BRIEFS December 10, 2014 Cabinet Discusses Typhoon Hagupit Preliminary Damage Assessment Report COLONIA, Yap (Media Division) — The initial damage assessment report on Typhoon Hagupit was brought up for discussion during the Yap State Governors Cabinet meeting on Monday, December 8, 2014. The report was transmitted to the Governor by the Disaster Coordinating Office (DCO) of the Office of Planning & Budget (OPB) just prior to that meeting. The preliminary assessment submitted by the OPB was inclusive of the Yap Main Islands and only several islands in the Neighboring Islands that were able to make radio contact with the DCO since Thursday of last week. The office is still trying contact the remaining islands so they could include them on the State Initial Damage Assessment Report. At this point in time, the Governor would not submit a report to the National Government without the completion of the Initial Damage Assessment Report. After OPB gets all the reports in, the Governor would be able to submit a report to the FSM National Government for action in terms of declaring a state of emergency in the area. In four island groups in the Neighboring Islands—according to the initial damage assessment—there is a great need for the islanders to be on a fast food assistance program that could support them for the time being while the State and National Governments work together on how to mitigate the problem. The four island groups include Ngulu Atoll, Eauripik Atoll, Woleai Atoll and Ifalik Atoll. The remaining islands that have not been able to make radio contact with the DCO are Satawal, Lamotrek and Ulithi. Meantime, OPB is trying to identify available funds that could be used for purchasing of food supplies to send out on any available vessel to those islands in the near future. The State Government can not rely on the MV. Hapilmohol 1, which now faces problems with her engines after the typhoon, and it is not clear whether the ship crew can deal with that problem in a timely fashion. Board Of Micronesian Legal Services Concludes Meeting In Yap COLONIA, Yap (MLSC Press Release, Dec. 09, 2014) — The Board of Directors of Micronesian Legal Services Corporation today concluded its final meeting of the year, in Yap. The Board of Directors includes members from each of regions in which MLSC has offices, including the Marshall Islands, each of the four states of FSM, Palau, and the Northern Marianas. Six members are appointed by various legislative bodies, two by bar associations, and the ninth member is at large. Hon. Robert Ruecho’ is the President of the Board. At this meeting, the Board adopted a Strategic Plan, which articulates fundamental values, mission, and vision of MLSC, and describes four specific objectives for the coming years. Each of MLSC’s seven regional offices conducted community needs assessments this year, and made recommendations to the Board for priorities for 2015. The Board approved six priority areas for allocation of MLSC resources for the coming year. In addition to conducting other work, such as approving MLSC’s budget for 2015, the Board toured the Yap office of MLSC and heard reports from the staff. The Board also made use of its time in Yap to learn more about the work of the Small Business Development Center, which it was able to tour. Michael Gaan, business advisor at the SDBC, is also a member of the MLSC Board. The Board is grateful to have been welcomed by the Hon. Cyprian Manmaw, Chief Justice of Yap State Court, who provided the Board with its keynote address. The Board holds two in-person meetings a year, and rotates the venue. The last time the Board met in Yap was in 2007. Senator Arno Kony, a board member from Chuuk, noted that this board meeting was very productive, and added, “I thank my colleagues and friends in Yap for their hospitality. Having the meeting in Yap was a good opportunity for the Board to meet with the staff of the Yap office of MLSC, and to better understand the work of the office and the needs of our clients in Yap.” MLSC welcomes comments and questions. Please contact John Mootmag, Directing Attorney of the MLSC office in Yap, at [email protected]. Typhoon Hagupit Weakens As Philippine Clear Up Operation Begins MANILA, Philippines (Reuters/MV, Dec. 10, 2014) — Typhoon Hagupit weakened further on Tuesday as the storm crawled across the central Philippines, while rescue workers struggled in its aftermath to reach towns in central provinces where thousands of homes were wrecked and at least 27 people killed. Nearly 13,000 houses were crushed and more than 22,300 were partially damaged in Eastern Samar province, where Hagupit first hit land as a category 3 typhoon on Saturday, local officials said. “Access is very difficult, roads are spotty. There are landslides, some are one-lane roads. In the inner barangays (villages), many of them are washed out by flash floods,” Richard Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, told Reuters. The typhoon weakened to a tropical depression on Tuesday with maximum winds of 60 kph (37 mph) near its center, as it made a fifth landfall over the Lubang islands, 150 km (93 miles) southwest of capital Manila. It is now moving west toward the South China Sea at 13 kph (8 mph). More than 2 million people so far have felt the impact of Hagupit, which is Filipino for lash, with nearly 1.7 million fleeing to relatives’ homes on safer ground or packing in to evacuation centers across the central Philippines and south of the main Luzon island, the national disaster agency said. Residents living along coastal areas in Manila sleep at an evacuation center as the government ordered the pre-emptive evacuation in anticipation of Typhoon Hagupit which was expected to make its third landfall in Batangas province south of Manila, Monday. The 27 people reported killed died in Iloilo province and on Samar island, including 12 residents in Borongan town in Eastern Samar who were swept away by raging waters and flash floods, the Red Cross’s Gordon said, citing initial reports from his field staff. “A detailed assessment is now ongoing...It’s a long trek (to the villages), it’s like Yolanda all over again,” Gordon said, referring to the local name of super typhoon Haiyan, which last year killed thousands of people in the same areas of central Philippines. The death toll monitored by the Red Cross is way above the official count of the national disaster agency which counted three dead so far. Bank employee Arnalyn Bula told Reuters how howling winds had pounded the walls of her aunt’s two-story concrete home in Dolores town in Eastern Samar, where her family sought shelter. “Our kitchen was wrecked. Around us, our neighbors’ homes were flattened like folded paper,” said Bula, 27. The privately run National Grid Corp, which operates the country’s main transmission lines, said nearly 2 million homes across central Philippines and southern Luzon remain without power. Despite the toll and damage, there is relief that Hagupit has not brought destruction on the scale of Haiyan, which totally or partially damaged more than one million houses in the same areas of the central Philippines. Learning lessons from Haiyan, which left more than 7,000 dead or missing, authorities had launched a massive evacuation operation days ahead of the storm, emptying whole towns and villages in coastal and landslide prone areas. NZ Signs 10 Year Pact To Boost Pacific Development AUCKLAND, NEW Zealand (Radio New Zealand International, Dec. 10, 2014) — A 10-year pact to address the Pacifics chronic problems of poverty, slow economic growth, food security and youth unemployment has been signed in Auckland. New Zealands Foreign Ministry signed the partnership deal with the regions largest development body, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community—or SPC. New Zealand is one of 26 member countries of the SPC and gives it about US$7 million a year. The SPCs director-general, Colin Tukuitonga, says it gives certainty to pursue more ambitious and lasting programs. Mr. Tukuitonga says the SPC is keen to make the most of New Zealands scientific expertise, especially in fisheries and agriculture. Its a relationship that tries to maximise all the resources that are available to the SPC and to the New Zealand government so were very keen to engage experts from academic institutions for example current research institutes and so on. So thats part of the conversation over the next couple of days. The New Zealand Foreign Ministrys deputy secretary for international development, Craig Hawke, says the agreement is focused on results. Are children healthier, are children going to school, is the fishery sustainably managed, are there jobs for Pacific island people in the Pacific? So were asking harder questions. So one of the things the agreements going to do is look and ensure were focused on the impact and results and less on the money. Julie Bishop Announces Australias $200 Million Contribution To UN Green Climate Fund LIMA, Peru (ABC Radio Australia, Dec. 10, 2014) — The Australian government has announced it will contribute $200 million to an international fund designed to help developing nations tackle climate change. Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced the funding at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Lima, Peru. The money will go to the UNs Green Climate Fund, which aims to fund projects in poorer countries. Our pledge to the Green Climate Fund will facilitate private sector-led economic growth in our region ... with a particular focus on investment, infrastructure, energy, forestry and emissions reductions, Ms Bishop told the conference. I welcome the fact that participating countries have delivered on undertakings to capitalize the Green Climate fund and with Australias contribution have reached a significant total in excess of $10 billion to date. SPC Marks Human Rights Day With National Awards In Six Pacific Countries FIJI, Oceania (SPC, Dec. 10, 2014) — To mark International Human Rights Day today, 10 December 2014, the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) is partnering with government ministries in the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu, to present individuals and organizations with Human Rights Awards. The National Human Rights Awards initiative is aimed at rewarding and celebrating outstanding work in human rights in the Pacific region and also to send a clear message to human rights defenders that the Pacific community is grateful for, and supports, their tireless efforts to promote human rights for all, the Deputy Director of SPC’s Regional Rights Resource Team (RRRT), Mark Atterton, said. The theme for the awards is human rights in everyday life, which covers many aspects of our daily lives, including rights to food, shelter, education, health, protection, freedom of expression and many more. The Pacific is not immune to human rights violations, with violence against women a critical concern for the region. According to studies by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in collaboration with SPC, the Pacific region has some of the highest rates of violence against women in the world. National studies in 2009 and 2010, in Samoa, Kiribati, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji and Vanuatu, indicate that the rates of intimate partner violence are as high as 60 to 70%. Inadequate laws and policies fail to protect women and their families, and impact adversely on the development of a country. At a recent SPC-RRRT regional lawyers’ consultation, former high court judge in Fiji, Madam Mere Pulea, encouraged lawyers of the region to be at the forefront to challenge inequalities and discrimination faced by women, and to play a critical role for the benefit of society. ‘The need to champion gender equality is pivotal to the development and realization of human rights, and to sustainable development in the region,’ said Mark Atterton. SPC RRRT won the prestigious UNICEF Maurice Pate Award in 1998 for its pioneering work in promoting human rights education for women and children in the Pacific. Since then, SPC RRRT has been offering the Pacific Human Rights Awards to encourage the development of a human rights culture that will protect the rights and promote the well-being of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups. [For the complete article and the list of national awards, visit the SPC website or go directly to spc.int/en/component/content/article/216-about-spc-news/1947-spc-marks-human-rights-day-with-national-awards-in-six-pacific-countries.html] -END- COMMUNITY MESSAGE: It is not a tradition in our land, but some of us do Thanksgiving. Not to be thankful to the American Indians, but to share a decent meal with family and, at times, friends, even if the meal does not involve a baked turkey but other food items, even turkey tails. And some who shared the occasion recently probably thought more about the food and drinks than the folks who had often been good and kind to them. Being thankful to others for their kindness should not be a once a year thing or at the moment of kindness only, unless other things, say, money and material things, have become more important to us than fellow human beings. Copyright © 2014 Yap State Government, All rights reserved.
Posted on: Thu, 11 Dec 2014 01:17:24 +0000
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