On 14 July 2015, ADPC conducted simulations and drills in Myanmar to strengthen local-level early warning systems for riverine floods under the project Building and Sustaining Resilience through Strengthening DRR/CCA Systems and Decision Support Tools at sub-National Level in Selected ASEAN Countries funded by the New Zealand Aid.

ADPC's Climate Change and Climate Risk Management (CCCRM) team with participants

The simulations and drills were conducted in Toungoo township with a focus on understanding and testing the existing national- and community-level communication linkages for riverine floods. Facilitated by ADPC, they were conducted in collaboration with representatives from the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology and township-level departments such as the General Administration Department, Department of Health, Department of Irrigation, Department of Agriculture, Toungoo Police, Myanmar Red Cross Society, as well as volunteer groups and community members.

Participants of the training bringing relief supplies for evacuated people

Such kind of events were mostly aimed at creating awareness about the importance of early warning messages from national to local levels through improved utilization of disaster risk and climate change information. The selected pilot site is prone to annual flooding, which made the simulation beneficial for all the stakeholders, and also helped them understand the effectiveness of their response in the event of a disaster.