The Sphere Project

Humanitarian Charter and Minimum Standards in Disaster Response







Sphere is based on two core beliefs:
All possible steps should be taken to alleviate human suffering arising out of calamity and conflict.
Those affected by disaster have a right to life with dignity and therefore a right to assistance.

Sphere is three things: a handbook, a broad process of collaboration and an expression of commitment to quality and accountability. The project has developed several tools, the key one being the handbook.

Visit http://www.sphereproject.org/ to learn more about the sphere project.

Hope we will never have snowfall in Sri Lanka!!!

Measuring Snowfall.....

This is an obviously an obsolete topic for Sri Lanka however, as all of us in the Disaster Management class were very keen on knowing how to measure snowfall, this article was published.

Equipment needed:

Usual 8’ rain gauge without the inner tube and the funnel – this helps to collect the solid snow with ease.
Snowboard - a flat board, painted white, ideally about 16" x 16". This can be marked with a falg or so to find it after the snowfall.
Ruler

There are 3 measurements with regards to snow fall:
1. Precipitation – the water content of snow
To measure the water content of snow with this type of gauge, you will need to
melt the contents ( by adding measured amount of warm water for example)
and put them into the inner cylinder.
2. New Snow Amount

Snowfall is the maximum accumulation of fresh snow during the past day prior to melting or settling. This is measured on the snow board using your ruler.
3. Snow depth - Total depth of snow on the ground
This is the total depth of snow on ground at your scheduled observation time
4. Snow Cores - Core Precipitation
If you think that all the snow has not fallen into the cylinder and has rolled down on its outer walls, example in windy conditions, you can take core precipitation. After measuring the precipitation, you cut a cylinder of fresh snow using the gauge for example on the snow board, collect the snow, melt it and add it to the precipitation.

Helpful Telephone Numbers

Bomb Disposal 243425, 2440527

Police Emergency Service 119, 2433333 (Colombo)

General Hospitals

Colombo General Hospital 2691111

Sri Jayawardanapura 2778610

Lady Ridgeway 2693711-5

Ragama 2959261

Kalubowila 2822261

Karapitiya 091-2245848

Kandy 081-2222170

Peradeniya 081-2388001

Jaffna 021-2222833

Ambulance Services

St. John Ambulance Service 2433756

Health

Central Blood bank 2692317

Poison Information Centre 2686143, 2691111 - Ext 430

Electricity Board

Colombo 2466611-3

Dehiwala 2713662,2739324

Ratmalana 2637703

Sri Jayawardanapura 2863070

Public Transport

Central Bus Stand Pettah 2329606

Road Passenger Transport Authority

Western Province 2421731

Colombo Fort Railway Station 2434215

Flight Information

Airport katunayaka 2252861-5

Water Supply and Drainage Division

Colombo Municipality 2695348

Disaster Information

Disaster Management Centre 2861197

Meteorological Department 2686686

Geological Survey and Mines Bureau 2728227,2725750, 2734634

Community Tsunami Early-warning Centre 0914385408-9

Others

Probation and Child Care 2448577

Legal Aid Commisiion 2433618

Abduction Disappearences 2676513, 0602119246

National Dangerous Drugs Control Board 2868794 (3 lines)

Bribery Commission 2581632,2586257

Fraud Bureau 2583512

Protecting right to breath…..

Vehicle gas emission test compulsory from 15th July 2008….

Vehicle gas emission test will come into effect from 15 of this month onward, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, Champika Ranawaka said.
Revenue license would not be issued to vehicles which do not comply with the environmental standards on vehicle emissions, the Minister added.
Obtaining an emission test certificate will cost less than 500 rupees for small vehicle while bigger ones will be charged 500 - 1,000 rupees. Vehicle owners will be required to come to the testing centre, obtain the certificate and take it to the revenue authorities for renewal of their revenue licenses. This move is part of the efforts to improve the air quality in the island, especially in Colombo, where pollution levels are high owing to a concentration of vehicles. A center to test vehicle gas emissions is setup close to the Fort Railway Station.
The Ministry has taken steps to establish four new testing centers by the end of this year at a cost of Rs. 88 million to purchase related equipment for testing.
At the commencement of this programme the Ministry will test the vehicle of its own.
Vehicle emissions -carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons – contribute to the formation of photochemical smog, acid deposition and elevated CO levels and these pollutants cause respiratory problems, increase toxicity and mortality, and the effects are more severe in urban areas where vehicle use is higher.

Another train accident in Hukkaduwa

Train derailed on the Bridge - 3 people killed


3 people were killed and many others were injured when express train from Kandy to Matara was derailed at Hikkaduwa Bridge. Reports say several passengers fell into the river when three compartments were derailed on the bridge. Karapitiya Hospital sources say seven passengers brought to the hospital are in critical condition. The guard of the train too is among the injured say reports reaching us. The coastal train service has been interrupted due to the accident. A Committee has been appointed to investigate into the incident. This happened in between Seenigama and Hikkaduwa, just off the spot where the Train was toppled over by 2004 Tsunami.

U.S. Embassy Reopens for Normal Operations

Powder, not a danger: investigation reveals

Investigation determined that the powder did not pose a danger. 
Colombo, June 30, 2008: The U.S. Embassy in Colombo, which has been closed to the public since June 25 after a suspicious powder was found, will reopen for normal operations Tuesday, July 1, after an investigation determined that the powder did not pose a danger. Visa and other appointments postponed by the closure are being rescheduled on an individual basis.

Thanks for those who participated in the poll. Surprisingly, none of the voters thought that the powder could be an inert substance! It is good to be on alert mode always. 

A suspicious powder causes U.S. Embassy to be temporarily closed…

Powdered Terrorism, are we prepared?

At approximately 11:00 am on June 25, 2008, a suspicious powder was discovered at the U.S. Embassy in Colombo. The suspicious substance has been sent to a laboratory for analysis. Until the results are received and a determination is made that the substance does not pose health or safety risks, the Embassy will be closed to the public.

The US embassy has thrice been closed in the past after suspicious powder was detected but on each occasion it turned out to be a false alarm. We wish that this will be the case for the third time, how ever; this should be an eye opener to Sri Lanka to be prepared for biological or chemical terrorist activity.

Powdered Terrorism can basically be of two forms: Biological agents such as bacteria i.e. bio terrorism, and chemical agents such as Sarin i.e. Chemo or Toxic Terrorism.

What is Bioterrorism?
A bioterrorism attack is the deliberate release of viruses, bacteria, or other germs (agents) used to cause illness or death in people, animals, or plants. These agents are typically found in nature, but it is possible that they could be changed to increase their ability to cause disease, make them resistant to current medicines, or to increase their ability to be spread into the environment. Biological agents can be spread through the air, through water, or in food. Terrorists may use biological agents because they can be extremely difficult to detect and do not cause illness for several hours to several days. Some bioterrorism agents, like the smallpox virus, can be spread from person to person and some, like anthrax, can not.

Bioterrorism Agent Categories
Bioterrorism agents can be separated into three categories, depending on how easily they can be spread and the severity of illness or death they cause. Category A agents are considered the highest risk and Category C agents are those that are considered emerging threats for disease.

• 
  Category A
  These high-priority agents include organisms or toxins that pose the highest risk to the public and national security because:
  They can be easily spread or transmitted from person to person
  They result in high death rates and have the potential for major public health impact
  They might cause public panic and social disruption
  They require special action for public health preparedness.
  Examples of Category A :
  · Anthrax
  · Botulism
  · Pneumonic Plague
  · Smallpox
  · Tularemia
  · Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers (VHF).
  
  Category B
  These agents are the second highest priority because:
  They are moderately easy to spread
  They result in moderate illness rates and low death rates
  They require specific enhancements of laboratory capacity and enhanced disease monitoring.
  Examples of Category B: Brucellosis (Brucella species),
  · Epsilon toxin of Clostridium perfringens
  · Food safety threats (e.g., Salmonella species, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Shigella)
  · Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
  · Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
  · Psittacosis (Chlamydia psittaci)
  · Q fever (Coxiella burnetii)
  · Ricin toxin from Ricinus communis (castor beans)
  · Staphylococcal enterotoxin B
  · Typhus fever (Rickettsia prowazekii)
  · Viral encephalitis (alphaviruses [e.g., Venezuelan equine encephalitis, eastern equine encephalitis, western equine encephalitis])
  · Water safety threats (e.g., Vibrio cholerae, Cryptosporidium parvum)

Category C

These third highest priority agents include emerging pathogens that could be engineered for mass spread in the future because:
They are easily available
They are easily produced and spread
They have potential for high morbidity and mortality rates and major health impact.

Examples of Category C:
· Emerging infectious diseases such as Nipah virus and hantavirus

Chemo Terrorism or Toxic Terrorism
There are four major categories of chemical agents that could be used as terrorism weapons to cause a health emergency. They are grouped according to their effect on the human body. These major categories of chemical agents follow:
1. Blister (e.g., mustards)
2. Blood (e.g., cyanides)
3. Choking (e.g., chlorine)
4. Nerve (e.g., sarin, VX agents)

As discussed in the last blog post on Bus Bombs, public awareness and vigilance is so important to prevent terrorism. Bioterrorism and chemo terrorism are no exception. So the general public needs to be educated on how to respond in such an incident.

The Ministry of Health and the Epidemiology Unit, in line with the Disaster management Centre will have an important role in preparing and responding to such incidents. An effective coordination mechanism needs to be established between health (curative and preventive) and non-health stakeholders ex: Disaster management Coordinators of Disaster Management Centre. Such preparedness plans need to be conveyed to the people in order to optimize their own preparedness and response.

The Terrorists have no ethics nor do they have respect for human life. Thus who can say that terrorists may not try Powdered Terrorism tomorrow? Are we prepared?