SESSION 1

Expectations and Goals for the Conference; W. L. Myers

Influence of Catastrophes on Resource Inventorying and Management; H. G. Lund

                       RESPONDING TO GLOBAL DISASTERS:
                   THE AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
                  OFFICE OF U.S. FOREIGN DISASTER ASSISTANCE

                                 Maxx Dilley
          American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow
                  Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance
                       Room 1262A, Washington, DC 20523

   Over the past thirty years, since the establishment of the Agency for
International Development's Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA),
there has been an upward trend in a number of disaster indicators.  These
include the number of declared disasters annually, the number of people killed
or affected and the total U.S. Government assistance.  The increasing human
and economic costs of these trends, and the increasing complexity of the kinds
of disasters and their response requirements have demanded constant
innovation.  OFDA now employs a wide variety of administrative arrangements
and disaster management tools to broaden its response capacity.
Administratively, OFDA establishes links to other federal agencies such as
USDA (the Forest Service and Office of International Cooperation and
Development).  In-country responses funded by OFDA are often implemented by
U.S. and interrnational Private Voluntary Organizations (PVOs) and UN agencies
such as the World Food Programme and the Department of Humanitarian Affairs.
Technical Assistance is contracted on both short- and long-term bases.  In
terms of tools and techniques, OFDA uses or sponsors projects which employ
Geographic Information Systems, Logistics tracking software, Famine Early
Warning Systems and Vulnerability mapping.  As the complexity of disasters and
their responses has increased, training has become an important element in
disaster preparedness.

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Expectations and Goals for the Conference; W. L.
Myers

   A catastrophic event is defined here as any sudden, stochastic occurrence
that significantly alters the present inventory and future development of
natural resouces in forest and range ecosystems.  Catastrophic events include
floods, wildfire, insect epidemics, war, drought, earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, and hurricanes.  The conference focuses on natural/accidental
disasters, thus placing impacts of war or other human conflicts beyond its
purview.

   The conference seeks to provide information on natural resource management
experience of agencies that prepare for and respond to catastrophic events.
The conference should provide answers to the following questions.

   1.  What are the problems related to inventorying and monitoring natural
   resources after catastrophic events?

   2.  How do we evaluate the impact of a catastrophic event on flora and
   fauna?

   3.  What technologies and techniques have been used successfully for
   inventorying, monitoring, and planning after catastrophic events?

   4.  What new methods are on the horizon?

 

        INFLUENCE OF CATASTROPHES ON RESOUCE INVENTORY AND MANAGEMENT

                                H. Gyde Lund
                        USDA Forest Service, FIERR
                               P.O. Box 96090
                        Washington, DC 20090-6090
                    Tel. 202-205-1147, Fax 202-205-1087

   By definition, catastrophes involving natural resources are unavoidable.
There are, however, certain actions that one can take to minimize the impact
and to shorten the time span for recovery.  This paper focuses on some
activities that nations can undertake to strengthen their inventory and
monitoring capabilities that will assist their ability to measure the impact
of a catastrophic event.  Suggestions include maintaining an archive of remote
sensing coverage, developing and maintaining a permanent plot network, keeping
aware of advanced technologies such as airborne videography, global
positioning, etc.  Some discussion about current international activities that
will assist with developing a base against which changes can be measured are
also presented.

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