Organisation - April 13, 2005

Wageningen compiles tsunami book

Wageningen UR has published a directory of experts on rehabilitation and reconstruction in tsunami-affected areas. It includes almost sixty scientists with expertise on disaster management, satellite image interpretation, environmental effects, reconstruction and development of agriculture and fisheries. Although the emergency relief operation went well, in many places rehabilitation and reconstruction has not yet started. Dr Aart Schrevel of Alterra-ILRI visited the areas hit. ‘In some places everything has been washed away as far as the eye can see, up to three kilometres inland. The scale of destruction is enormous.’ Schrevel was in Indonesia to discuss the reconstruction plans with FAO.
One of the Wageningen contributions is a method of determining where reconstruction can best be started by looking at satellite images. The Asian Development Bank is going to use the method in one of its reconstruction projects on the west coast of Aceh.
The directory can be viewed online: www.wur.nl/ramp_azie/uk. / JT

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