessel of PLANAT and DEZA. The workshop participants developed
regional agendas and action plans for disaster reduction.
The
DRM Microzonation for Earthquake Risk Mitigation Project was introduced
in a poster presentation and brochures at the SOS 2001 Fair in Istanbul
on August 17, 2001 at CNR International Fair Center at the Kandilli
Observatory and Earthquake Research Center Stand. The poster was
a summary of the project goals, tasks and participating Institutions.
August 17 is the second anniversary of the M 7.4 earthquake which
hit the Kocaeli region in 1999 . DRM was represented at the SOS
2001 Fair by Dr. Köksal, DRM Microzonation Project Field Manager.
DRM
was represented at the "Crowding the Rim Summit", held
July 31 - August 4, 2001 at Stanford University, California, by
Dr. Juerg Hammer. The conference was dedicated to fostering collaborative
solutions for regional risk in the pacific rim area. It was organized
by Stanford University, U.S. Geological Service, American Red Cross
and the Circum-Pacific Council and was attended by 150 scientist,
economists and policy makers from 50 countries around the pacific
rim.
July
2001
DRM
Co-Director Dr. Frederick Krimgold presented a paper on the project
work of DRM at the 9th International Federation of Automatic Control
Symposium, "Large Scale Systems: Theory and Applications"
in Bucharest, Romania, July 18-20, 2001. Prof. Kroeger, Dr. Adrian
Gheorghe (both ETHZ KOVERS) and Dr. Krimgold briefed the President
of Romania on the role of DRM in disaster risk management and potential
collaboration with Romanian institutions.
On
July 12-13, 2001 DRM and the Virginia Tech Center for Wireless Telecommunications
(CTW) co-sponsored a Topical Seminar on the subject of "Broadband
Wireless Telecommunications for Disaster Management". The seminar
included participants from the research community, the user community
and the communications industry. Presentations were provided by
Ericsson, Motorola, and SAIC on current and planned technology developments.
Presentations were provided by the USAID Office of Foreign Disaster
Assistance, the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force, the American
Red Cross, the US Coast Guard National Strike Force related to disaster
management communications needs. The NSF Digital Government funded
project at CTW was presented and discussed in terms of its relevance
to user needs and commercial systems currently underdevelopment.
The seminar was co-chaired by Dr. Frederick Krimgold, DRM and Dr.
Charles Bostian, CWT.
DRM
was notified on July 6 by the Asian Development Bank that the DRM
team has been short listed for the project: Capacity Building for
Earthquake Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Housing (in Gujarat).
Members of the proposal team will prepare the final proposal for
submission in late August.
June
2001
The
DRM Board of Directors met for its bi-annual meeting at Swiss Re's
centre for global dialogue in Rüschlikon (Zurich) on June 22,
2001. The DRM Board members Dr. Maritta von Bieberstein Koch-Weser
of Earth3000, Dr. Stephan Bieri of the ETH-Board, Dr. Bruno Porro
of Swiss Re's Executive Board, Dr. Charles Steger of Virginia Tech,
the DRM Co-Directors and the head of the DRM Program Committee Dr.
Heinrich Neukomm were present.
The
Steering Committee for the DRM DEZA Microzonation for Earthquake
Risk Mitigation project in Turkey, which is composed of the mayors
and governors of the two project area provinces Kocaeli and Sakarya,
representatives of GDDA, UNEP and DEZA, the latter represented by
the deputy chief of mission of the Swiss Embassy in Ankara, approved
the project outline at its meeting held in Adapazari, Turkey on
June 18, 2001.
On
June 19 -20, 2001, the kick-off meeting for the DRM DEZA Microzonation
for Earthquake Risk Mitigation project took place on the campus
of Sakarya University in Adapazari, Turkey. The meeting was attended
by the project task leaders from Turkish, Swiss and US Universities,
the DRM Co-Directors, a delegation from the Turkish General Directorate
for Disaster Affairs and a representative of the Swiss Development
Corporation SDC DEZA.
DRM
was selected and short-listed for the disaster education and capacity
building components of the World Bank financed Natural Disaster
Mitigation Project in Honduras, and now invites DRM member institutions
and Swiss scientists to participate in the tender preparation. Interested
individuals and institutes are encouraged to contact the DRM Co-Directors
regarding their participation.
May
2001
DRM
Co-Director Dr. Frederick Krimgold gave a presentation on the role
of the corporate sector in disaster management, at the International
Seminar on Disaster Management Plans, organized by the Bombay Chamber
of Commerce and Industry, held May 11 and 12, 2001 in Mumbai, India.
March
2001
DRM
was represented by Co-Director Dr. Hammer on the Hemispheric Conference
on Vulnerability Reduction of Trade Corridors to Socio-natural Disasters
(TCC) held March 26 to 28, 2001 in Mendoza, Argentina, organized
by the Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment of the Organization
of American States.
Dr.
Juerg Hammer participated in the meeting "Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias
2000" in San Jose, Costa Rica, from March 19 to March 22, 2001,
on invitation of the US Army, Southern Command. The meeting was
to share ideas on how to prevent and respond to natural and man
made disasters.
DRM
Co-Director Dr. Hammer and Professor Roberto Meli (DRM Scientific
Advisory Committee, UNAM) made presentations at a workshop organized
by the Ministry of Finance of Honduras, "Disaster Risk Management:
Foundation for a New Development Strategy in Central America".
The workshop was held on March 12-13, 2001 in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.
DRM together with the National University of Mexico (UNAM) is developing
collaborative research and training with Universidad Tecnologica
de Honduras (UNITEC) on subjects related to disaster management.
February
2001
The
Scientific Advisory Committee of DRM held its first meeting on February
27-28, 2001 and the Alexandria Research Institute in Alexandria
Virginia. The members of the committee include:
Prof.
Enrico Quarantelli, University of Delaware
Prof. Matthias Haller University of St Gallen
Prof. Roberto Meli, National University of Mexico
Prof. Nikolay Makhutov, Russian Academy of Sciences
Prof . Hans Kienholz, University of Bern
The
Scientific Advisory Committee sets the independent research agenda
for DRM and oversees the quality control of DRM proposals and products.
The
Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (DEZA) signed a $1,300,000
contract with DRM on February 22. 2001 for the seismic microzonation
of two municipalities in Turkey and the development of land use
management capability. DRM leads a network of nine universities,
in the execution of this project.
On
February 6, 2001 Dr. Krimgold, Co-Director of DRM made a presentation
to the Technical Advisory Group on Disaster Data Bases at a meeting
organized by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters
of the University of Louvain, Belgium. The meeting was held at the
World Bank in Washington D.C.
January
2001
Co-Director,
Dr. Frederick Krimgold made a presentation on the role of insurance
in disaster mitigation with reference to the" Market Incentives
for Mitigation Investment" project in Mexico. The presentation
was a part of the 2nd Caribbean Seminar on Disaster Management The
Seminar was organized by the US Army, Southern Command and the Caribbean
Disaster Emergency Response Agency.
Co-Director
of DRM, Dr. Frederick Krimgold made a presentation of current project
work of DRM at the ProVention Consortium Conference "Innovations
in Managing Catastrophic Risk: How can they help the poor?"
at the World Bank on January 9, 2000 in Washington, D.C.
December
2000
Co-Director
of DRM, Dr. Frederick Krimgold represented DRM at the annual meeting
of the International Institute for Critical Infrastructure (CRIS)
held in Maui, Hawaii in December, 2000.
November
2000
Co-Directors,
Juerg Hammer and Frederick Krimgold participated in the Semi-annual
meeting of the Board of Directors of the World Institute for Disaster
Risk Reduction in London, England on November 29-30, 2000. The Board
members include President Charles Steger, of Virginia Tech, Dr.
Stephan Bieri, Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes
of Technology, and Ulrich Bremi, past chairman of Swiss Re, a global
reinsurance company.
Dr.
Krimgold and Dr. Hammer made a presentation of the organization
and the work of the World Institute for Disaster Risk Management
to the Association of Diplomatic Science Councilors at the Embassy
of Switzerland in Washington D.C. on November 15, 2000.
October
2000
Co-Director,
Dr. Frederick Krimgold served as co-chairman for a NATO/Russia seminar
on "Forecasting and Prevention of Catastrophes" which
was held in Moscow, Russia on October30-November1, 2000. The seminar
is the first activity of a new program supporting scientific collaboration
between Russia and the member states of the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization.
September
2000
Dr.
Hammer made a presentation of DRM at the 5e Colloque transfrontalier
CLUSE in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 21 and 22. 2000, organized
by the Centre d'Etude des Risques Geologlique (CERG): Risques majeurs:
perception, globalisation et management.
Dr.
Hammer made a presentation of DRM and its objectives at the Forum
for Disaster Prevention: "Extreme Natural Events and Vulnerability"
held at the Global Fire Monitoring Center (GFMC), Max-Planck-Institute
for Chemistry, University of Freiburg (Germany), on September 29
and 30, 2000. The GFMC is an affiliate institution of DRM.
August
2000
DRM
starts it operational activities at its headquarters in Alexandria
Virginia, USA.
DRM
signs a contract with the World Bank for a landslide assessment
in Baku, Azerbaijan. The assignment includes a field study, the
analysis of slide mechanisms, the evaluation of remedial works and
associated costs.
July
2000
The
DRM press journey to the DRM secretariat in Alexandria VA took place
July 16 and 17, 2000. It was attended by Dr. Rosmarie Waldner, science
journalist Tages-Anzeiger, Dr. Ulrich Goetz, science journalist
Basler Zeitung, Dr. Alcira Kreimer, Director Disaster Management
Facility and ProVention Consortium, World Bank, Dr. Johannes Kaufmann,
science counselor, Embassy of Switzerland in Washington, Prof. Albert
Waldvogel, Vice-President for Research, ETH Zurich, Prof. Domenico
Giardini, Director Institute for Geophysics, ETH Zurich, Prof. Hans-Olivier
Schiegg, Rapperswil.
June
2000
DRM
held a presentation event attended by representatives from the industry
and public authorities on June 21, 2000 at the UBS Conference Center
in Zurich, Switzerland. Presentations were given by Dr. Stephan
Bieri, CEO ETH-Rat, on the objectives of DRM and its resources in
Switzerland, by Dr. Helga Nowotny on the principles of sustainable
risk management, by Dr. Veronika Stoeckli, on recent natural disaster
in Switzerland and abroad, by Dr. Charles Steger, President Virginia
Tech, on DRM in Alexandria, by Dr. Frederick Krimgold, Co-Director
DRM, on risk prevention organizations, by Dr. Juerg Hammer, designated
Co-Director, on approach and strategy of DRM, by Ulrich Bremi, President
of Swiss Re, on the role of insurance and capital market in disaster
risk management.
February
2000
DRM
was founded in Alexandria Virginia on February 29, 2000, by the
Board of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Virginia Polytechnic
Institute and State University, in conjunction wit the Provention
Consortium of the World Bank. A reception was hosted by Ambassador
Defago at the Swiss Embassy in Washington following the inauguration.
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