International help lifeline in Cebu?

Immediately after the destructive March 11, 2011 Japan earthquake, the foreign community in Tsukuba City in the Prefecture of Ibaraki developed a very helpful FB group site called Advice for Tsukuba Residents. The site carried the post-earthquake questions and concerns of the Tsukuba residents, especially the foreigners. Helpful information about where to get water, gasoline, bread in the midst of rationing eased the worry among the foreign residents about these basic necessities.

The site is still up, actively maintained voluntarily and used widely by Tsukuba and even non-Tsukuba residents. Recent concerns involve how to contact an English-speaking lawyer, where to get English children’s books, which WiFi service is recommended, and so on.

Aside from this valuable FB site, the Japanese government, local to national, has installed offices and services to meet the needs of the residents, including foreigners. Japan has one of the best disaster and emergency systems in the world. Preparations have been in place for years all throughout this island country. Evacuation centers with adequate basic supplies and facilities, regular disaster drills at all levels, maximum multi-sectoral participation are part of their pre-disaster management policy. When disasters strike, their disaster management system includes communication networks, immediate assistance to protect life and property, mobilization of service providers, among others. Post-disaster management policy includes measures for assisting disaster victims cope with their losses and afflictions and assisting reconstruction of lives and communities and moving on to a better future.

Despite these management systems in place, Japan continues to upgrade and strengthen weak areas, including the provision of wider and more effective assistance for foreigners and migrants in various stages of disaster and emergency management systems.

How prepared is our country for emergency and disasters? What about the Province of Cebu and Metro Cebu?

A text message informed everyone to participate in the 2 p.m. emergency drill scheduled yesterday, June 29. We are not sure who were asked to participate but we are sure, as per our own observation, not all the offices and bank personnel were involved.

How often are people in various settings and communities made to do emergency drills? Are the public informed about the communication networks and important contact numbers and social network sites to tap during emergencies and disasters? Are the medical and other welfare and service personnel properly trained and ready to respond promptly and efficiently? Are our own local residents prepared, trained, and informed about what to do during emergencies and disasters? Are the evacuation centers and supplies ready?

If the present Marawi conflict emergency response were to serve as indicator of the state of this nation’s emergency management system, we certainly have much more work to do together to improve the system.

Does this country have an international help lifeline as well to service and protect foreigners in our midst? Foreigners and migrants are among the vulnerable groups in any community, and especially more vulnerable during emergencies and disasters.

How prepared are we to assist foreigners and migrants in this country, in our province, in our cities, towns and our own communities? Their need for information and language assistance has to be stressed for all emergency and disaster management policy and practice here and all throughout the world.  What existing systems do we have to address observed problems and needs of foreigners for information and for appropriate service referral and provision during emergencies and various stages of disasters?

Any livable city or community will need an effective and responsive emergency and disaster management system and network. With the world increasingly becoming borderless, all communities need to include the migrants, foreigners and the PWDs in their help lifeline and network, most especially during emergencies and disasters.