Following the December 26, 2004 Tsunami, hundreds of aid organizations and thousands of volunteers arrived in southern Thailand from all over the world. There has been little coordination, communication and information-sharing between organizations.
This set the stage for duplication of aid, Tsunami survivors needs not being met and overall poor utilization of available resources in the recovery and rebuilding effort. Additionally, communities, families and individuals in need of assistance have been disempowered by the inability to contact agencies that can help them.
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On March 18, 2005, Crisis Corps Volunteers, part of the US Peace Corps, were assigned to the Khuraburi District Office to identify unmet needs and advise which organizations could best meet those needs. They began creating a system for gathering, organizing, and disseminating information on Tsunami recovery. Conducting in-depth interviews with aid organizations and government offices, the volunteers created bilingual reports that were made available to all stakeholders. Aid agencies and Thailand government officials and offices commended the project. Saundra Schimmelpfennig, a Crisis Corps Volunteer, was strongly encouraged to expand her work to all of the regions affected by the Tsunami. She was joined by IT specialist Johannes Egger. Soon thereafter, they created the Disaster Tracking Recovery Assistance Center. |
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Information-gathering has been standardized, the Recovery Assistance Center opened, and Aid Agency Reports have been made available on this web site. We are currently conducting interviews, collecting data, and regularly updating information. In this way, we hope to continue accumulating information to empower all stakeholders in the Tsunami rebuilding effort.