Madam, - In his article reflecting on the first anniversary of the Asian tsunami (Opinion & Analysis, December 27th), Bertie Ahern writes about the importance of being prepared for future calamities and notes that it is the poorest people who suffer most when they do happen. The Taoiseach is right.
Disaster mitigation is a significant part of our work with the world's poorest communities, from cheap earthquake-resistant houses in Central America to much larger cyclone shelters in Bangladesh and India.
The building of a tsunami warning system around the Indian Ocean means there is also work to be done educating people and giving them equipment to spread news of any warning - radios, bicycles, whistles and megaphones, for example.
Christian Aid will mark the anniversary with an art and photographic exhibition at Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin, opening on January 20th. It will include a number of drawings of the tsunami made by children who watched it destroy their homes in Jaffna, on the northern tip of Sri Lanka.
The children's art is an important part of their recovery, while some of the other pictures will show how adult survivors have coped over the past 12 months and are once again making plans for the future. - Yours, etc,
ADRIAN HORSMAN, Communications and Media Manager, Christian Aid Ireland, Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2.