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Emergency Shelter and Evacuation Center Training for Samoa
The trainees were challenged to construct four emergency shelters, using the basic materials supplied as standard by Samoa Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross. (Contributed Photo)
The training is the first of its kind in the Pacific Islands region and is part of the Disaster Management Office’s commitment to improve the quality of emergency response in Samoa. The training was supported by the ACP-EU funded “Building Safety and Resilience in the Pacific” project and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil protection department.
The training provided participants with an understanding of the shelter needs of people affected by disasters and how national and international systems can work together to meet those needs. This can range from providing temporary shelter during and immediately after a disaster in evacuation centers, to providing support to repair damaged homes to fully reconstructing homes destroyed by a disaster.
The trainees learned about the Sphere standards, which is a set of minimum standards and guidelines for humanitarian response to ensure people affected by disasters are provided adequate and appropriate support. The course also looked at the ways in which international partners can be coordinated to reduce duplication and ensure that international efforts are in line with and support the response and recovery operations of the national government.
The trainees developed hands-on skills as they were challenged to construct four emergency shelters, using the basic materials supplied as standard by Samoa Red Cross and the IFRC: two tarpaulins and a Shelter Tool Kit containing a shovel, a machete, string, nails, a claw hammer, a handsaw, a hoe and a pair of pliers. The construction, at Vailima Park and Reserve, demonstrated how easily and quickly the shelters could be erected using simple materials to provide people who have lost their homes with a roof over their head.
To ensure better preparation for the use of evacuation centers in future emergencies, the training provided the necessary knowledge and skills to select, maintain and manage evacuation centers. Participants were introduced to the National Guidelines and Checklist for Evacuation Center Inspection, testing the checklist at Nurse’s Hall, an evacuation center that was used during Tropical Cyclone Evan in 2012. Trainers also shared information on the types of services that should be provided to evacuees in a center, the standards that should be met in relation to protection, water and sanitation and food and nutrition, and how to manage problems that may arise in the center. (SPC)
