Call for greater communication of information in risk mitigation

United Nations official, Margareta Wahlström, is calling for better grassroots access to disaster risk reduction information.

The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Ms. Wahlström, spoke to the Samoa Observer about how communities could, on a grassroots level, work towards lessening their socio-economic risk in the wake of a natural disaster.

Using the example of a Samoan village she visited during her last trip to Samoa, Ms. Wahlström said people are often aware of what should be done in the immediate aftermath of a disaster like Cyclone Evan, such as building a better house or bettering educating their children in the area.

However, because disasters are not so frequent, people often forget about what needs to be done in the long term.

“But elderly people often have a long repository or memory,” she said.

“And I think in particular in societies like Samoa and the Pacific it is very important that the history of a countries disasters becomes an actual part of your history.

“That is what will keep people prepared, it will become part of the education in their daily life you know, sanitation around your house, where you build your houses how you treat your land.

“All this is part really of how the community at the local level prepare.”

She said another aspect of this preparation was access to information.

“I think it is too weak still everywhere that there is not a continuous access to easily understood, accurate and authoritative information about what is happening,” she said.

“Most countries I think now their early warning systems for an impending cyclone but that is the immediate crisis.

“But what about 3 months, 6 months, 12 months planning horizon for example on the weather impact.

“Where can people access the information on what is the impact for me in my part of this country, this island what is going to happen in the medium (term).”

The Special Representative said this was a critical gap and that while there is a lot of focus on it not enough progress had been made yet.

When asked if Information and Communication Technology (I.C.T.) could fill this Gap Ms. Wahlström said “yes.”

“I think media is important because here (because) people are really reading newspapers they are listening to the radio so the more public education,” she said.

“The more interaction between the public and the experts, its very important.”

When asked what they were doing to give communities better access to such information the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (S.P.R.E.P) are working to with countries an territories to ensure right information reaches those who need it.

“We are working to help strengthen this, as we believe that the better informed out communities are the above can be achieved,” said Dr. Netatua Pelesikoti, Director of Climate Change Division at S.P.R.E.P.

“S.P.R.E.P. is working with all Pacific Island Countries and Territories to ensure that climate change and disaster risks are incorporated into national and community - including grassroots and special needs groups - development planning processes and practical implementation on the ground based on their priorities.”

Dr. Pelesikoti said there are several ‘entry points’ for S.P.R.E.P. to ensure the right information at the right time reaches every sector.

“At the national level through close collaborations promoting an all sector whole of country approaches to addressing the risks of development,” she said.

“For example, building the capacity of national meteorological services to ensure early warning information reaches grassroots levels and that grassroots levels understand what the information means, what to do to be safe and (how) protect their livelihoods and properties.”

She said S.P.R.E.P. in partnership with the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (P.A.C.M.A.S.) and the Pacific-Australia Climate Change Science and Adaptation Planning program (PACCSAP) has been supporting regional media training initiatives so that information can reach the grassroots through media which is accessible by most people in communities and sectors alike.

Director-General of the Secretariat of the South Pacific (S.P.C.) Dr Colin Tukuitonga said he believes his organisation already works very closely with communities in this area.

“S.P.C. is essentially in the information business,” he said.

“We have a very long history in the collection analysis and distribution of statistics as it applies to this region

“I am pretty confident in saying that actually S.P.C. statistics are much more reliable than what we might get from elsewhere so that is an important contribution.

“We have a whole statistical div that works with the stats offices from Samoa and around the islands to collect various data.

“And then of course in the actual program delivery say the climate change we work very closely with communities to share information.”

He said, in this business it is essentially about knowledge creation and knowledge dissemination and knowledge application.

“Working with the countries and the communities to use that information to do something different,” said Dr. Tukuitonga.

“That hopefully improves a yield from a crop so fisheries catch levels and.”