How ready are you when disaster strikes?

April 29, 2022

Students practicing the Drop! Cover! Hold! in an earthquake situation

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea

On the northern coast of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in the Haku constituency of Buka, lies Lemanmanu, a small coastal community located approximately 60 kilometers from Buka town - the area is highly exposed to seismic events such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, Tsunamis, drought, floods, landslides, sea-level rise, and other climate related hazards.

UNDP’s Humanitarian Advisory Team traveled to Bougainville to work with the community and schools of Lemanmanu, Buka, to prepare them for what to do if a Tsunami occurs. The training comes under the third phase of the ‘Partnerships for Strengthening School Preparedness for Tsunamis in the Asia Pacific Region (Tsunami Project)’, generously funded by the Government of Japan.

The Lemanmanu community and surrounding schools - Lemanmanu Primary and Yakobala Elementary, were selected to participate in a weeklong training on tsunami preparedness. Teachers and students at the schools, ward council members, community health workers and interested parents were included for tsunami awareness and tsunami evacuation drill exercises.

The schools are in an elevated location overlooking the shore and not in direct threat by a likely tsunami, however, they sit above the shoreline homes of hundreds of people, exposed to the risk of a tsunami, and they would most likely be evacuated to the school buildings for temporary shelter in the event of an emergency.

Students from Lemanmanu Primary and Yakobala Elementary Schools, following an existing evacuation route during mock Tsunami drills.

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea

“School and community preparedness and response plans remain relevant and effective if they are regularly tested and evaluated,” said Lindsay Lambi, UNDP Humanitarian Coordination Officer.

He further stated that with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, these plans needed to be reviewed and updated to incorporate COVID-safe guidelines, include wearing masks, physical distancing, and safe hygiene practices at evacuation centers.

The workshop assisted a total of 32 participants and 59 school children who took part in the evacuation drills, to test and evaluate the effectiveness and relevance of their emergency plans.

“We have not experienced a tsunami here, however we do face many forms of climate related disasters, such as king tides, heavy rainfall, and drought, therefore this training is vital, especially for our students and community, to be prepared,” said Thomas Katoa, Senior Teacher at Yakobala Elementary school.

The workshop was facilitated by the United Nations Development Programme, with support from the National Disaster Centre (NDC), National Department of Education (NDOE), the Port Moresby Geophysical Observatory division of the Department of Mineral Policy and Geohazards Management and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and ran from 4-9 April, 2022.

This exercise also contributes towards the Autonomous Bougainville Government’s (ABG) efforts to reduce disaster risks for its people. It would also contribute to the achievement of the relevant objectives set out in ABG’s Strategic Development Plan (2018-2022).

Follow link for more information on the ‘Tsunami Project’: https://bit.ly/3KSzrrP

Participants doing a group presentation during the training.

Seru Kepa | UNDP Papua New Guinea
We have not experienced a tsunami here, however we do face many forms of climate related disasters, such as king tides, heavy rainfall, and drought, therefore this training is vital, especially for our students and community, to be prepared,”
Thomas Katoa, Senior Teacher at Yakobala Elementary school.