Lao PDR Urban Disaster Mitigation Project (LUDMP) PROJECT OVERVIEW Background The People’s Democratic Republic of Laos (Lao PDR) faces a range of disasters including flood, drought, landslides, as well as unexploded ordinance, fires and other man-made hazards. An analysis of disaster impacts on urbanizing areas, however, finds that fires and traffic accidents cause the greatest loss of life and property. Dense building concentrations, narrow roads, flammable building materials, aging water and electrical supply systems, and lack of resources to upgrade preparedness and response have resulted in a growing risk of large scale, multiple structure fires. The Lao PDR Urban Disaster Mitigation Project (LUDMP) focuses on these two major hazards (fire and traffic accidents). It generally aims at incorporating risk management and hazard mitigation into the development planning of urban areas in Lao PDR, with the city of Vientiane as the pilot demonstration site. Objectives The main objective of the LUDMP is to reduce the disaster vulnerability of population, infrastructure, and economic assets in Lao urban areas to fires by establishing systems for hazard assessment and disaster mitigation to ensure fire and road safety for the city of Vientiane, and other major cities and communities in Lao PDR. More specifically, the project aims to: conduct a risk assessment of Vientiane, both at the city and community levels build capacity for prevention and response within the city’s emergency service departments establish a public awareness campaign improve the regulatory system for fire mitigation Project Profile Project Title: Lao PDR Urban Disaster Mitigation Project (LUDMP) Project Location: Vientiane Municipality areas Hazard Type: Urban Fires and Road Safety Project Management: National Disaster Mitigation Office (NDMO) Project Counterparts: Municipal Disaster Management Committees, Urban Research Institute (URI) and the Fire Department Project Manager: Mr. Phetsavang Sounnalath, NDMO Director Project Concept: Ms. Jinx Parker. ADPC Project Design Consultant (Team Leader); Mr. Mark Swiney, Melbourne Fire Brigade (Technical Analysis) Date of Commencement: 1 July 2002