The United States Government is hosting a four-day Disaster Management Exercise (DME) with local stakeholders involved in disaster relief and recovery work in Fiji, at Novotel Suva from Tuesday 17 November through Friday 20 November
Participants in the DME include officials from Fiji’s Disaster Management Office, Divisional and Provincial offices, municipal councils, the security forces, NGO and other local and regional organizations. A number of diplomatic missions and UN organizations based in Suva will be part of the training exercise as well. Experts from the U.S. Military’s Centre for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance (COE) will conduct the exercise. Experts from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre in Hawaii and the U.S. Coast Guard will also be on hand to enhance officials’ ability to prepare effectively for natural disasters and better coordinate relief efforts.
The DME will begin at 9am on Tuesday November 17th, with a keynote address by Lt. Gen (Ret) John Goodman, Director of the Center For Excellence (COE). General Goodman possesses extensive knowledge of contingency response and operations and international disaster preparedness efforts. He has led or participated in more than ten disaster response and humanitarian support operations, most recently leading the U.S. Joint Task Force relief effort in response to Cyclone Nargis in Burma. His staff will be conducting most of the exercises during the week. Dr Gerard Fryer, a geophysicist from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre (PTWC), will complement their efforts and discuss his work in American Samoa after the recent tsunami tragedy. The PTWC falls under the ambit of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), a division of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
“The Exercise and training is based on real-life situations encountered during and after natural disasters in Fiji”, said Ambassador Steven McGann, U.S. Ambassador to Fiji. “The idea for this kind of intensive training was borne out of our assessment of Fiji’s disaster preparedness mechanisms in the aftermath of the devastating floods of January this year” he added. “Following my tour of the affected areas in Nadi and Ba, I promised that the Embassy would explore ways to help Fiji better prepare for future disasters. This Training Exercise reflects our efforts.”
For more information please contact Shane Hussein
Regional Media Affairs Specialist
American Embassy, Suva, Fiji
Phone: (679) 331-4466 Ext: 8190
Cell: (679) 992-1793
Fax: (679) 330-8685
E-mail: HusseinSh@state.gov Website: http://suva.usembassy.gov
SOURCE: U.S EMBASSY/PACNEWS
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