How hundreds of millions of people are protected from natural hazard risks throughout Southeast Asia

This short case study explores the work being done at the ASEAN Coordinating Centre for Humanitarian Assistance on disaster management (AHA Centre) to help divert the worst of potential hazards. There are more than 655 million people living in Southeast Asia— one of the most disaster-prone regions of the world. Life within the region is becoming even more challenged by a notable increase in climate-driven disasters which include floods, landslides, wildfires, and super typhoons. The AHA Centre serves all 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and has helped raise and equalize disaster risk reduction capacity throughout the region for more than a decade.

The case study illustrates how the infrastructure, population and socioeconomic information available within DMRS, along with the automated hazard alerts and impact assessments specific to the ASEAN region, provide the AHA Centre with unmatched regional hazard monitoring and response capabilities 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The AHA Centre’s operations depend on the robust analytics, critical data, early warning, and monitoring capabilities of DMRS as do leaders of ASEAN’s member states contending increasing frequency and severity of hazards in the region.