NEMO Launches Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Training Program

August 4, 2017 in NEMO News Archive

For Immediate Release
August 3, 2017
Office of the Vice President

NEMO Launches Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction Training Program

The National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) has launched the first of a series of Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR) Training aimed at providing individuals at the community level with the necessary skills and knowledge to assess their communities as well as develop disaster risk reduction measures to enhance their safety and resilience in times of disaster.

In line with the 2016 National Disaster Risk Management Framework’s vision of “Safe, Resilient and Prepared Communities in Palau”, NEMO first launched the training in Meyuns Hamlet of Koror from July 26-28 with plans to expand to other states throughout Palau within the remaining year.

In the three-day training program held at the Youth Center, NEMO introduced tools and strategies to more than 15 participants with the objective of building their capacity to effectively and successfully identify the types of disasters, early warning signs necessary for preparedness in the community level, and to conduct risk analysis of their respective hamlet as well as identify their unique vulnerabilities to natural disasters.

The training course also equips communities with all the necessary tools to formulate their respective community focused disaster risk management action plans for better coordination and communication, preparedness, response and recovery. This Hamlet Action Plan will tie into the State-specific Disaster Risk Management Plans which is directly aligned with the National Disaster Risk Management Framework.

All participants were provided with a copy of the CBDRR Tool Kit developed earlier this year. This toolkit includes terminologies, risk-analysis templates and flow charts of Disaster Risk Management in Palau.

NEMO is committed and prepared to provide continuous technical assistance to communities to further enhance their disaster risk management capabilities.

The next CBDRR Training is scheduled to take place in Melekeok State from August 7^th to the 9^th, followed by Airai State the week after.

NEMO extends its deepest appreciation to the Koror State Government, the leadership of Meyuns Hamlet and the community members for their partnership, support and participation in this program.

The CBDRR Training is made possible by the European Union’s Project called: Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific.