ARISE

This is an intriguing mural. I’d love to know the story behind it.

Rome conquered much of the Levant, including what is now Jordan, in 63 BCE, inaugurating a period of rule that lasted four centuries until the split between the Western and Eastern Roman Empires.

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We Are One: Africa's disaster risk reduction anthem "We Are One", with lead vocals by Zambian recording artist Lucy Nkhoma, was produced by Health Songs International for the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduct...

HAIYAN MEMORY SPURS PRIVATE SECTOR COMMITMENT

Exactly three years after the country was lashed by the deadly Typhoon Haiyan, UNISDR’s Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies (ARISE) network in the Philippines yesterday committed to strengthen partnerships with national and local authorities, academia and civil society as part of its ambition to reduce disaster risk in the hazard-prone country.

The six-point commitment statement included pledges to: prioritise risk-sensitive investment and action through the adoption of new standards for infrastructure, buildings and industrial and business practices; mobilize more trans-disciplinary research and collaboration on disaster risk reduction to harness the power of applied science; and mainstream science into local risk governance.

Three years on from Typhoon Haiyan, a disaster known locally as Yolanda that claimed more than 6,000 lives, more than 400 government officials, business executives, and various representatives convened for ARISE’s 5th Top Leaders Forum. The theme was ‘Investing in Resilience: Leveraging Science for Sustainable Development’.

Mr. Hans Sy, the Executive Committee Chairman of Asian mall giant SM Prime, who is also an international ARISE board member, opened the forum by saying an evolution in national and international level cooperation had resulted in many changes “and the creation of ARISE Philippines is one of them”.

“Through this initiative, we have fostered deeper connections with other private sector companies and assisted in strengthening the relationship between the public and private sector for DRR,” Mr. Sy told participants at the SMX Convention Centre, in Manila.

Read more: http://www.unisdr.org/archive/50941

DEALING WITH SEA-LEVEL RISE IN SAN FRANCISO BAY

Here's the next in our great series of case-studies showing how ARISE members are helping communities to build resilience in the face of mounting challenges looks at San Francisco Bay.

This study, from AECOM, looks at Alameda County in the San Francisco Bay Area. It's home to valuable transportation and community assets for the region, including major connecting bridges, freeways, a port and airport, homes and businesses. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Bay Area Rapid Transit, Bay Conservation and Development Commission and the California Department of Transportation partnered on a project to assess adaptation options for a subset of key transportation assets vulnerable to sea level rise.

As part of the project inundation maps showing six different sea level rise scenarios were developed, as well as a detailed asset inventory, 125 potential adaptation strategies to reduce the vulnerabilities of these assets to flooding, and five more detailed concept designs including living levees, a breakwater, and governance strategy.

The case study highlights the following lessons learned:

1) It can be hard to find detailed asset information that can be useful to inform a vulnerability assessment (such as condition, previous failure, usage) and time can be wasted trying to locate it.
2) There is a balance between collecting sufficient data at an early stage to help decide which assets are most vulnerable and at risk, and then once those assets are identified, collecting further data to help develop appropriate adaptation strategies.

This case study is one of a series produced by members of ARISE, the UNISDR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies.

Click here for the full case study:http://www.preventionweb.net/files/49460_aecom.mtc.pdf