ALAN Jones, father of 23-year-old Charlotte, has been reliving the horror of the Boxing Day catastrophe two years ago which claimed the life of his eldest daughter. The trauma and despair suffered by all those who waited for news of their loved ones in the wake of the Asian tsunami was brought sharply back into focus when the National Audit Office "review of the experiences of UK nationals" was published. Along with many others across the country affected by the tsunami, Mr Jones had suffered an agonising wait for the findings of the review. He and others had been critical of the lack of communiucation and help available for relativies immediately after the tsunami. Mr Jones, the media co-ordinator for the Tsunami Support UK group set up to help those affected, said: "The National Audit Office review of the experiences of UK nationals affected by the Asian tsunami is a powerful and moving account that captures the experiences of many people affected by the tsunami. "It highlights the many shortcomings and failings of government and other agencies in providing support during and after the disaster. "Most importantly, the report makes a number of recommendations about how we can improve our response to major crises and disasters. There are many lessons to be learned for the future, and this report is a vital contribution to the ongoing debate." The report identifies four areas: l Planning and preparation for major disasters; l How support is provided; l Communication and information; and l Long-term care and support of those affected. Mr Jones said: "It can be said there were failures in all of these areas, and although there are examples of good practice identified in the report, these are few in comparison to the negative experiences of many survivors. "By its very nature, the tsunami was a huge catastrophe that overwhelmed government agencies in all the affected areas. However, as the report makes clear, it is reasonable to have expected a better response from the UK government and the other agencies involved." Among the key recommendations of the review are: l Better preparation and contingency planning for disasters; l Training for staff who are likely to come into contact with traumatised people; l Better use of technology to improve data collection; l A more co-ordinated approach and partnership working between government agencies, the voluntary sector and the private sector; and l Better tracking of people affected, including access to appropriate medical and therapeutic support. Mr Jones added: "The report overall makes distressing reading, cataloguing as it does the experiences of so many people. "But while it can become easy to allocate blame to the various agencies, the important thing is to look forward and to ensure that these lessons are taken on board and that resources are made available to implement the recommended changes."
