During the 1964 storm a huge wave of about 20 ft came crashing on the town from Palk Bay/Strait east of the town and destroyed the whole town of Danushkodi.The Government of Madras declared the town as Ghost town and unfit for living
Sunday, 13 May 2012
Dark shades of bleak...
During the 1964 storm a huge wave of about 20 ft came crashing on the town from Palk Bay/Strait east of the town and destroyed the whole town of Danushkodi.The Government of Madras declared the town as Ghost town and unfit for living
Tuesday, 8 May 2012
Monday, 7 May 2012
SMART-Emergency Readiness
According to a senior UN official, India ranks second in the world for natural disasters after China. India has experienced mass destruction caused by cyclones, storm surges in coastal regions, earthquakes, serial monsoon flooding, landslides, fire accidents, and industrial disasters.
Increases in population, coupled with the construction of poorly designed structures, subject Indian cities to enhanced levels of risk to life and property loss in the event of disasters writ large. Lack of basic preparedness, substantially increases the damage at a rate of 2% of the country's GDP (World Bank; NDMA).
Today, social media is a hyperactive and accessible platform. Around 33 million Indians use social media and this is bound to grow as 70% of the population takes to mobile internet (Nielsen; Digital Summit 2012). This AEIF project seeks to popularize emergency readiness by innovatively utilizing social media. We aim to use metric based messaging and create communication templates for different emergency scenarios. We will train college students and professionals to use them for emergency preparedness, and operationalize it among the masses.
Goals and Objectives:
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| SMART-Emergency Readiness Logo |
(i) To sensitize society on the significance and benefits of disaster preparedness
(ii) To engage social media for the first time in India to discuss methods of disaster risk reduction and building community resilience
(iii) To internalize lessons on emergency readiness using metric based messaging and creating customized communication templates
(iv) To popularize disaster preparedness as a socially beneficial process in India
(ii) To engage social media for the first time in India to discuss methods of disaster risk reduction and building community resilience
(iii) To internalize lessons on emergency readiness using metric based messaging and creating customized communication templates
(iv) To popularize disaster preparedness as a socially beneficial process in India
Team Members:
South Regional Leaders :
Dr. Carmalin S. Ayyappan, FNELP Grantee (2011-12)
Ms. K. Kalavathy, FE Teacher (2011-12)
South Alumni Team:
Dr. Geetha Nayak, FNPD Fellow (2011-12)
Ms. Hena Faqurudheen, F-PLUS Fellow (2005-07)
Ms. Suneethi Sundar, FNDPR Fellow (2011-12)
East Regional Leaders :
Ms. Sangeeta Mahapatra, FDR Fellow (2009-10)
Prof. Sanjukta Bhattacharya, FSR Fellow (1987-88) & FV Scholar (2004)
East Alumni Team:
Dr. Arindam Datta, FDR Fellow (2009-10)
Dr. Anup Saikia, FNSR Scholar (2011-12)
Ms. Neeti Roy, FFLTA (2011-12)
Ms. Ananya Ghoshal, FNDPR Fellow (2010-2011)
West Regional Leaders:
Mr. Vivek Vyas, FNELP Grantee (2011-12)
Ms. Niharika Kulshrestha, FE Teacher (2011-12)
West Alumni Team:
Dr. Ragini Sen, FSIR Fellow (2011-12)
Dr. Rajdeep Roy, FNPD Fellow (2011-12)
Ms. Smita, FFLTA Program (2011-12)
USA Team:
Prof. Clif Kussmaul, CIES (2009-10)
Mr. Luke Juran, FN Fellow (2011-12) & FHGPA Grantee (2003 & 2007)
Prof. Marsha Woodbury, FNS (2010-11)
Mr. Maxim Topaz, FD Fellow (2010-12)
Dr. Carmalin S. Ayyappan, FNELP Grantee (2011-12)
Ms. K. Kalavathy, FE Teacher (2011-12)
South Alumni Team:
Dr. Geetha Nayak, FNPD Fellow (2011-12)
Ms. Hena Faqurudheen, F-PLUS Fellow (2005-07)
Ms. Suneethi Sundar, FNDPR Fellow (2011-12)
East Regional Leaders :
Ms. Sangeeta Mahapatra, FDR Fellow (2009-10)
Prof. Sanjukta Bhattacharya, FSR Fellow (1987-88) & FV Scholar (2004)
East Alumni Team:
Dr. Arindam Datta, FDR Fellow (2009-10)
Dr. Anup Saikia, FNSR Scholar (2011-12)
Ms. Neeti Roy, FFLTA (2011-12)
Ms. Ananya Ghoshal, FNDPR Fellow (2010-2011)
West Regional Leaders:
Mr. Vivek Vyas, FNELP Grantee (2011-12)
Ms. Niharika Kulshrestha, FE Teacher (2011-12)
West Alumni Team:
Dr. Ragini Sen, FSIR Fellow (2011-12)
Dr. Rajdeep Roy, FNPD Fellow (2011-12)
Ms. Smita, FFLTA Program (2011-12)
USA Team:
Prof. Clif Kussmaul, CIES (2009-10)
Mr. Luke Juran, FN Fellow (2011-12) & FHGPA Grantee (2003 & 2007)
Prof. Marsha Woodbury, FNS (2010-11)
Mr. Maxim Topaz, FD Fellow (2010-12)
In Collaboration with:
-Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Founder of Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Montreal International Forum (FIM), Montreal, Canada and Voluntary Action Network India (VANI), New Delhi
-Dr. Chandan Ghosh, Head of Geo-Hazard Risk Management, National Institute of Disaster Management
-Dr. J. Radhakrishnan, Assistant Country Director, United Nations Development Programme
-Ms. Annie George, Director, Building & Enabling the Disaster Resilience of Coastal Communities
-Ms. S. Velvizhi, Village Resource Coordinator, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
-Dr. V. Thiruppugazh, Commissioner of Information & Additional CEO, Gujarat State Disaster Management Board
-Ms. Sushma Iyengar, Vice President of Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan & Executive Trustee of Abhiyan
-Dr. Andrew Rumbach, Assistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii at Manoa
-Ms. Lisa M. Hilmi, MPH, RN- Senior Global Health Ambassador, Disaster Preparedness expert, University of Pennsylvania
-Mr. Neil Dufty, Principal, Molino Stewart Pty Ltd, Parramatta, NSW
(The core team is comprised of scientists, researchers, journalists, technology experts, social media experts, disaster mitigation experts, etc.,)
-Dr. Rajesh Tandon, Founder of Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA), Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Montreal International Forum (FIM), Montreal, Canada and Voluntary Action Network India (VANI), New Delhi
-Dr. Chandan Ghosh, Head of Geo-Hazard Risk Management, National Institute of Disaster Management
-Dr. J. Radhakrishnan, Assistant Country Director, United Nations Development Programme
-Ms. Annie George, Director, Building & Enabling the Disaster Resilience of Coastal Communities
-Ms. S. Velvizhi, Village Resource Coordinator, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
-Dr. V. Thiruppugazh, Commissioner of Information & Additional CEO, Gujarat State Disaster Management Board
-Ms. Sushma Iyengar, Vice President of Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan & Executive Trustee of Abhiyan
-Dr. Andrew Rumbach, Assistant Professor, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii at Manoa
-Ms. Lisa M. Hilmi, MPH, RN- Senior Global Health Ambassador, Disaster Preparedness expert, University of Pennsylvania
-Mr. Neil Dufty, Principal, Molino Stewart Pty Ltd, Parramatta, NSW
(The core team is comprised of scientists, researchers, journalists, technology experts, social media experts, disaster mitigation experts, etc.,)
Region: South Asia
Location:
Three model cities in India—Pune(West India), Kolkata (East India), and Chennai (South India)-have been chosen. These cities exhibit disaster vulnerability, are geographically distributed, and represent centers of higher education and information technology. The success stories and lessons learned from the model cities will serve as a framework for other cities and towns. This approach of scalability and replication will prepare society to face a broad range of disasters in tandem with user-friendly, freely available innovative social media devices.
Workshops and accommodation (for the team) are proposed to be arranged at
-CSIR-SERC Campus, Chennai
-Madras Christian College, Tambaram Chennai
-St. Dominics' Anglo Indian School, Chennai
-Jadavpur University Campus, Kolkata
-CSIR-CGCRI Campus, Kolkatta
-CSIR-NCL Campus, Pune
-The American Centers and USIEF Offices
Workshops and accommodation (for the team) are proposed to be arranged at
-CSIR-SERC Campus, Chennai
-Madras Christian College, Tambaram Chennai
-St. Dominics' Anglo Indian School, Chennai
-Jadavpur University Campus, Kolkata
-CSIR-CGCRI Campus, Kolkatta
-CSIR-NCL Campus, Pune
-The American Centers and USIEF Offices
Innovation:
 |
| Overview of the Process |
Social media has proven extensively popular in the post-disaster sphere, but this has not carried over into the realm of disaster preparedness. Emergency readiness is a novel concept in India. Thus, this project will be the first of its kind to popularize and create awareness about disaster preparedness and community involvement, and accomplish this task by the innovative use of social media in the following ways:
(i) Metric-based messaging in emergency preparedness initiatives is a new idea. Currently, metrics are primarily used in the business world to evaluate communication effectiveness of advertisements. This project aims to adapt metrics to fit the disaster sphere. Metrics would help in finding the most effective communication route.
(ii) The critical evaluation of social media instruments on their potential impacts in different scenarios of disaster preparedness.
(iii) Customizing social media templates to fit different stages of disaster preparedness and ensure that the message is communicated most effectively.
(iv) Conventional top-down route of information will be replaced by peer-to-peer (P2P) learning.
(v) Online competitions to kindle curiosity and ensure participation of the younger generation.
(vi) Four workshops in three model cities targeting more than 300 participants.
(vii) Popularizing multi-app compatible e-manuals to be disseminated through social media for early warning, information dissemination, evacuation, and live processing for earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and fire hazards.
(viii) Instigating a social movement by applying the workshop outcomes to other cities in India and other countries in throughout the globe.
(i) Metric-based messaging in emergency preparedness initiatives is a new idea. Currently, metrics are primarily used in the business world to evaluate communication effectiveness of advertisements. This project aims to adapt metrics to fit the disaster sphere. Metrics would help in finding the most effective communication route.
(ii) The critical evaluation of social media instruments on their potential impacts in different scenarios of disaster preparedness.
(iii) Customizing social media templates to fit different stages of disaster preparedness and ensure that the message is communicated most effectively.
(iv) Conventional top-down route of information will be replaced by peer-to-peer (P2P) learning.
(v) Online competitions to kindle curiosity and ensure participation of the younger generation.
(vi) Four workshops in three model cities targeting more than 300 participants.
(vii) Popularizing multi-app compatible e-manuals to be disseminated through social media for early warning, information dissemination, evacuation, and live processing for earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and fire hazards.
(viii) Instigating a social movement by applying the workshop outcomes to other cities in India and other countries in throughout the globe.
Timeline and Activity List:
Work Plan Details (five phases):
[1] Preparation of a bilingual e-manual (August 2012 - October 2012)
(i) A bilingual e-manual (English & Hindi) will be conceived in consultation with disaster management experts and social media consultants (Alumni, government officials, NGOs, and researchers) to create effective communication tools for different emergency scenarios.
(ii) The international and local experts will guide us on utilizing a range of social media tools- communications, location based services, and real-time analytics for disaster readiness.
(iii) The manual will be developed using e-communication devices such as email, Skype, video conferencing, and Google Chat.
[2] Regional Coordinators Training (Mid-November 2012 for 2 days)
(i) The regional coordinators will meet in Chennai for a formal project inauguration and finalization of the E- manual. Local experts in disaster management and social media, guests from American Center, USIEF office, Fulbright Alumni, and State Alumni members based in Chennai will be invited.
(ii) They will be trained by experts in the innovative use of social media for community preparedness. This will be achieved via a workshop focusing on (a) metric based messaging, (b) using communication templates and (c) trial run of the e-manual by a controlled experiment in a university setting, to test it's effectiveness.
(iii) The regional coordinators will discuss about the various ways to popularize the e-manual. Thus, social media will be employed to foster functions of community-led preparedness, mapping, and analysis.
[3] Workshops in Model Cities (December 2012 – February 2013)
(i) The trained regional coordinators will disperse to their respective zones.
(ii) They will reach out to other Alumni in the team and organize one workshop per zone in coordination with the American Centers and local Universities.
(iii) These workshops will popularize the bilingual e-manual and its usage.
(iv) Local experts will be invited to give talks. Government officials, NGO’s and stake holders will be invited to attend the workshop. Guests from the American Centers will be invited. Students and Professionals will be encouraged to participate and interact with the experts.
(v) Regional workshops will be held in Chennai during December 2012, in Kolkata during January 2013 and in Pune during February 2013
[4] Online Competitions (January 2013 - February 2013)
(i) Online competitions (photography & blogging) will be organized to galvanize curiosity and awareness among the public.
(ii) The theme will be on finding practical ways of being prepared keeping in mind specific demands of risk-prone areas constrained by power, internet limitations, and infrastructure gaps.
(iii) The winning products will be popularized using social media.
[5] Project Sustainability
(i) The project will be popularized using webinars, calenders-2013, coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc.
(ii) Since this project uses technology tools, the project is expected to be self-sustaining from March 2013!
[1] Preparation of a bilingual e-manual (August 2012 - October 2012)
(i) A bilingual e-manual (English & Hindi) will be conceived in consultation with disaster management experts and social media consultants (Alumni, government officials, NGOs, and researchers) to create effective communication tools for different emergency scenarios.
(ii) The international and local experts will guide us on utilizing a range of social media tools- communications, location based services, and real-time analytics for disaster readiness.
(iii) The manual will be developed using e-communication devices such as email, Skype, video conferencing, and Google Chat.
[2] Regional Coordinators Training (Mid-November 2012 for 2 days)
(i) The regional coordinators will meet in Chennai for a formal project inauguration and finalization of the E- manual. Local experts in disaster management and social media, guests from American Center, USIEF office, Fulbright Alumni, and State Alumni members based in Chennai will be invited.
(ii) They will be trained by experts in the innovative use of social media for community preparedness. This will be achieved via a workshop focusing on (a) metric based messaging, (b) using communication templates and (c) trial run of the e-manual by a controlled experiment in a university setting, to test it's effectiveness.
(iii) The regional coordinators will discuss about the various ways to popularize the e-manual. Thus, social media will be employed to foster functions of community-led preparedness, mapping, and analysis.
[3] Workshops in Model Cities (December 2012 – February 2013)
(i) The trained regional coordinators will disperse to their respective zones.
(ii) They will reach out to other Alumni in the team and organize one workshop per zone in coordination with the American Centers and local Universities.
(iii) These workshops will popularize the bilingual e-manual and its usage.
(iv) Local experts will be invited to give talks. Government officials, NGO’s and stake holders will be invited to attend the workshop. Guests from the American Centers will be invited. Students and Professionals will be encouraged to participate and interact with the experts.
(v) Regional workshops will be held in Chennai during December 2012, in Kolkata during January 2013 and in Pune during February 2013
[4] Online Competitions (January 2013 - February 2013)
(i) Online competitions (photography & blogging) will be organized to galvanize curiosity and awareness among the public.
(ii) The theme will be on finding practical ways of being prepared keeping in mind specific demands of risk-prone areas constrained by power, internet limitations, and infrastructure gaps.
(iii) The winning products will be popularized using social media.
[5] Project Sustainability
(i) The project will be popularized using webinars, calenders-2013, coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc.
(ii) Since this project uses technology tools, the project is expected to be self-sustaining from March 2013!
Outcomes:
-Development of a basic e-manual (must haves) for emergency situations
-Four workshops in three model cities targeting more than 300 participants
-Online competitions to kindle curiosity and ensure participation of the younger generation
-Increase the utilization of metric based messaging for spreading awareness
-Extensive use of social media for campaigning
-Applying the workshop outcomes to other cities in India and other developing countries
-Creating a more engaged, prepared, and resilient society for tomorrow
-Four workshops in three model cities targeting more than 300 participants
-Online competitions to kindle curiosity and ensure participation of the younger generation
-Increase the utilization of metric based messaging for spreading awareness
-Extensive use of social media for campaigning
-Applying the workshop outcomes to other cities in India and other developing countries
-Creating a more engaged, prepared, and resilient society for tomorrow
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Friday, 4 May 2012
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