The region has been hit by a series of disasters in the last week. Samoa was hit by a tsunami; Indonesia by an Earthquake and the Philippines by floods. More than a 100 people are known to have died in Samoa. The toll in the other two disasters is likely to rise into the 1000s.
As usual, geographic information has been vital to organising the rescue effort, and difficult to obtain.
The UN Development Program is helping Indonesian authorities with mapping of the disaster areas according to a spokeswoman at UN headquarters.
A UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination mission arrived in the region on Friday, she said.
The Indonesian government has said it welcomes international assistance. Telecommunication, electricity and water supplies have been cut off. Roads have been blocked due to landslides.
Both Australia and the US have send transport aircraft filled with supplies into the area.
The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii issued its first alert 18 minutes after the undersea Earthquake that caused the tsunami. By that time the first tidal wave had crashed into villages and resorts in Samoa and American Samoa. Those who survived had already fled to higher land.
A source at the University of NSW, in Sydney, said it takes scientists at least 15 minutes to analyse essential data about an earthquake, including its magnitude, depth, and precise location. So, if the quake strikes close to shore, as it did on this occasion, communities are unlikely to receive an alert in time.
Like many countries in the region, Samoa installed an alert system following the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
Relief efforts on Thursday focused on recovering bodies from the rubble and the sea and providing shelter for the thousands of homeless. The death toll is expected to rise.
Australia and New Zealand - experienced in helping their neighbours following a string of natural disasters in the Pacific, including a smaller tsunami in the Solomon Islands in 2007 - are playing a leading role. Both countries have sent military planes carrying medical and emergency supplies, while the United States has dispatched two disaster recovery teams to American Samoa.
Also struck by devastating disasters this week is the Philippines, where hundreds of people have been killed by a typhoon. The United Nations World Food Program said on Thursday that it is expanding its relief operation to help hundreds of thousands of flood victims there.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has offered his condolences to victims of the Indonesian quake and their families in his own statement, adding that he is closely following reports of the impact of the disaster.
