Background
In
October 1998, Hurricane Mitch, the fourth most intense Atlantic Ocean
hurricane on record, battered Central America, resulting in damage estimated
in the range of US$7.5 to US$8.5 billion for the region.
Studies indicate that extreme events such as Hurricane Mitch are common
in Central America and are expected to increase in both frequency and
severity. Accordingly, a strong
commitment is being made by regional governments and donor agencies to
strengthen infrastructure and capacity in order to address these issues.
The RONMAC project has been devised by the U.S. Government in direct
response to the impact of Hurricane Mitch on four Central American countries:
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.
Participating
Agency
-
United
States Agency for International Development (USAID), Funding Agency
-
Center
for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services, National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (CO-OPS/NOAA), of the US Department of
Commerce, as Administrating Agency
-
Unit
for Sustainable Development and Environment of the Organization of
American States (OAS/USDE), as Executing Agency
-
Regional
Committee for Water Resources (CRRH), as Regional Coordinating Agency
-
National
agencies in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, as direct
counterparts and beneficiaries of the RONMAC project
Objective
To
provide support for the development and improvement of the geodetic framework
of Central America with direct benefits to coastal resources management,
coastal hazard mitigation and emergency planning, design and development of
coastal infrastructure and harbor facilities, and coastal navigation.
Time
Frame
The
RONMAC Project is being executed from June 2000 to December 31, 2001.
RONMAC will continue after the official participation of the OAS/USDE
and CO-OPS/NOAA has ended, thanks to significant country buy-in and
capacity-building activities. CRRH’s role as the Regional Coordinating Agency will
continue after the Project officially ends.
Activities
-
Install
six state-of-the-art sea-level and meteorological monitoring stations in
El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua;
-
Install
ground station and facilitate real-time access to and distribution of
information;
-
Develop
a national and regional capacity to install and maintain the stations and
to conduct data acquisition, analysis, archiving and dissemination using
automated data-base management technology; and
-
Strengthen
professional and technical skills of host-country agencies and national
and regional institutions through technology transfer and capacity
building.
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