Doing our part in Disaster Preparedness

By Karen Allen, UNICEF Pacific Representative

Girl paddling canoe, Malaita © UNICEF Pacific/2013/Allen

The UN, Governments, and NGOs are all about Disaster Preparedness these days, and rightly so. "Get Ready. Disasters Happen" is the slogan for a UNICEF Pacific disaster preparedness package of assistance to disaster prone areas.

Last week I was in the Solomon Islands talking to people involved with disaster preparedness and response. While impressed with our systems and knowledge for disaster risk mitigation, I was also reminded that we have to recognize the limits and really commit to helping people quickly and effectively when disaster strikes. Jacob, a UNICEF WASH staff, told me,

Get Ready. Disasters Happen

Fiji’s National Disaster Management Office (NDMO) and Ministry of Health (MoH) with technical support from UNICEF Pacific and AusAID funding have developed a multimedia communication package focusing on disaster preparedness in Fiji. The multi-media package includes 10 radio and TV spots, 1 poster calendar, a pocket guide, a website, a Facebook quiz, an Android App and 10 SMS messages. All materials are available in English, i-Taukei and Hindi. The package focuses on 10 key life saving practices that are important to keeping families safe during disasters.

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