Document(s) 12 of 12

Introduction 
Impact 
Potential users 
Contact 
Resources 

Introduction

The 1985 eruption of the Nevado del Ruiz  volcano in Colombia left 22 000 people dead and 6000 families homeless. These startling figures of loss and destruction were not inevitable. They were due to several factors including a lack of systematic volcano monitoring, the absence of public policies for disaster prevention and preparedness, and insufficient co-ordination among the various organizations responsible for hazard assessment and emergency planning. 

Researchers who studied the Nevado del Ruiz eruption concluded that while there was sufficient scientific information to point to the likelihood of an eruption, a number of social and institutional factors prevented both effective communication of this information to the communities at risk, and the development of specific emergency plans to deal with a possible disaster. The research was co-ordinated by CERESIS (Centro Regional de Sismología para América del Sur), locatedin Lima, Peru. CERESIS developed specific policies for volcanic zones in Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, and Peru based on existing scientific, technical, and organizational capacities in each country. In addition, a growing body of knowledge concerning seismic and volcanic activity throughout South America is managed by the Centre, including monitoring specific "hot spots" in the region. 

The researchers began by studying the 1985 Nevado del Ruiz eruption and the response of local and national governments and international agencies, as well as inhabitants of the region. They assessed the scientific, technical, and management capabilities needed to limit the effects of volcanic eruptions, as well as the existing capabilities in each country, and made policy recommendations. They also produced a video aimed at educating communities at risk, organized an international workshop in Bogota, and identified ways to share expertise and resources throughout the region. 
 
Policy recommendations are in the areas of prevention of casualties (through education and use of the media) and reaction to eruptions (using civil defense measures). Researchers identified volcanoes that pose the greatest risk and have evaluated existing volcanic maps. 

Specific recommendations include: 

• The need to decentralize administrative responsibility for emergency planning and response; 
• The need to establish better links between the scientific community and the mass media; 
• The importance of ongoing geological and historical analysis of high-risk areas, including, where warranted, producing detailed volcanic maps.

The recommendations stress the need for equipment as well as the political will to implement permanent monitoring of high-risk volcanoes, and encourage international organizations to support this capacity in developing countries. 

Impact

• Policy influence - Through detailed study of the Nevado del Ruiz disaster in Colombia, as well as through establishing networking channels (e.g. the CERESIS Web site), a host of policy recommendations have been discussed, documented, promoted, and implemented to influence disaster preparedness at the governmental and institutional levels. These recommendations have been integrated to varying degrees by a variety of governments throughout South America. For example, since 1985 CERESIS has worked directly with local and national governments in Colombia to develop and co-ordinate coherent strategies for disaster preparation and hazard assessment. CERESIS continues to actively study and monitor seismic and volcanic activity in South America, with a view to improving disaster preparation policies and practices. 

• Support for a leading international seismology centre - CERESIS is a key institution in an international network involved in research and monitoring seismic activity, as well as disaster preparation and hazard assessment. It is supported by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and the Peruvian government.  Member countries include Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Spain, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. CERESIS initiates and participates in projects to improve monitoring and evaluating volcanoes and earthquakes, exchanges information on seismic activity, and develops strategies to mitigate the effects of seismic disasters on local populations. 

Potential users

Governments and organizations involved in emergency planning in volcanic and earthquake zones. 

Contact

Dr Alberto Giesecke Mato, Director 
CERESIS (Centro Regional de Sismologia para America del Sur) 
Avenida Arenales 431 
Oficina 702 
Cercado - Lima 1, PERU 
Postal address: 
Apartado 14-0363 
Lima, PERU 
Tel: 51-1-4336750 
Fax: 51-1-4336750 
E-mail: giescere@inictel.gob.pe 
Web site: http://www.dgf.uchile.cl/ceresis.html 

Resources

In the IDRC library: 

Giesecke M. 1989.  Riesgo Volcanico - Evaluacion y Mitigacion en America Latina, Aspectos Sociales, Institucionales y Cientificos. CERESIS, Lima.  298 pp. PROJECT NO: 86-0232   (Final report) 

Giesecke M. 1990. El Nevado delRuiz y el Riesgo Volcanico en America Latina. CERESIS. (Executive summary). 

Available from CERESIS: 

A la Sombra del Volcan (In the Shadow of the Volcano). Video. 36 minutes. 

Related literature: 

Spurgeon, David. 1995.  Southern lights - celebrating the scientific achievements of the developing world.  IDRC. 146 pp. ISBN 0-88936-736-1, CA $20; E-mail: order@idrc.ca; Web site: http://archive.idrc.ca/library/document/101742/ 

- see especially CHAPTER 6 - SOLVING GLOBAL PROBLEMS TOGETHER, available online.

Quake-proof Adobe Housing (Peru). 

Building One's House of Adobe

International organizations: 

IRIS (Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology) 
1200 New York Ave. NW 
Suite 800 
Washington, DC, 20005 USA 
Tel: (202) 682-2220 
Fax: (202) 682-2444 
E-mail: webmaster@dmc.iris.washington.edu 
Web site: http://www.iris.edu/ 

Document(s) 12 of 12