Post by Deleted on Apr 4, 2014 13:05:42 GMT 7
Singapore proposes regional crisis centre
April 4, 2014 12:03 pm
HONOLULU - Singapore has proposed hosting a regional crisis command centre that would help coordinate governments' efforts after major natural disasters, the city-state's defence minister said Thursday.
"We were obviously struck over the last decade by how many disasters there were" in the region, said Ng Eng Hen, citing earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons that have cut a swathe of destruction from the Philippines to Japan.
"We recognized in the first critical 24, 48 hours, it is actually very difficult for the affected country to be able to set up a C2 (command and control) centre, for the very reason they’re the ones hit," said the minister, in Hawaii for an Asean meeting.
With communications knocked out, governments at the centre of a natural disaster often are "overwhelmed" and don’t have the ability to manage international offers of help, he said.
"In the discussion we realised what was really needed was a crisis centre that was stood up all the time, which of course could be scaled up (as needed)," he said.
At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering in Honolulu, defence ministers welcomed Singapore’s proposal to host the crisis centre at Changi naval base, Ng said.
The agenda for this week’s Asean meeting -- focused on improving cooperation for humanitarian assistance -- has taken on new importance in the wake of missing Flight MH370.
AFP
April 4, 2014 12:03 pm
HONOLULU - Singapore has proposed hosting a regional crisis command centre that would help coordinate governments' efforts after major natural disasters, the city-state's defence minister said Thursday.
"We were obviously struck over the last decade by how many disasters there were" in the region, said Ng Eng Hen, citing earthquakes, tsunamis and typhoons that have cut a swathe of destruction from the Philippines to Japan.
"We recognized in the first critical 24, 48 hours, it is actually very difficult for the affected country to be able to set up a C2 (command and control) centre, for the very reason they’re the ones hit," said the minister, in Hawaii for an Asean meeting.
With communications knocked out, governments at the centre of a natural disaster often are "overwhelmed" and don’t have the ability to manage international offers of help, he said.
"In the discussion we realised what was really needed was a crisis centre that was stood up all the time, which of course could be scaled up (as needed)," he said.
At the Association of Southeast Asian Nations gathering in Honolulu, defence ministers welcomed Singapore’s proposal to host the crisis centre at Changi naval base, Ng said.
The agenda for this week’s Asean meeting -- focused on improving cooperation for humanitarian assistance -- has taken on new importance in the wake of missing Flight MH370.
AFP