Indian Ocean tsunami disaster of December 2004: UNDAC rapid environmental assessment in the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Acute environmental impacts with immediate effects on human lives and direct relevance to humanitarian response efforts can be expected in the face of such a disaster. The Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit (Joint Unit), integrated in the Emergency Services Branch of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), is the principal United Nations mechanism mandated to assist countries facing environmental emergencies. The Joint Unit is supporting Rapid Environmental Assessments (REA) in the region, in collaboration with the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams mobilized to assist national and international response to the tsunami crisis. The objective of the REA is to identify acute environmental issues with immediate implications for human lives and response efforts, and based on this, to provide humanitarian organizations and other partners with effective support and analysis.