NEW YORK: The devastating earthquake-tsunami disaster is bound to change government perceptions in the region that tsunamis are more a problem of the Pacific Ocean than Indian Ocean, according John Harding, program officer of the U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR).

“We are now helping countries in the region coordinate response to the immediate problem. But once that phase is over, long-term questions about putting systems in place for early warning in the Indian Ocean would come up,” Harding told News India-Times in a phone interview from Geneva. The ISDR’s mandate is to raise awareness about disaster management and create a culture of prevention.

“A key lesson to be learned from this disaster is the importance of early warning systems in reducing people’s risk and vulnerability,” Sálvano Briceño, ISDR director, was quoted as saying the by the secretariat’s official Web site. “A simple and timely message can go a long way and can mean the difference between life and death, not to mention between economic survival or ruin.”

Harding said tsunami early warning system “is no rocket science” and has been in place in the Pacific region since 1948. As part of that system, earthquakes in the region are followed and tsunami warnings are issued to help avoid precisely the kind of death and destruction that visited South and Southeast Asia.

“In the Pacific, people have a culture of tsunami warnings. There are some simple and basic measures that can be taken by hotels, resorts and others along the coast to avert death and destruction,” he said.

“Coastal villages in the Pacific are aware of what measures to take if the sea recedes shortly after an earthquake, and many beaches have signs alerting people to the tsunami risks. In contrast, countries lying along the Indian Ocean were caught unaware by the enormous sea surges and rapidly rising sea levels,” he said.

As part of the long-term planning, Harding said, South and Southeast Asian regions would have to build in disaster-resilient features as part of the reconstruction. In this context, he cited the upcoming World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan (Jan. 18 and 22) and said it would now be especially relevant.

Harding said he was struck by the fact that the tsunami crisis coincided with the Dec. 26, 2003, earthquake in Iran which killed over 40,000. “(This) reminds us that co-mmunities around the world remain at high risk of human, economic and social losses in the face of a disaster,” the ISDR said in a release.