Emergency Communications and Early Warning

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lessons learned from Aceh and Nias, Indonesia. Shesh Kanta Kafle. Disaster Risk Reduction Delegate. Canadian Red Cross, Sri Lanka Delegation. Colombo ...
Emergency communications and early warning system development: lessons learned from Aceh and Nias, Indonesia Shesh Kanta Kafle Disaster Risk Reduction Delegate Canadian Red Cross, Sri Lanka Delegation Colombo, Sri Lanka Email: [email protected]; [email protected] ABSTRACT-After the tsunami of December 26, 2004 the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) initiated immediate response and recovery operations in Aceh and Nias Island. CRC provided financial and technical backstopping to the Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) to implement Early Warning System and Emergency Communications (EWS) program. The specific objective of this Program was to improve PMI’s response and risk mitigation capacity through the establishment and operationalization of an Early Warning and Emergency Communication Network. Radio systems has been set up in all the target 26 locations, PMI staff and volunteers have been trained on radio operation and risk communications, and the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) along with a national framework for emergency communications has been developed. PMI early warning system has been effective in communicating messages in times of disasters. During the flooding of January 2007 in six districts of NAD province and during the earthquake of March 2008 in Simulue Island, PMI radio systems were the only means of communication for government as well as the humanitarian organizations. These are simple, locally affordable and locally repairable and long lasting. Sustainability of radio network, PMI capacity for monitoring of local hazards and linking PMI EWS to national EWS as well as community early warning system are the major challenges. This paper also delves into the lessons learned of implementing such programs in a disaster recovery situation. Overall, PMI radio system network has been effective for emergency communications. Capacity of PMI staff and volunteers for the multi-hazard monitoring at local level should be enhanced and the PMI EWS should be linked to local government programming for the sustainability of the system, and effective communications in times of disasters. Introduction After the tsunami of December 26, 2004 the Canadian Red Cross (CRC) initiated immediate response and recovery operations in Aceh and on Nias Island. As part of building disaster resilient communities through capacity building of Indonesian Red Cross Society (PMI) and communities, CRC and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) provided financial and technical backstopping to PMI to implement Early Warning System and Emergency Communications (EWS) in NAD and on Nias Island. The ultimate goal of early warning systems is to protect lives and property. They therefore constitute one of the elements of any disaster reduction strategy (UNISDR 2005). The early warning system enables the concerned authorities and at-risk communities to know the hazards of the locality, community vulnerabilities and impending risk, warning messages, and building and mobilizing their response capabilities to reduce risks. The general objective of the PMI-Early Warning System and Emergency Communication project was to establish and strengthen the VHF and HF radio network system for PMI to improve early warning, emergency response, security and communications. The specific

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objective was to improve the capacity of the PMI, Aceh and North Sumatra Chapter/branches to effectively prepare for and respond to any emergency situation through the establishment and operationalization of an Early Warning and Emergency Communication Network. Key Activities and Achievements The key program activities included establishment and strengthening of HF and VHF radio network, human resources development and linking PMI EWS to the national as well as community EWS. Radio systems are now operational in all the 26 target chapters and branches. Around 237 PMI volunteers and staff have been trained on radio operation, maintenance and disaster risk communications. A Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) has been formulated and is being socialized at chapter and branch levels. Frameworks of disaster risk communication involving key government agencies have been finalized (Figure 1). 1. Installation of radio system  A feasibility study for installation of radio systems in 25 PMI branches/Chapters conducted.  Radio equipment procured.  HF and VHF radio sets in 26 locations (Chapters and Branches) installed;  Radio license acquired. 2. Capacity building of PMI staff and volunteers A capacity needs assessment was carried to identify the key capacity gaps of PMI Aceh and Sumut Chapters and Branches in line with running EWS effectively. The outputs were categorized into the following thematic areas: Strategic planning, organizational structure and culture, human resource development, participatory planning and monitoring processes, information management, financial resource management and linking PMI EWS to the Government EWS and community based EWS. However, the project supported PMI in terms of human resources development and linkage development with the Government agencies. 3. Effective running of early warning system The Government agencies are responsible and have authority for generating or acquiring disaster alerts from international sources. PMI should rely on the Government agencies for the warning alerts. Therefore, PMI EWS should be linked to National EWS for the disaster messages. In order for the linking of the PMI early warning system to the national EWS, the process and output indicators were developed (Kafle 2007).

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Figure 1. Emergency communication frameworks (Source: PMI 2009)

PMI early warning system has been effective in communicating messages in times of disasters. During the flooding of December 2006/January 2007 in six districts of NAD province, PMI radio systems were the only means of communication for government as well as aid agencies and humanitarian organizations. Similarly during the earthquake in mid 2008 on Simulue Island, PMI radio system was the only means of communication for PMI and government agencies. PMI NAD chapter provided information to the provincial government in order to provide support to the needy people on the island. Sustainability of radio network, lack of PMI capacity for monitoring of local hazards and linking PMI EWS to national EWS as well as community early warning system are the major challenges of the Program. Key Challenges and Lessons Learned Sustainability of radio network, lack of PMI capacity for monitoring of local hazards and linking PMI EWS to national EWS as well as community early warning system are the major challenges of the Program. Ownership of the program by the local stakeholder is the key to sustainability of the program. The active participation of local stakeholders is one of the important aspects of the program success. However, since the EWS program was designed immediately after the tsunami disaster, there was a minimal expectation for the local contribution. Safety and maintenance of EWS equipment, deployment of radio operators and dissemination of messages should be the responsibilities of PMI Branches. Hazard monitoring task requires a multi-disciplinary expert team who are knowledgeable about different hazards and disaster risk assessment. However, this is not feasible for the time being at PMI Chapters and Branches due to limited financial resources. Mainstreaming of PMI EWS to the local development planning is yet to be done. The sustainability of the system relies on the ownership of the PMI EWS by the government. There is a need of strategic planning for disaster preparedness including early warning system provisions at chapter and branch levels. An effective community based early warning system requires four key elements namely risk assessment, hazard monitoring and early warning services, risk communication and early warnings and response capacity building of communities

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and other recipients. PMI Chapters and Branches do not have the long term plan to cover all the aspects of EWS. EWS involves both hard and software components. The human resources at Chapters and Branches should have that provision. Restructuring the roles and responsibilities in accordance to the changing roles of PMI from response to recovery and more development oriented activities is necessary. Regular simulation and building response capacity of communities are project-based and not the regular activities of the PMI. Establishment and regular updating of disaster information system through regular monitoring of hazards is required for the effective use of early warning system. Although there are plenty of prospects of financial resource generation as PMI has strong in disaster response and many aspects of disaster preparedness and management, initiatives have not been taken to explore these opportunities. PMI chapters can be the resource centers for CBFA training, disaster response operation and volunteerism for the government agencies and private sectors. An effective linkage with the local government agencies and the private sector helps sustain the PMI initiatives. Conclusion and Recommendations Overall, PMI radio system network has been effective in communicating emergency messages to authorities and communities in times of disasters. These are simple, low cost and locally repairable and long lasting. Capacity of PMI staff and volunteers for the multi-hazard monitoring at local should be enhanced and the program should be linked to local governance. In order to make the system more effective, the following recommendations may be made: 1. Regular monitoring of local hazards and communications between PMI branch/chapters and CBATs need to be established and strengthened. Provision of qualified staff with regard to the multi-hazard monitoring should be made at PMI Branch and Chapters. 2. Involvement of local government in EWS initiatives should be done from the very start of the Program. There should be a strong component in the program document for linking PMI EWS to the national EWS and community based EWS. References Kafle, Shesh Kanta 2006. Integrating Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction into the Government Policy and Programming in Southeast Asia. IDRC, Davos, Switzerland. Kafle, Shesh Kanta 2007. Linking PMI EWS to National EWS: Some Indicators. In: CCEP (Online) Palang Merah Indonesia (PMI) 2009. Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and Communication Guidelines, Indonesia (in Bahasa Indonesia) UNISDR 2005. Elements of People-Centred Early Warning System, Geneva.

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