DRDM launches logo

Public recognition of and support for the Department of Risk and Disaster Management's role in disaster risk reduction is vital for it to successfully fulfill its function. Both of these aspects of public recognition were highlighted yesterday on national TV and in today's Nation newspaper.

The Principal Secretary Mme Lucie Athanasius launched the DRDM logo representing a new initiative to raise the Department's profile whilst local company JHC International trading donated a special heavy duty chainsaw capable of cutting through construction materials and sheet metal a vital tool for certain disaster scenarios.
Simply click on the images below to enlarge and read more about the above or to see the new logo in detail.

Consultancy to Develop a Tourism Sector Disaster Contingency Plan

The Tourism sector is a major component of the national economy and a major national employer. The sector has developed extensive infrastructure and typically hosts between 2,000 and 4,000 tourists at any particular time.

As such an important and widespread sector, it is essential that all reasonable contingency measures are undertaken to ensure the safety of tourists and tourism workers alike in the case of disaster.
The objective of this work is the development of a National Tourism Disaster Contingency Plan that integrates Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) at the systemic and institutional levels of the sector.

The advert for this work is reproduced below:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

CONSULTANCY

The Government of Seychelles in partnership with the World Bank and funding from the Global Facility for Disaster Risk Reduction (GFDRR) is implementing the Seychelles National Disaster Preparedness and Response Project aimed at enhancing Seychelles’ disaster preparedness and response capacity.

Consultancy to Develop a Tourism Sector Disaster Contingency Plan

The Department of Risk and Disaster Management is seeking applications from consultant(s) to undertake the following works:

• Undertake a disaster preparedness assessment of for the Tourism sector at systemic and key institutional level.
• Prepare a Tourism Sector Disaster Contingency Plan that addresses the findings of the preparedness assessment.
• Develop Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) guidelines for large and small residential tourism operations respectively.

Skills/Experience/Qualifications. Candidates should have:

• At least five years of management experience in the Seychelles tourism industry.
• Good educational background e.g. a degree in Tourism, Management, Business, Strategic Planning or related fields.
• Excellent English verbal and written communication skills.
Previous experience of strategic planning and related consultancy work is advantageous.

Detailed Terms of Reference and further information is available from the address below.

Applications, including covering letter and full CV should be sent to:


The Project Management Unit
Department of Risk and Disaster Management
MS Complex, Revolution Avenue,
P.O. Box 55, Victoria, Seychelles.
Telephone: 322979
Email: jnevill@statehouse.gov.sc
Closing Date for Applications: Monday 24thof May.

Manmade or Natural Disasters

It is often difficult to distinguish between what constitutes a natural and a manmade disaster. In truth it is often a combination of the two. The landslides in Uganda covered in the post below were caused by heavy rains but clearly aided and abetted by man’s clearance of land on such steep mountain slopes. Hurricane Katrina would generally be considered a natural disaster but it is widely recognised that the frequency and intensity of such storms has been increased by man’s impact on the global climate. Couple this with a city built on land much of which is below sea level surrounded by dykes that were improperly maintained and the circumstances become more complex.


International news has recently been covering what is very clearly a manmade disaster in the making, namely the oil leak off the coast of Louisiana in the Gulf of Mexico. The Deepwater Horizon rig undertaking exploratory drilling for the British Petroleum (BP) exploded and sank on the 22nd April killing 11 people in the process.

Initially believed to be leaking the equivalent of 1,000 barrels of oil a day that estimate was yesterday increased to 5,000 a day. That is an enormous amount of oil and there is no end in sight at the moment, the problem being the extreme depth of the sea bed being worked. The leakage from the drill pipe is at a depth of 5000 ft below the sea surface and attempts to activate the blowout preventer with submersible robot have failed. The latest from BP is that the leaks will take some three months to close.

This leak threatens a major environmental disaster in what is known as the Fertile Crescent for fishing in the region worth approximately US$2.5 Billion per annum in particular for shrimp, crab and oyster fisheries. Worse still vitally important marsh habitats of the Mississippi delta are threatened when the slick comes ashore these areas serve as the main nursery habitats for the regions fisheries as well as supporting habitat for animals and migrating birds. Add to this the likely impact upon dolphin, turtle and seabird populations of such a volume of oil and an environmental catastrophe of potentially long lasting impact looms.

Oil spills are an issue of concern in Seychelles too. Aldabra, the largest raised atoll in the world and one of Seychelles World heritage sites lies not far from a major oil tanker lane. Small shipping-related spills in Port Victoria are not uncommon and oil exploration continues in Seychelles’ waters. Seychelles has a detailed plan and established capacity to address small spills in the Port and east coast area of Mahe and ongoing regional project is reviewing that plan and seeking to improve regional cooperation and capacities in case of a larger spills.

This project will also be seeking to improve capacity to deal with, and minimise the risk of, terrestrial spills. As development continues rapidly in Seychelles increasing amounts of fuel are “tankered” round the island either to petrol stations or to large facilities with their own storage facilities such as hotel complexes etc... spills on the steep roads of Mahe or into freshwater sources could have very serious consequences whilst fire risk at private storage facilities also needs to be considered - just another aspect of the work being enabled by this GFDRR/IBRD grant. Accidents will always happen this is inevitable minimising their occurrence and impact and increasing resilience to them is where the focus must be.