PRESS RELEASE FINAL
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 12, 2011
USAID Partners with U.S. Chamber to Reduce Disaster Risk
HONOLULU, HAWAII - The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today a new partnership with the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce's Business Civic Leadership Center to establish a Pacific Rim Coordinating Center (PRCC)
(http://data.pacificrimnetwork.org). The PRCC will allow for real-time sharing of information and best practices to help
communities and governments better prepare for and respond to disasters.
"Large-scale disasters across the Pacific Rim have caused more than US$500 billion in economic damage over the past
decade. It is important to not only provide assistance as we are doing in the aftermath of the floods in Southeast Asia,
but also help build the preparedness and resiliency of local communities," said Nancy E. Lindborg, Assistant
Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance at USAID. "This partnership with the U.S. Chamber is
one more way that USAID is working to better prepare communities for future disasters."
Lindborg provided a live demonstration of one of the center's first initiatives, a new mapping tool for Thailand that
utilizes open data, open-source tools, and applications for publishing maps. This new tool helps provide a common
operating picture for both public and private sector entities by using data overlays of current disaster assistance
efforts, historical disaster trends, and programs that are helping build disaster resilience in Thailand and other
Southeast Asian countries. These open-source data sets and maps will allow businesses interested in providing assistance
to connect with non-profits and local governments.
The PRCC, which is a primarily virtual operation, will collect and share information on disaster mitigation and response
activities, allowing public and private sector stakeholders to collaborate, share best practices, and build upon each
other's strengths and existing initiatives.
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