Capability deployment in crisis: Response to Asian tsunami disaster

• Main Author: PAN, Gary
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2013
• Subjects: Crisis; Information systems; information technology infrastructure; crisis management system; distribution of aid supplies; Asia; Accounting; Asian Studies; Management Information Systems
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/soa_research/1100; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/soa_research/article/2099/viewcontent/Capability_Deployment_in_Crisis_Response_to_Asian_Tsunami_av.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

On 26 December 2004, an earthquake occurred under the Indian Ocean, 250 km northwest of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. According to the U.S. geological survey, the magnitude of the earthquake measured 9.0 on the Richter scale and the immense energy released from the earthquake triggered a series of tsunamis traveling at more than 600 km/h. The tsunami devastated the coastline of 13 countries, leaving more than 280,000 people dead and millions homeless. Soon after the disaster, the United Nations and the international community responded quickly with crisis relief operations for the nations affected. Unfortunately, these relief efforts soon ran into difficulty. One major challenge was how to ensure rapid distribution of aid supplies to the tsunami victims. In response to this challenge, the United Nations proposed a regional coordination centre in Singapore to coordinate all relief activities in the region. Singapore was considered the ideal candidate to coordinate the relief activities, due to its proximity to a number of tsunami-hit countries, her well-developed communications and logistics networks, and her status as a medical hub in the region.