El Salvador

Address: Calle El Pedregal , Blvd. Cancillería 500 mts.al poniente del Campus II de la Universidad, "José Matías Delgado", Ciudad Merliot, Antiguo Cuscatlán

Tel:(+503)-2231-1086 / fax: (+503)-2231 1348

Other contact: Elizabeth Cubías Medina

E-mail: ecubias@rree.gob.sv

Members of the National Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction:

Ministerio de Gobernación: Coronel Jorge Alberto Barahona

Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores: Dra. Elizabeth Cubías, Lic. Miguel Salazar

Ministerio de Salud Pública: Lic. Gloria de Calles

Ministerio de Agricultura y Ganadería: Sra. Elsa Edith de Chavarría

Ministerio de Educación: Lic. María Luisa Benítez

Ministerio de Obras Públicas: Lic. Roberto Aquino

Secretaría Técnica de la Presidencia: Arq. Patricia Ávila

Fondo de Inversión Social para el Desarrollo Local (FISDL): Lic. Ricardo Lazo

Universidad de El Salvador: TBA

Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas (UCA): TBA

Asociación Nacional de la Empresa Privada (ANEP): TBA

Cruz Roja Salvadoreña: TBA

Centro de Protección para Desastres (CEPRODE): TBA

HFA National Focal Point

Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales

Address: Km 5 1/2 Carr. A Nueva San Salvador, Calle y Colonia "Las Mercedes", Contiguo a Parque de Pelota, Instalaciones del ISTA, Edificio SNET

Phone: (+503)- 2283-2241 / fax (+503)-2223-7792

Contact person: Sra. Elda Vásquez de Godoy, Director

E-mail: edegodoy@snet.gob.sv

Technical focal point:

Ernesto Durán, Gerente de Gestión de Riesgos y Estudios Territoriales

Tel: (503) 2267-9528/9522/9521, Fax: (503) 2223-7791

E-mail: eduran@snet.gob.sv

Other contacts

Permanent Mission of the Republic of El Salvador to the United Nations in Geneva

Chief:

His Excellency Mr. Byron Fernando Larios López

Ambassador

Permanent Representative

Address: Rue de Lausanne 65, 1202 Geneva

Tel: +(41-22) 732-7036, Fax: +(41-22) 738-4744

E-mail: mission.el-salvador@ties.itu.int

UN System Coordination

UNDG: UNCT El Salvador

UN Resident Coordinator

Ms. Jessica Faieta

E-mail: jessica.faieta@undp.org

UNDP

Sr. Beat Rohr

3a Calle Poniente No. 4048, Entre 77 y 79 Av. Norte, Colonia Escalón, P.O. Box 1114, San Salvador - El Salvador

Tel: 00(503)263-3369 / Fax: 00(503) 263-3501

E-mail: registry.sv@undp.org

URL: http://www.undp.org.sv

PAHO/WHO Field Office

Contact Person: Dr. Priscilla Rivas-Loría, PAHO/WHO Representative

Address: 73 Avenida Sur No. 135, Colonia Escalón, San Salvador, El Salvador / Apartado Postal 1072, Sucursal Centro, San Salvador, El Salvador

Phone: (+503)2298-3491/2223-8372/2298-3306/2223-5582/2279-1591/2279-4231/2279-1650/ 2298-0021 / Fax:(+503)2298-1168

E-mail: e-mail@els.ops-oms.org

Website: www.ops.org.sv/

National Emergency Committee (COEN)

Address: Ministerio de Gobernación Edificio B 1, Planta 2, Plan Maestro, San Salvador

Phone: (+503) 2233-7555 / Fax: (+503) 2211792

Website: www.gobernacion.gob.sv/eGobierno/Direcciones/COEN/

Civil Defense

Contact person: Ing. Salvador Rosales, General Director

Address: Comité de Emergencia Nacional (COEN), Edificio B-1, Centro de Gobierno, Ministerio de Gobernación, San Salvador

Phone: (+503) 2233-7555/2228-1088 / fax: (+503) 2221-3976

E-mail: salvador.rosales@gobernacion.gob.sv

Website: www.gobernacion.gob.sv/eGobierno/Direcciones/COEN/

Centro de Protección para Desastres (CEPRODE)

Address: C. Holguín Av. Palma Soriano, No. 171, Urb. Yumuri, San Salvador

Phone: (+503) 275-9107/260-1998 / fax: (503)2260-1182

E-mail: ceprode@telesal.net,

Website: http://www.ceprode.org.sv/

FUDECIT

Address: Col. Miramonte Poniente, Calle Las Arboledas, 427, San Salvador. El Salvador

Tel: (+503)261-0459 / fax: (+503) 261-045,

E-mail: fudecit@es.com.sv

Central American Community Network for Risk Management (REDCOM)

Address: Col. Miramonte Poniente, Calle Las Arboledas, 427, San Salvador

Phone: (+503) 261-0459/284-3913 / fax: (+503) 261-0459/284-4673

Secretary General of the Central American Integration System (SICA)

Regional Committee for Water Resources (CRRH)

Address: Blv. Orden de Malta No. 470, Urb. Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuscatlán

Phone: (+503) 2248-8800 / fax: (503) 2248-8899

E-mail: info@sgsica.org

Website: http://www.sgsica.org/

Salvadoran Red Cross

Address: 17 Calle Poniente y Avenida Henry Dunant

Phone: (+503) 222-5755/222-5155

E-mail: rela.pub.cruzroja@salnet.net

Website: http://www.elsalvador.cruzroja.org/

Country Profile

Official name: Republic of El Salvador

Capital: San Salvador

Population: 6,948,073 (July 2007 est.)

Total area: 21,040 sq km

Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)

Government: republic

Ethnic Groups: mestizo 90%, white 9%, Amerindian 1%

Religion: Roman Catholic 83%, other 17%

Currency: US dollar

Geographical Description (about hazards and disasters)

El Salvador is located in Central America, between the north and south of the American continent. The territorial extension is approximately 21.040,79 km2, 296 km. Of coastline in the Pacific, which stretches along the country. Geographically, the country is located at latitude in the northern hemisphere. The annual rainfall varies between 1,200 mm and 2,800 mm, and has an average annual temperature between 12.7 ° C and 26.9 ° C. Two parallel mountain ranges from west to east divided the country into two regions: central highlands and mountains, plains and the coast (lowlands of the Pacific). The mountain range south comprises 20 volcanoes. Earthquakes occur frequently due to the confluence of three tectonic plates (Coco, Caribbean and North America) and the existence of numerous local failures. Due to its geographical location, natural dynamics and territorial El Salvador has been historically subjected to different natural hazards, such as earthquakes, tropical storms, droughts, volcanic activity, landslides and floods, which, together with the processes of social transformation (the Deforestation, changes in land use and modification of the natural channels), conducive conditions of risk and pose a high potential for disasters that occur.

According to the Ministry of the Environment through the Directorate of the National Service for Territorial Studies (SNET), about 1,970 square kilometres of the country are exposed to severe impacts and moderated by floods and also more than 4,040 square kilometres are exposed to various types of landslides and more than 10,000 square kilometres are likely to be affected by severe drought, moderate or weak. The slides slope affecting especially the mountain range in the country (Chalatenango) and the high slopes with gradients of the volcanoes. The landslides induced earthquakes are concentrated in the area of the Balsam Mountains and on the slopes of active volcanoes and remaining strong. Studies in the seventies showed that seismic activity in the territory of El Salvador is present in the north, northeast, south and southeast, and also there are other types of faults with other guidance, some facing perpendicular to the country and other north - south. The El Niño, which has been felt more strongly in the years 1972, 1976, 1987, 1991, 1994 and 1997, has played a determining factor in the drought of El Salvador. In the last century, there have been 23 events drought in the territory; the period 1997-1998 has been to a greater economic impact because of their intensity and area of influence, the last drought occurred in 2001.

The hydrometeorological phenomena affect recurrently much of the country during the rainy season, the most affected areas are the lower basins of the rivers, the area around the channels and some sites of the cities in the metropolitan area of San Salvador and San Miguel ; latter was due to inadequate drainage, waterworks and the excesses of garbage or sediment in the channels. In recent years, the damage and losses from floods have increased in the country by variety of factors, such as increasing urbanization, changing land use from the upper basins, the location of human settlements without control or order in Areas of flooding, erosion increased by changes in land use and deforestation, poor or non-existent management of watersheds, deficiencies in urban planning and settlement, and changes in the temporal and spatial distribution of rainfall

Institutional Level

El Salvador in compliance with the agreements with CEPREDENAC and with the support of other international agencies, has implemented various projects to strengthen national institutions related to the issue of risk and disasters; between them are mentioned: Diplomate on Risk Management (aimed at professional and technical upper tier university), Project Multiamenazas San Salvador Volcano (favored the acquisition of seismic-monitoring stations hydrometeorological) Modernization Project Facility Management Information System National Emergency El Salvador (allowed provide a central server computers and the centres of emergency operations department) and Project Early Warning Systems (TSS) (generated a methodological proposal for the design and implementation of TSS).

Through the Executive Decree No. 96 of September 14, 2001, establishing the National Service for Territorial Studies (SNET, a decentralized public institution, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The main objective of SNET is contributing to the prevention and disaster risk reduction, therefore competition will be their research and studies of the phenomena, processes and dynamics of nature, the environment and society, which are related directly and indirectly with the probability of occurrence of disasters, and therefore losses and physical damage, economic, social and environmental issues. It derive such other functions and responsibilities assigned to SNET, which has been divided into four units: Geological Service, Weather, Water and Territorial Studies and Risk Management. These are supported by the Information Services Unit and the Administrative Unit and General Services. On May 18 of the Year 2007, was published in the Diario Oficial, Executive Decree no. 42, the National Service for Territorial Studies, becomes part of the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources as an address of the same.

In El Salvador, the emergency management is done through the National Civil Protection System, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, with the responsibility of formulating and implementing their respective work plans of Civil Protection, Workplans prevention Risk Management disasters and mitigate the impacts of these.

That in turn is composed as follows: A) The National Commission for Civil Protection, Prevention and Disaster Mitigation. B) The Department of Civil Protection Committees, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation C) The municipal commissions and Communal Civil Protection, disaster prevention and mitigation. One component of the National Emergency Plan is the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), which aims to coordinate efforts and inter-sectoral in the national territory from a declaration warning. The COE has a procedures manual and functional organization created in 2001, which contains the organizational structure, functions and institutional response plans, as well as the logistics for the operation and coordination to the emergency. It is important to mention the participation of the country at different levels of the State, as can be seen in the establishment of the National Commission for Civil Protection, authority which is constituted by: 1) The Minister of the Interior as Chairman. 2) The National Director of Civil Protection, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.

And holders A) The Ministry of Foreign Affairs B) The Ministry of Public Health and Social Assistance C) The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock D) The Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources E) The Ministry of Public Works, Transport and Housing and Urban Development F) The Ministry of National Defense G) The Ministry of Education H) The National Civil Police I) Two representatives of the Private Enterprise J) Three associations or foundations related to Civil Protection, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation.