The Asian Tsunami: Aid and Reconstruction after a Disaster

The 2004 Asian tsunami was the greatest natural disaster in recent times. Almost 230 000 people died. In response, governments in Asia and the broader international community announced large aid programs. The resulting assistance effort was one of the largest humanitarian programs ever organized in the developing world. This book discusses the lessons of the aid effort for disaster protection policy in developing countries.

How effective was the aid? What lessons can be learnt about how to respond when disasters strike in poor countries? This insightful book addresses these questions drawing on three themes of current development policy: international aid policy; human security and the poor; and approaches to disaster risk reduction. The most important lesson is the need to `go local' in building up resilience at the grassroots level in poor countries in Asia. Other lessons include the need for better cooperation between the international community and local and national organizations as well as the need to ensure that adequate funding is provided to support disaster protection and post-disaster recovery programs while taking into account cost inflation associated with large-scale reconstruction efforts.

This analysis draws on the views of local contributors from the countries most affected by the disaster. Analysts and administrators involved in disaster response activities from international organizations, NGOs and national governments will find this a unique and important resource for their forward planning. The book will also prove to be invaluable for academics and students studying disaster management and human security, international aid policy, international relations and Asian economic issues.

Sisira Jayasuriya, Monash University, Australia and Peter McCawley, College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University, Canberra