RIMES Enhancing Preparedness for Management of Hazards

Last Updated on May 24, 2018 by Bharat Saini

Regional Integrated Multi-Hazard Early Warning System for Africa and Asia (RIMES), presently its Council Chaired by India, is an international and intergovernmental institution, owned and managed by its Member States, for the generation and application of early warning information. ‘RIMES’ is already working with the Tamil Nadu State Disaster Management Authority and now Odisha government is set to collaborate with it for strengthening its early warning services and enhancing preparedness for management of hazards in the State, as per the initial discussions held in Bhubaneswar on March 16, 2018 with Odisha State Disaster Mitigation Authority (OSDMA) and ‘RIMES’. As Odisha is particularly concerned about Tsunami originating from the Andamans, OSDMA and ‘RIMES’ would work under the drought monitoring system, on a system to archive, analyse and visualise data, besides evaluating station performance and validating forecast data. Similarly, ‘RIMES’ is expected to provide a one-stop risk management system for all OSDMA needs.

• ‘RIMES’ evolved from the efforts of countries in Africa and Asia, in the aftermath of the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, from the proposal by the Royal Thai Government to the Special ASEAN Leaders’ Meeting on January 6, 2005 and subsequently to the Phuket Ministerial Meeting on Tsunami Early Warning Arrangement on January 28 -29, 2005.
• ‘RIMES’ was established on April 30, 2009, as a regional early warning system within a multi-hazard framework for the generation and communication of early warning information, and capacity building for preparedness and response to trans-boundary hazards, for Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.
• ‘RIMES’ was registered with the United Nations on July 1, 2009.
• ‘RIMES’ operates from its regional early warning centre located at the campus of the Asian Institute of Technology in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
• ‘RIMES’ caters to differential needs and demands of its Member States by enhancing capacities for end-to-end multi-hazard early warning, in particular:
  • Hazard monitoring, detection, analysis, prediction, and forecasting
  • Risk assessment
  • Potential impact analysis
  • Generation of tailored risk information at different time scales
  • Risk communication
  • Application of tailored risk information in decision-making
• ‘RIMES’ key services under Earthquake & Tsunami Watch Provision to National Tsunami Warning Centres of Member States include:
  • Seismic, sea level and deep ocean monitoring
  • Data exchange, processing and analysis, and archiving
  • Provision of earthquake alerts and regional tsunami bulletins
• ‘RIMES’ provides Weather, Climate and Hydrological Research and Development Services to National Meteorological and Hydrological Services.
• ‘RIMES’ also provides to National and Local Level Institutions within each Member States’ early warning frameworks – Capacity Building in End-to-End Early Warning services.