Experts see green shoots in Myanmar's disaster preparation efforts

Than Htike Oo in the Myanmar Times: Cyclones, droughts, earthquakes, fires that destroy forests and homes, floods, landslides, storm surges and tsunamis: All pose a threat to lives and property in Myanmar, international disaster assistance professionals say.

Myanmar’s vulnerability to natural disaster was brought into sharp relief by Cyclone Nargis in 2008, which killed at least 138,000 people and caused more than US$4 billion worth of damage. But since then, experts say, progress has been made in preparing for disasters that should help increase the level of protection provided.

Much of the threat is caused or compounded by climate change, to which Myanmar has contributed very little. But according to the Climate Change Vulnerability Index, released by the global risks advisory firm Maplecroft, Myanmar ranks 10th globally in terms of the countries most vulnerable to extreme weather-related events thought to be caused by climate change.

According to the Hazard Profile of Myanmar, a book compiled by the government, Myanmar Engineering Society (MES), Myanmar Geosciences Society (MGS), Myanmar Information Management Unit and the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC), fire is the most devastating disaster, accounting for 70 percent of annual destruction. Flooding comes second at 11pc, affecting two million people each year.

Mr Bishow Parajuli, the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Myanmar, told The Myanmar Times in a recent interview that Myanmar was better prepared for cyclones now that the government, the UN and NGOs were working together more closely on disaster risk reduction….