Information Communication, Coordination & Logistics

• Main problem of the sector are low awareness level, lack of commitment, confusing responsibilities, weak coordination, unclear laws and acts, poor implementation, lack of trained personnel in remote areas, economic constraints, weak infrastructure, inadequate human, logistical and financial resources.

• The vulnerability of communication systems such as telephony (landline and cellular) is believed to be high. Continued functionality of cellular phones during a large earthquake is questionable because of the location of cellular antennae in high buildings without known resistance to earthquake shaking.

• Diverse and rugged mountain topography, lack of all-weather paved road network especially in the remote areas, is the tremendous physical constraints for effective communication, coordination, and logistics management during disasters. Lack of preparedness planning further exacerbates the problem.

• Lack of proper pre-established mechanisms for effective communication and information generation and sharing among the government departments, and between the government and other stakeholders including the UN system and the donor groups further complicates the situation.

• Lack of awareness and knowledge as well as institutional capacity, especially in terms of assembling verified and timely statistics on damage, is a big problem for dealing with disasters of large proportions.

• OCHA has initiated the” Cluster approach” in Nepal with designation of responsibility of coordination to identified UN agencies. There is a need to further enhance the communication and coordination and planning by greater participation of stakeholders, especially of the government agencies, in the Cluster mechanisms.

• There is a challenge of donor coordination, which is further augmented by the lack of reliable system and capacity for post disaster damage assessment and need analysis including identification of the requirements of food and logistics.

60 Strategies for DRM in Information, Communication, Coordination and Logistics Sector

Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a

strong institutional basis for implementation.

Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.

Better Knowledge Management for Building a culture of Safety

Reducing Risks in Key Sectors and Establishment of Mechanisms for

DRR

Enhance Preparedness for Effective Response

o The Ministry of Communication should enunciate liberal policy on establishment of local and community radio stations, and levy minimal import duties and taxes for importing equipment for communication system.

o Enable information system through promoting technical capacities in communication among partners. Promote use of standard technology by stakeholders for enhanced communication and coordination.

o . Strengthen co-ordination among government agencies and develop required software regarding reporting and accounting. Establish standard software and protocols for damage assessment reporting, accounting and logistics management. Encourage and support local FM stations to air DRR programs, and to broadcast disaster information during emergencies. Maximize the use of information technology (IT) for public disaster awareness in collaboration with private sector.

o Establish an enhanced and reliable communication system nationwide to disseminate disaster related existing information and control rumors at all levels.

o DDCs at the district level and NADRM at

o The Ministry of Communication should review its communication strategy to include aspects of DRR.

o The Ministry of communication should make it mandatory for all communication agencies; telephone service providers, internet service providers conduct vulnerability assessment of their system to various hazards, and implement proper vulnerability reduction measure to ensure uninterrupted function and service delivery during disasters. Each of the institutions should prepare emergency response plan, which should ensure speedy recovery of services in the impacted areas.

o Provide technical support for the vulnerability reduction and preparation of disaster response action planning.

o Ensure that cellular telephone antennae are placed on buildings with earthquake-resistant structure.

o Ensure that there is a regular assessment of structural vulnerability of lifelines (bridges, airstrips, and roads) with respect to landslides, floods and earthquake hazards, and that the concerned agencies have developed early warning and recovery plans.

o Establish single door communication system at district and regional level

o Details on national capacity on DRM including capacities of roads, bridges, airports, and the capacities of existing warehouses etc should be made available to all stakeholders. The government should work with UN system, especially OCHA, WFP to post this information on a web site and ensure its continued updating.

o Organize capacity development programs (training for skill development as well as institutional strengthening) to potential agencies, both government, local government, NGOs and volunteers in each district. Such training program should emphasize on the use of computer software systems of inventorying the relief/recovery supplies, tracking relief distribution, and other aspects of logistics management, monitoring and evaluation.

o Capacity development program should progressively be continued at VDC levels.

Some programs should be piloted in sample VDCs to understand the potentials of the involvement of local resources including local champions and volunteers and schools systems for logistics management and coordination to support the district efforts. The trained volunteers and the VDC members should be given the task of managing disaster awareness in

o Strengthen the capacity of local governments and local/national NGOs to implement the disaster response and recovery.

o Establish and strengthen the communication and information infrastructure up to each VDC, if possible, up to settlement area.

o Collect/Share information and assets (transporters & rates, customs and exemptions, equipment suppliers, port etc.) and develop roaster of DRM institutions and skilled human resources at national and local levels. Establish mechanisms with the transporters, producers, vendors/suppliers of emergency relief materials for the speedy procurement of emergency supplies in a disaster situation as per previously agreed upon rates and conditions.

o Establish similar mechanisms with the owners of heavy equipment and machinery for their use in a disaster situation.

o Develop information sharing system and identify the needs of disaster prone population (children, illiterate people, women, poor etc.) regarding safety &

risk.

o Develop and agree on data sharing,

o Audit the current level of disaster preparedness at the central level.

Establish similar audit progressively in each district.

The audit should be able to identify the gaps that need to be bridged on a priority basis.

o Establish a system of mock drill and exercise on disaster response for various disaster scenarios with the purpose of testing the current capacities to respond to different hazard events for the purpose of logistics management and communication/coordination o Based on the identified gaps,

develop programs for enhancing capacities in emergency communication (institutional capacity development in the use and maintenance of SAT phones, HF networks, VHF sets etc.) and coordination. This could include development of institutional capacities to provide logistics support ((air services, cargo,

trucking, warehouse management, coordination of

outside or international relief etc.) and capacity-building programs for the emergency

Strategies for DRM in Information, Communication, Coordination and Logistics Sector Ensure that disaster risk reduction is

a national and a local priority with a strong institutional basis for

implementation.

Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.

Better Knowledge Management for Building a culture of Safety

Reducing Risks in Key Sectors and Establishment of Mechanisms for

DRR

Enhance Preparedness for Effective Response

the central level should assign clear-cut communication responsibilities all the concerned stakeholders, and should monitor their work, especially during a disaster. They should serve as the single sources of disaster impact information to the print and electronic media respectively at the central and district level to achieve uniformity of information.

o Review existing legislation to ensure speedy entry of external support from the UN system and Bi-, multi-lateral agencies following an appeal for external assistance. This entails establishing mechanisms for granting visa to foreign rescuers, emergency responders import of relief materials etc.

o Prepare inventory of national and international NGOs working and/or interested to work in disaster response (assist in distribution of relief supplies, take up responsibilities of early recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation). Assess their capacities and provide assistance in capacity development.

centre to avoid duplication and increase people’s participation

o Develop communication system at central and local levels for proper coordination and collaboration among the government and non-government agencies through the national and district platform for DRR. This requires conducting a review of existing communication systems, both upstream to the centre and downstream to the VDCs in each district, assessment of their vulnerability to different hazards, and based on that development of the communication system with due consideration of the traditional information dissemination mechanisms that could be enlarged and strengthened.

This information system should also be used for wide dissemination of information on disaster reduction and response.

the normal times.

o Information on baseline on hazard and risks, disaster hot spots, cultural practices and sensitivities, available capacities including that of the public school systems, Chapters of Nepal Red Cross Society, other CBOs and charities should be collected and fed into the district level Disaster Information Management System (DIMS) and made available to pertinent stakeholders

processing and analyzing procedures through establishing standard tools and techniques among the partners due to lack of info management capacity and contradictory sources of information.

o Foster better coordination among information and communication agencies involved in hardware and software.

o Prepare guidelines, disseminate information on search, and rescue to the public.

o Enhance partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and sustainable environment management

services providers.

o Ensure propositioning of spare-parts and other communication equipment for speedy recovery of the communication system following a disaster, and pre-positioning of winter logistics for Emergency Response in high altitude areas and areas above the snowline.

o Develop strategy and standards for providing relief. The SPHERE standards should be adapted to the local conditions in Nepal.

3.6.8 Search and Rescue (SAR) and Damage Assessment and Need Assessment