Experts from eight countries formulate post-disaster management

Surabaya (ANTARA News) - Experts from the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, Srilanka, Germani, China, Thailand, Singapore, and Indonesia have formulated post-disaster management.

The post-disaster management was formulated in a two-day symposium at Surabaya Sepuluh November Institute of Technology (ITS) from January 9-10 which was was concluded with a field trip to mud-hit area in Porong, Sidoarjo, on Thursday.

The experts who spoke in the symposium were Dr Emilia van Egmond of TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Dr Francis Edum Fotwe of Loughborough University in the United Kingdom, Prof George Ofori the National Univesity of Singapore, Prof Ananda Jayawardhane of the University of Moratuwa in Srilanka, Prof Jouke M Post of TU Eindhoven in the Netherlands, Prof Sc Techn. Christian Brockmann of Hochscule Brement in Germany, Prof Mohan Kumaraswamy of the University of Hong Kong, Prof Stephen O Ogunlana of Asian Institute of Technology, and Prof Johan Silas of ITS in Surabaya, Indonesia.

Frof Ananda Jayawardane of the University of Moratuwa in Srilanka said wooden houses were the temporary models of post-disaster management.

"Wooden houses are better in quake-prone areas, although woods are expensive and difficult to find in our country," Jayawardane said.

He said Srilanka was also hit by the deadly tsunami on December 26, 2005 but the country`s National Disaster Management Plan had been applied there since 2005.

Meanwhile, ITS Rector Prof Priyo Suprobo said he would design a house module for tsunami, earthquake, flood, and landslide victims.

"We used to design knock-down houses for Aceh tsunami victims," he said, adding that construction of such a kind of house could be completed in nine hours.

He added that one of the primary models in post-disaster management was the efficient, environmentally friendly and easy-to-construct houses.

Priyo Suprobo said ITS was currently designing a model of house which could be built in four hour.

"We are preparing the module, and the experts from various countries have given us input so we will recommend the result to the government," he said.