The Office for Sustainable Development and Environment is cooperating with the European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) for the implementation of several vulnerability reduction projects. Activities include vulnerability assessment, workshop seminars and related technical assistance, and preparation of software programs with instructor training.

Vulnerability reduction themes are: schools vulnerability reduction, road transportation vulnerability reduction, flood hazard vulnerability reduction, and country vulnerability profiles based on the agriculture, energy, and transportation sectors.

Central

America

Building on experiences of the OAS-ECHO Flood Hazard Mapping and Local Alert Systems Project in Honduras. Phase III has been completed and Phase IV of the Project has been initiated to cover Central America and Panama to train groups of professionals to design and implement flood vulnerability reduction projects in small valleys. (1997 to present)
The Natural Hazard Vulnerability Reduction Program for the Education Sector expanded from pilot countries to include all Central American countries, Belize and Panama. (1995 to 1997)

Central America and Andean Countries

In collaboration with the Pan-American Institute of Highways (PIH), the OAS-ECHO-PIH Project for the Reduction of Vulnerability to Natural Hazards of the Road Network in Central America and the Andean Countries focused on the reduction of the vulnerability to natural hazards of the road transportation system by incorporating mitigation techniques into road construction, reconstruction, maintenance and repair programs, through the development and diffusion of PerfilMap, a computer system based on a Geographic Information System (GIS), that enables the user to cross data about the road system with information on natural hazards in order to visualize and analyze the impact of hazards on road infrastructure through the generation of vulnerability profiles. (1995 - 1996)

Countries participating in the OAS-ECHO-PIH Project:

Argentina*
Chile*
Colombia
Costa Rica*
Ecuador

Honduras
Nicaragua
Panamá
Perú*

(* workshop site)

Antigua and Barbuda
Dominica

The Caribbean and its infrastructure are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. This is something that was made all too following Hurricanes Luis and Marilyn in 1995.

Saint Kitts

and Nevis

This OAS-St. Kitts ECHO project, a continuation of the effort already begun in Central America, focused on creating a process to reduce the vulnerability of school infrastructure to natural hazards by strengthening local institutions and resources. The outcomes of this project include: the creation of school building vulnerability profiles, national plans to reduce the vulnerability of schools buildings to natural disasters, and country specific school building maintenance manuals. (1997 to 1998)

Costa Rica
Ecuador
Saint Lucia

The Project on Pilot Disaster Vulnerability Profiles for Influencing Sector Development developed a computer software- based methodology (AQUILES) for preparing a vulnerability profile related to the impact of possible natural hazards on the agriculture, energy, and transportation sectors and its effects on national development. (1995 to present)

Honduras

The OAS-ECHO Flood Hazard Mapping and Local Alert Systems Project completed its second phase. Phase I of the Project involved developing a simple flood hazard alert system and vulnerability reduction strategy for the Leán River Valley. Based on these Phase I pilot activities, Phase II of the Project assisted the national Permanent Contingency Committee of Honduras (COPECO), local emergency committees, NGO's, PVO's, and water resource agencies in training a cadre of Honduran specialist to design, install and operate flood hazard alert and mitigation programs in small river valleys throughout Honduras. (1996 - 1997)

El Salvador
Nicaragua

Natural Hazard Vulnerability Reduction Pilot Program for the Education Sector. (1995)