Seychelles Disaster Database-Assessing the country’s vulnerability to natural hazards |23 January 2008

The initiative for such project came following the 2004 tsunami which alerted the government about the necessity of making a risk analysis to assess the vulnerability of the country in case of future natural disasters.
The agreement signature for the project took place early in 2006.

Different parties directly involved in the field of natural hazards had the chance to view the programme during a small presentation last week in the Department of Risk and Disaster Management’s conference room on Revolution Avenue.
Designed by French consultant Richard Guillande, the programme, which is the development of a hazard database, includes the proposal of hazard models which will be used to extrapolate future hazards; the mapping of hazard zones and vulnerabilities; the writing of disaster scenarios and the design of risk profiles.

Areas covered in the programme are cases of disasters such as tsunamis, storms (cyclone and heavy rainfalls), floods, landslides, drought and bush fires and sea level rise.

The database will also act as a chronology of the various natural disasters that occurred in Seychelles since the lavalas until today and will be regularly updated.

A final report which will provide recommendations for disaster risk management and for the mainstreaming of risk reduction into development planning will be submitted to the government in April.