Entering
the rainy season, the Local Government Units (LGUs) of various
regions have kickstarted awareness drives and preparedness programs
anchored on Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation (DRRM) for this
year's Disaster Resilience month.
The
Asian Disaster Preparedness Center attributes the effectiveness of
disaster reduction and response to the effectivity of managing
information before, during, and after a disaster. However, utilizing
relevant information is largely anchored on the availability and most
importantly, the reliability of platforms for communication in place,
according to Cisco Managing Director for the Philippines Karrie
Ilagan.
"A
huge part of the government's DRRM measures for a disaster-prone
country like ours is vigilant preparation as this is the foundation
of our response to and recovery from disasters," said Ilagan.
"While preparation may involve tasks like having survival kits
ready at home or LGUs readying early warning systems and transport
systems like rubber boats and trucks, technology is a powerful tool
that also plays a crucial role in DRRM and in fact, cuts across all
stages of our disaster approach."
Based
on Cisco's multinational partnerships, Ilagan forecasts communication
technology greatly benefiting each DRRM aspect the government has in
place:
Prevention
and Mitigation
In
order for the development of DRRM plans to be accurate, Ilagan
believes communication technology must aid community assessments
through solutions that facilitate end-to-end monitoring.
"Evaluating
municipalities will need continual monitoring of areas exposed to
natural or man-made risks like flooding or even vehicular accidents,"
she said.
Ilagan
also highlighted that the reliability of these surveillance solutions
is hinged on cloud platforms that allow seamless data gathering,
storage, and exchange, easing the generation of vital community
reports. Likewise, continual communication on surveyed areas are
dependent on communication solutions that facilitate consistent
exchanges between LGUs and their communities to ensure these reports
are updated.
Preparedness
Ilagan
further discussed that strong partnerships and coordination among all
key players like LGUs and their constituents rely on collaboration
solutions that expand from traditional telecommunication platforms.
To
Ilagan Video Conferencing will innovate communication between these
LGU's, giving critical meetings full context while maximizing the
time of each stakeholder through an all in one platform. With
advanced video conferencing technology, stakeholders will be able to
utilize all the benefits of reliable audio conferencing with the
added value of visual aids.
"We
can't grasp in its entirety how much valuable time has gone to waste
in preparation just because stakeholders had difficulty relaying
critical information to each other. Visual reports are understood,
appreciated, and applied faster when everyone involved can see them
because they transcend verbal challenges in collaboration."
Response
Collaboration
among stakeholders facilitated by reliable communication solutions
carry over to the next DRRM aspect of response. Integrated and
Coordinated search, rescue, and retrieval capacities are fortified
with resilient, uninterrupted communication among municipality
Network Operation Centers.
On
the other end, mobile IP-based communication systems will aid
on-ground operations using small-scale, independent Voice Over
Internet Protocol (VOIP)—using the internet to facilitate phone
calls. These can be enforced to bridge possible communication gaps
caused by damaged or destroyed infrastructure.
Tactical
kits that are easy to deploy and navigate without the need for
technical experts will greatly benefit early recovery implementations
as well by assisting in the public's connection to family, friends,
and colleagues in devastated regions.
Rehabilitation
and Recovery
Finally,
on the road to recovery and rehabilitation, communication technology
can aid reconstruction efforts for disaster and climate change
resilient infrastructure through faster exchanges. Quick relay of
data from small municipalities to national government offices like
the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRRMC)
has the potential to hasten assistance. Tactical solutions can ease
reporting on potential or new hazards each region must take into
account and can help facilitate monitoring for rehabilitation
progress.
While
recovery efforts are underway, mobile VOIP solutions can also provide
interim connectivity infrastructure for constituents as communication
tower reconstructions take place.
"We
have plenty of use cases from different countries for our
communication and collaboration solutions, Meraki Wifi, Webex, and
Emergency Communication Kit--but all of them contributed to the
effectivity of each nation's disaster plan and we see the same
potential in the Philippines," Ilagan concluded.
