LEYTE - February 19, Communication Established

ADPC joins the first emergency crew with Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), South-East Base in Leyte, Philippines

Communication unit was established by TSF and ADPC in St. Bernard Operations Center to give efficient communication service mainly to local and international NGOs, local and provincial government officials, and coordination with UNDAC personnel. Local private telecommunication companies (Globe & Smart) provided free local calls and internet connection to the general public.

Information and communication management was the primary issue. Rescue and retrieval on site (Ground 0), relief, and rehabilitation in the evacuation centers were not coordinated. It created confusion and more stress to victims and affected villages. Accuracy of information and consistency in reporting was not organized, especially in disseminating information to local and international media.

The municipal and provincial governments organized an emergency meeting to address issues of rescue coordination, relief distribution and information processing/reporting. A formal set-up of management of information and communication system was organized. The provincial governor lead the rescue operations assisted by Teams from the US, Malaysia, Japan, Taiwan and other continuing efforts from other countries are still hopeful to find survivors. Alleged text messages were received yesterday (Feb18) from victims buried.