In the last 5 years, TSF deployed five times to respond to typhoons in the Philippines, providing communications support both to the humanitarian community (NDCC, UN, local and international NGOs) and to those affected. TSF has always coordinated with local authorities and NDCC in particular.
The recurrent disasters in this zone have revealed a real lack of telecom infrastructures for the NDC, which gave to TSF and ECHO the idea of reinforcing the capacities of the national system of emergency response, for it to overcome this crucial need and allow it to optimize its response for future disasters.
The objective of the present action is to strengthen the NDCC preparedness and capacity in emergency telecommunications, by providing equipment and training to Provincial and Regional Disaster Centers so that all regions affected have the appropriate communications and remain connected to the NDCC (via Internet, fax and phone).
It is initially planned to supply and install emergency communication kits to the eight regions most affected by Ketsana and Parma in order to enable communication to NDCC. About 27 satellite phones will be put in the Provincial centres to enable them to communicate with the RDCC.
The four-month program will be split into three phases scheduled from December 2009 to March 2010.
The program will directly benefit NDCC decision makers and emergency responders at National, Regional and Provincial level working in the Emergency Response Centers, and will indirectly touch, through partnerships and information sharing, all emergency response organizations coordinated by/with NDCC and/or using NDCC information. Ultimately, the final beneficiaries will be the population living in the regions of project implementation. The total population in these regions is more than 50 million.
The objective for TSF, in collaboration with the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Department is to enable the NDCC an RDCC staff to respond adequately and independently to every future emergency. The selected personnel will have sufficient skills to run the communication systems. At the end of the project, TSF will continue providing technical support to NDCC and will remain prepared to deploy for any emergency.
The European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid department (ECHO) is a service under the direct responsibility of Commissioner Karel De Gucht. Since the creation of its Humanitarian Aid Department in 1992, the European Commission has funded humanitarian aid missions that provide emergency assistance and relief to the millions of victims of natural disasters or armed conflict outside the European Union. The aid is intended to go directly to those in distress, irrespective of race, religion or political convictions. The European Union’s mandate to ECHO is also to promote the public awareness of humanitarian aid through actions carried out directly.
Through ECHO funding, some 18 million people are helped each year through 200 partners (NGOs, ICRC, and UN agencies like the UNHCR and the WFP). The European Commission is one of the biggest sources of humanitarian aid in the world. In 2008, it provided more than € 900 million for humanitarian programs. This does not include the aid given separately by the EU’s 27 Member States. These funds made possible projects in over 70 countries, bringing goods (including essential supplies, specific foodstuffs, medical equipment, medicines and fuel) and services (including medical teams, water purification teams and logistical support).The Commission supports as well projects that increase the emergency preparedness in zones prone to natural disaster, as well as reinforcing the capacity to mitigate the consequences of catastrophes.
