Chile launches new regional disaster risk reduction system

Chile launches new regional disaster risk reduction system

2011-10-06 16:18:20 GMT+7 (ICT)

IQUIQUE, CHILE (BNO NEWS) -- The National Office of Emergency of Chile's Interior Ministry (ONEMI) on Wednesday announced it has launched a new disaster reduction system in the country's northern region.

Interior Minister Rodrigo Hinzpeter launched the Integrated System for Emergency Information (SIIE), which is part of the process behind the ministry's modernization project of its National Emergency System.

The SIIE is designed to create digital maps which will identify areas vulnerable to natural disasters such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, and tsunamis, among others. During this first stage of the project, the SIIE will cover several northern regions, including Arica and Parinacota, Tarapaca, Antofagasta, and Atacama.

"We are witnessing a system that has a professional level with evolution and utility," Hinzpeter stated. "[The SIIE] lets us know that we are doing things right because there is nothing more important and there is probably no responsibility more essential for a Government than preoccupying for the lives of citizens."

The launching of the project took place in Iquique, the capital of the Tarapaca Region, and was attended by several officials including Minister Hinzpeter, ONEMI Director Vicente Nuñez and Vice Director of Chile's Military Geography Institute Colonel Rodolfo Stuven. Other regional leaders were also at the event.

ONEMI Director Nuñez, meanwhile, noted that the platform gives regional authorities an immediate upgrade which will allow them to strengthen their work in preventive planning. The SIIE will also facilitate the identification of geographic areas susceptible to suffering damage as a result of disasters.

The launching of the platform represents the first step behind SIIE's wider project, which is scheduled to operate at a national level by March 2013.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2011-10-06