Disaster Management in South-east Asia

South-east Asia is the epicentre of frequent disasters of varying intensity. The damage to life and property caused by these disasters is comparable to that caused by war. Disasters disrupt the national economy and social development. Besides, the world has shrunk and news about the hardship suffered by the people is rapidly disseminated. As such, the management of disasters has become a key concern of governments confronted with an increasingly aware civil society and a shorter reaction time. Often when disaster strikes, it impacts more than one country and sometimes the region as a whole. The intensity and the frequency of such disasters have prompted the ASEAN to evolve its own response mechanism. However, often the scale of the disaster is so huge that only an international response can meet the challenge. In such cases, the international community, acting through the United Nations and its various agencies and other inter-governmental and non-governmental bodies, has provided succour. Although disasters can be natural, technological and conflictrelated, this paper addresses only natural disasters in the region.

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