Dr. Bhichit Rattakul, ADPC said; “This huge quake was a reminder that disaster can strike at any time. As Thailand celebrates the Songkran New Year holiday, many families were on the beaches of southern Thailand – the initial fear was that this could lead to a repeat of the devastation caused by the 2004 tsunami.”

“Much has been done since then by ADPC and our regional partners; ASEAN and Governments have demonstrated commitment to disaster preparedness and risk reduction, and communities have raised awareness. But we still have a long way to go for a fully disaster-prepared Asia.”

The quake, which struck at 3.38pm Bangkok time, was followed by aftershocks and triggered regional tsunami warnings. On the Andaman coast of Thailand, people evacuated to higher ground for several hours. Beaches in southern Thailand, including the popular resorts of Phuket, Phi Phi, Krabi and Khao Lak all have tsunami evacuation routes and information. Following the 2004 tsunami, ADPC worked with community leaders, Thailand’s Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM) and NGOS including Thai Red Cross Society in devastated areas of coastal Phang Nga province, to help set up more effective response systems.

“This time, at-risk areas were 99.5 % evacuated within 40-50 minutes,” said Dr Bhichit. “With effective early warning systems and high levels of community awareness, people won’t be caught unawares again. The challenge now is to enhance disaster management systems and keep up these levels of preparedness and awareness.”

In Sri Lanka, a warning message was sent from Mr. N.M.S.I. Arambepola, ADPC Executive Director a.i. – providing early information to the Sri Lankan Disaster Management Center (DMC), and Geological Survey and Mines Bureau (GSMB).

“I rapidly informed all appropriate agencies immediately after ADPC sent me the information from Bangkok. They received my message as the first information on the earthquake and tsunami warning. They thanked me for the alertness shown by ADPC.” said Mr. Arambepola.

ADPC also set up a web page within minutes of the quake, with information, alerts and links, and utilized social media to spread the warning and enhance community response.

This region-wide test of early warning and preparedness demonstrates yet again the vital importance of regional collaboration to enhance disaster preparedness and strengthen response systems – towards a safer Asia-Pacific.

PRESS RELEASE-ADPC 120412 – ’8 6 Earthquake tests Asia-Pacific Disaster Preparedness’LINKS
The USGS monitors earthquakes worldwide.
> US Geological Survey
> Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System
> NOAA Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

“There are many challenges,” says Prof. Dr. Thong Sok Hean, Vice Director, Preah Kossamak Hospital, “disaster preparedness is only one issue. The hospital is old and constantly on the edge. Many staff have multiple jobs in the hospital– I am a Urologist but work in management. The financial situation is very difficult. Many of the poor cannot pay – which impacts on the ability of the hospital to function effectively. But we must treat the poor. They cannot be turned away. We try not to turn them away, although we face huge problems as we continue to try and offer affordable treatment for them – and many still can’t get the care they need!”

But PEER is bringing HOPE to Preah Kossamak, with a capacity building and technical assistance program, working closely with hospital staff to understand their challenges and build their resilience to disasters and emergencies.

From March 29-22, a series of hospital assessments and planning workshops took place, to review the needs of Preah Kossamak Hospital (PKH). The HOPE team visited the hospital, conducted needs assessments, and held a two-day workshop for heads of departments, hospital directors, senior management staff and facilities personnel – in which the challenges of the hospital were mapped, emergency needs discussed, and best practice in emergencies shared. The end result was a framework for disaster planning for PKH – developed by the staff themselves. This will be further enhanced and built on – through the expertise of the HOPE team – towards eventual testing and disaster simulations which will take place in the hospital.

There are various common emergency hazards in Phnom Penh. Seasonal flooding, frequent road accidents, endemic disease, threats from unmanaged fires, and lack of safe building standards are just some of the issues and incidents which together impact on a health system which is struggling to cope. In November 2010, 347 people were killed and upwards of 755 injured in a human stampede during the Khmer Water Festival celebrations. Around four million festival-goers had gathered on Koh Pich island on the Tonlé Sap River, to watch festivities. The bridge collapsed, leading to widespread panic. PKH was one of many local hospitals which were pushed far beyond capacity by the influx of victims.

“The victims of the stampede were overflowing in the hospital – many were treated outside. We were at full capacity and lacked many vital resources to treat the influx of patients. The Emergency Room has only 14 beds. Around 700 patients, with family members arrived at the hospital. It was difficult to manage this emergency,” says Mr. Kao Pheavit, Head of Maintenance and Facilities at PKH.

“Preparedness can come step by step,” says Prof. Dr. Thong Sok Hean. “Much work needs to happen in parallel. None of our many issues can be tackled in isolation. In this situation of poverty, any extra disasters will always be a threat. But – we have to start somewhere!”

The initiative for HOPE preparedness comes from working closely with key staff and medics, to understand their needs and develop needs-based plans. “With the support and guidance of HOPE, we will assign a Preparedness Committee and we can work with the Ministry of Health to develop assistance to implement the recommendations for disaster planning – especially for more and better equipment,” continues Prof. Dr. Thong Sok Hean.

“We can prepare as staff, but still need some equipments and repair of the crumbling building. We need some structural and technological support.”

“This HOPE will be of good use to us – as we follow the process. It is systematic and scalable. We can see that there is much we can do with small resources to advance our disaster preparedness!”

Dr. Thavry was a highly knowlegable, attentive and active participant in the HOPE course, held at the Preah Kossamak Hospital from 28 November -2 December 2011. Dr. Thavry worked in the Emergency Department of this busy hospital, and also served in the SAMU (Ambulance Service of Cambodia).

Preah Kossamak serves not only residents of Phnom Penh and surrounding provinces, but the whole of Cambodia. The hospital faces some challenges and a very high workload for the personnel at the hospital. Under the HOPE program, Preah Kossamak is in the process of becoming a ‘model hospital’.

For these reasons and many more, Dr. Thavry’s passing is mourned by the PEER family. We remember his strong committment to HOPE, and we offer our condolences to Dr. Thavry’s family and friends.

Participants in the training in Hue are learning the fundamentals of disaster response, so they will be able to effectively help their families, neighbors and communities if a flood, landslide, building collapse, fire, mass-casualty event, or any other disaster were to hit their local area.

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Forty-seven Vietnamese participants qualified as CADRE Instructors, having completed the 12-day basic + instructor-level training course. The majority of the new CADRE Instructors are Vietnamese Red Cross Society staff, who will now be able to train other communities in rural villages and urban districts of Vietnam, teaching more people how to cope and how to respond in the immediate aftermath of a disaster. Often communities are “on their own” immediately after a disaster strikes – before outside help can arrive. If people in the community know how to respond, lives can be saved in the critical “window of opportunity” after a disaster.

One of the advantages of this particular CADRE training is its direct incorporation into the USAID-funded, American Red Cross Community Based Disaster Risk Management in Vietnam project. In the coming months as part of this project, over 800 commune level VNRC volunteers from 40 different emergency response teams in 40 disaster prone communes of central Vietnam will be trained by the 47 new CADRE instructors. The instructors and the communes they will work in are from the following provinces: Hue, Quang Ngai, Ha Tinh, Binh Dinh, Phu Yen, Quảng Bình, Quang Tri and Quảng Nam. Demonstrating the strong collaboration among Red Cross Societies actively supporting VNRC in Vietnam, additional trainees were from the American, German and Spanish Red Cross as well as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

A delegation from the United States Agency for International Development, American Red Cross and Vietnam Red Cross visited CADRE in Hue on2-3 March 2012. The delegation comprised; Mr. Michael Foster, Supervisory Program Officer, USAID, Mr. Richard Nyberg, Communications Officer, USAID, Mr. Kendall RePass, Country Representative, ARC, and Mr. Le The Thin – Director of Disaster Management Department), VNRC.

The USAID, ARC and VNRC delegates witnessed first-hand the disaster response presentations from CADRE trainee Instructors, as well as practical sessions in aspects such as First Aid medical treatment, triage, lifting and stabilizing loads, fire-extinguishing, resuscitation, and water rescue. The delegates were Honored Guests at the Final Ceremony on 3 March 2012, in which the CADRE graduates received certificates presented by Mr. Michael Foster, USAID. The event marked the end of the series of two back-to-back CADRE basic + CADRE Instructor trainings which started in early February 2012.

The ADPC-PEER team is delighted to be working with PEER in Thailand. Funding for this program extension has been proposed to USAID/OFDA since the devastating floods which hit Thailand in 2011. Welcome to PEER, all our new partner organisation in Thailand!

A Program Design and Planning Workshop was held in Bangkok, 8-9 February 2012 at the Swissotel, Nai Lert Park. Invited guests at the Program Design and Planning Workshop are the partners for PEER 3 in Thailand – the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM), Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand (EMIT), Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), Department of Medical Sciences (DMS), Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS), and Bangkok Metropolitan Authority (BMA).
View slideshow of activities at the workshop >

Keynote Guests at the opening ceremony were Mr. Brian Heidel, Regional Advisor, USAID/OFDA, Dr. Bhichit Rattakul and Mr. NMSI Arambepola, (Acting) E.D, ADPC. Dr. Bhichit said; “This is one of our flagship public health in emergencies programs, and we are now enabled to bring this program to our host country.”
Mr. Arambepola said: “We aim to bring significant benefit, with the support of all our esteemed Thailand partners and our donor USAID/OFDA.”

Mr. Brian Heidel (speaking in very good Thai) said; “The 2011 flood was devastating and unpredictable – a wake-up call to enhance disaster preparedness, just like Hurricane Katrina was in the U.S. USAID/OFDA is very pleased to bring PEER to Thailand and work with you all.”

The workshop was an opportunity to share experiences of disaster management and response during the worst period of flooding ever to hit Thailand. It was also an opportunity to consider HOPE and CADRE in detail and make recommendations on their application in Thailand. Initially PEER will be rolled out in Nakhon Sawan, Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Selection criteria for specific tambons and mubaan was also discussed.

All participants agreed this was a good opportunity to establish working relationships for PEER and share knowledge and expertise. The program was met with enthusiasm and interest from all partners.

Next steps are for the HOPE and CADRE training materials to be translated into Thai, course logistics arranged, participants and locations selected. National Courses for HOPE and CADRE will be held within 6 months.

During the floods in 2011 many ampoe / tambon in central Thailand saw flood inundation of around two meters, for up to two months. There was severe disruption and adverse effects on community health and livelihoods, healthcare facilities and infrastructure as well as education, economy and supply chains. PEER Thailand aims to support disaster preparedness and response systems and skills at national, provincial and local level, increasing disaster management and response capacity, and enhancing disaster resilience.

On this day in 1934, Nepal witnessed its most devastating earthquake to date, in which more than 8,000 people lost their lives.

Nepal faces multiple natural hazards, including annual floods, landslides, and avalanches, as well as periodic droughts, forest fires and disease epidemics. However, for the 28 million people of Nepal, the risk of earthquakes is what looms largest, in particular, the proverbial “big one”—an earthquake impacting urban areas that would eclipse those of recent memory.

Nepal’s capital city of Kathmandu, with an estimated population between 3 million and 5 million, has not experienced a major earthquake in more than 75 years, and there is concern among seismologists that the city could be struck by an earthquake of magnitude 8.0 or greater—at least 10 times as powerful as the January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti.

PEER is working in Nepal, training hundreds of emergency responders in  collapsed structure search and rescue and medical first response. CADRE is also underway in Nepal, training communities in basic life-saving skills in the event of an earthquake.

Find out more about CADRE activities in Nepal >

Read more on “Preparing for the Big One” in Nepal >

Check out NSET Earthquake Safety Day >

The training is part of HOPE Capacity Building and Model Hospital Development in Cambodia – training medical facility staff in all aspects of how to “disaster-proof” their vital facility.
View slideshow:

Capacity buiding is also ongoing at this hospital – led by experts in association with ADPC and the hospital board. Hazard and risk assessments are ongoing, and recommendations are being made, which will ultimately result in Preah Kossamak Hospital becoming a “model hospital” for disaster preparedness in Cambodia.

Watch this space for more updates on HOPE model hospitals – leading the way for medical facility disaster preparedness in Asia!

>View slideshow of CADRE Jakarta

Chief Guest during the opening ceremony was Dr. Suryadi Soedarmo, Head of Training, Ambulan 118 (or 118 Emergency Ambulance Service Foundation). The course ran from 19-21 November 2011. The adaptation workshop for improving on the Asia-regional materials for use in Indonesia will take place 24 November 2011, followed by the training for instructors (TFI) for Indonesia – which will finish on 4 December 2011.

In his welcome message, Dr Suryadi said: “CADRE course is very timely for Indonesia because the authorities have predicted that Indonesia will experience heavy flooding early next year. This training is very important preparation, especially for the most vulnerable communities in Indonesia.”

Dr. Aryono D Pusponegoro, Chairman, 118 Emergency Ambulance Service Foundation, observed tevents during the first day of the CADRE course. He recommended some communities-at-risk in Indonesia which could benefit from CADRE, including Merapi Mountain community, Papua or Bali. In Bali, they recently experienced a 5.8 magnitude earthquake on 20 November 2011, one day before the start of the course.

> View photo gallery from Narinda

CADRE is running at a Community Center in Narinda, Dhaka from 21-23 November 2011, with 24 participants from Narinda, comprised of volunteers for disaster response. There are 18 men and six women.

Narinda was selected as an urban community area to receive CADRE training because this disrict is considered high risk, in this earthquake prone area. CADRE just completed community training in Paikpara, a rural area in Sirajgong district, which is also at high disaster-risk, because it is prone to flooding. Narinda district is located in the old city – known as Old Dhaka. Old Dhaka has a very high population density. Added to this, the oldest districts of Dhaka are characterized by the older, more vulnerable buildings and narrow roads. It can be very difficult for any responding agency after a disaster to reach here in time to save lives.

This makes CADRE community preparedness a “must-have” for this community!

Al-Haj ABul Hashem, Board Member, Bangladesh Red Crescent Society opened the CADRE Community Course in the early morning of 21 November, as Chief Guest. Khondoker Jakaria Khaled, Acting Secretary General of BDRCS was also present as Special Guest. Other Guests of the program were Glenn Edwin Castro, Course Monitor from the Philippines, Iqbal Bahar Bulbul, Course Coordinator from Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, Muhammad Murad Billah, PEER Bangladesh Coordinator from ADPC and Md. Afsar Uddin Ahmed, Deputy Director, BDRCS.

Al-Haj ABul Hashem said; “We are grateful to ADPC and all our Instructors from BDRC and FSCD. This course is a good opportunity to make Narinda community more resilient to disasters. The participants will be attentive and active in this important community event.”

Mr. Jakaria Khaled said; “I encourage everyone to make the most of this course and learn from all the practical sessions to make CADRE successful here. The course content is very valuable and will equip everyone with the right skills to be proactive in any disaster situation.”

Report and photos: Muhammad Murad Billah, PEER Bangladesh Coordinator, ADPC
> MORE about Community CADRE in Bangladesh