community-based disaster risk management and the media media kit

chapter 4. country hazard and vulnerability profi les
The fl ashfl oods and landslides in Vientiane province in July 2001
destroyed 8 houses, all cultivation area, and in general affected more
than 200 families in 4 villages.
Fire also made a big impact. During 1997-2000 more than 500 cases of
fi res were reported and estimated losses reached 30 billion kips (US$
2.7 million). Urban fi res have devastating impact on the communities
of Lao PDR. The capital city of Vientiane is specifi cally susceptible
to the recurring problem of fi res. About 352 fi re events were recorded
between 1990-2002 with an estimated cost of loss at around US$ 5.4
million.
Timor Léste
Brief Hazard Profi le
Timor comes from the Malay word for “East”; the island of Timor is part
of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of the
Lesser Sunda Islands.
The Democratic Republic of Timor Léste is located in the eastern part
of the Timor Island with the western part belonging to the Republic of
Indonesia as part of the East Nusa Tengara province. It is bordered
by the Wetar straits to the north and the Timor Sea in the South. From
1511 till 1975 Timor Léste was a colony of Portugal.
The Portuguese colony of Timor declared itself independent on 28
November 1975 only to be invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces
nine days later. It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the
province of East Timor. A campaign of pacifi cation followed over the
next two decades, during which an estimated 100,000 to 250,000
people lost their lives. On 30 August 1999, in an UN-supervised
popular referendum, the people of East Timor overwhelmingly voted for
independence from Indonesia. During 1999-2001, anti-independence
militias - supported by Indonesia - conducted widespread violence.
On 20 May 2002, Timor Léste was internationally recognized as an
independent state and the world’s newest democracy.
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