Regional Disaster Information Center - CRID
crid@crid.or.cr
www.crid.or.cr/crid/ing/index_ing.html 
Other Contact Information
Pavas, San José, Costa Rica
P.O. Box 1455-1011 Y Griega
San José, Costa Rica
,
506-296-3952 (Voice)
506-231-5973 (FAX)
Description
The Regional Disaster Information Center (CRID for its Spanish acronym) is an initiative sponsored by six organizations that decided to join efforts to ensure the compilation and dissemination of disaster-related information in Latin America and the Caribbean. These organizations are (1) the Pan American Health Organization - Regional Office of the World Health Organization, (2) the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, (3) the Costa Rica National Risk Prevention and Emergency Commission, (4) the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, (5) the Coordination Center for Natural Disaster Prevention in Central America, and (6) the Regional Office of Doctors Without Borders. The mission of CRID is to promote the development of a prevention culture in the Latin American and Caribbean countries through the compilation and dissemination of disaster-related information, and the promotion of co-operative efforts to improve risk management in the Region. CRID’s objectives are to (1) improve compilation, processing and dissemination of disaster-related information, offering quality information services to a wide range of users in the Latin America and the Caribbean Region; (2) strengthen sub regional (Central America, South America and the Caribbean), national and local capacities to establish and maintain disaster information and documentation centers; (3) promote the use of electronic technology for the provision of information services; and (4) contribute to the development of the Regional Disaster Information System. Services and products provided by CRID include (1) technical advice and training on disaster information management to information centers, (2) Internet access to a broad collection of documents and to other information sources, and (3) coordination with other institutions involved in the field of disaster information management.
Print Resources
The Regional Disaster Information Center maintains a disaster database that has more than 15,500 bibliographic records (2004) and growths at about 1,500 records annually. The database records describe bibliographic data about published and unpublished documents, such as books, book chapters, specialized magazine articles, dissertations and papers presented in conferences, workshops and training courses, national reports, emergency plans, training materials, technical reports, and thesis. The database includes documents produced in Latin America and the Caribbean and those produced elsewhere about the Region. It also includes relevant disaster documents produced at the international level in Spanish, English, French, and Portuguese. Content-wise, the database focuses its interest on scientific and technical literature about natural and man-made disaster management, without leaving aside social, economic, physical, and human aspects of disasters. CRID provides information minikits in Spanish for drought, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, risk mapping, and community participation.
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