January 7, 2015 PRC PARTNERS WITH KOREAN COUNTERPART TO STRENGTHEN DISASTER MANAGEMENT CAPACITY IN WESTERN VISAYAS Not contented with the help it had provided following the onslaught of super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), the Philippine Red Cross is now set on strengthening the disaster management capacity of its chapters in the Western Visayas by opening a regional warehouse and training center in Passi City, Iloilo. The PRC, in partnership with the Korean Red Cross, is set to establish an P88-million regional disaster management, logistics hub and training center in Passi City, a strategic area in the Western Visayas, which would serve the whole Panay Island. The City Government of Passi provided PRC with land where the regional hub will be constructed. PRC Chairman Richard J. Gordon said the project aims to address the needs of the PRC chapters in the region by strengthening their capacity building and expand the humanitarian services they provide to the most vulnerable in the region, which is often visited by typhoons and other calamities. “True to the Red Cross’ vision of being the foremost humanitarian organization in the country, we were able to deliver various services to the most vulnerable of our countrymen and those who were most affected by Yolanda. With the support of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements, international and local private companies, and other institutions, PRC was able to address the immediate needs to help the most vulnerable and severely affected by the typhoon within 24-hours,” he said. More than 100,000 families were given assistance by the PRC and the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movements in terms of food, non-food, health services, emergency shelter, cash transfer programming, psycho-social support, tracing/restoration family link, safe water distribution, blood, and prevention of health risks. “With the regional warehouse that we will open in Passi City, we would be able to reach out to a greater number of families. Not only will it set-up a well-functioning structure including manpower and systems for effective service delivery and disaster response, both emergency and recovery period, but it will also provide appropriate skills and knowledge to staff and volunteers on leadership, management and technical know-how,” Gordon pointed out. The Regional Warehouse will serve as hub to preposition supplies, equipment, and vehicles to support other Chapters in the region particularly Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Oriental and Negros Occidental during disaster operations. The PRC chairman explained that the 1.5-hectare complex, which is projected to be completed in two years’ time, will have two warehouses, an office/operations center, a training center with accommodation facilities and a covered parking for equipment and vehicles. He added the existing lay-out of the PRC Regional Disaster Management and Logistics Warehouse in Subic Bay, Freeport Zone will be used as model for the construction of similar facilities needed for this project. The design will also provide appropriate space for parking and driveway for vehicles such as heavy equipment (water tanker and pay loader), trucks and light vehicles. Gordon said the training facility will include a training hall, accommodation facility for a maximum of 50 persons (dormitory type including accommodation of staff on duty), kitchen and mess hall, toilets (separate men and women), and reception area. It will be used for capacity building such as logistics management, disaster response training, etc. The PRC will also procure initial emergency relief items such as food and non-food to serve 3,000 families during disaster events; establish an Operation Center facility; and recruit and train Red Cross 143 at the community level in Passi City, Iloilo Gordon, Korean Red Cross President Kim Sungjoo, PRC Secretary General Gwendolyn Pang, and other PRC officials will lead a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday. For her part, Pang said the experience from Yolanda had given the National Society another impetus to go for a higher state of disaster preparedness and response. “We have learned a lot from Yolanda and we have to put into action these lessons. Our focus now is on improving the Red Cross’ capacity better by having a well-established system for disaster preparedness and response,” Pang said. “Thanks to the Korean Red Cross, which has committed its support, we can now make it into a reality,” she added.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Jan 2015 04:47:40 +0000
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