Monday, September 24, 2012

Kosrae State Fair

The Kosrae State Fair was held for two days, September 20 &21th. Farmers and fishermen brought their products to compete for the best of the different varieties of  farm produce and fishes. The FSM PACC and its partners like KIRMA and the  environmental NGO, KCSO, had booths with information. The PACC project display included the Public Announcement about El Nino current which as been detected beginning last August and the days in which we expect higher tides. Not many people came to the information booths, but the Public Announcement was given to the four Mayors and the broadcast news manager for radio dissemination. Mayor were interested in this prediction and told us they will spread the news and check their river dams to check for leaks to be less vulnerable to the expected drought. On Monday, 24th, we heard the radio announcing the prediction of a drought that might affect Micronesia. We will keep updating the drought prediction as more information reaches us.

Utwe students reading the PACC booth display about El Nino current and the expected drought.

PACC Project Mid Term Review

We received the visit of Mr. Peter Hunnam, the consultant from SPREP who came to conduct the project Mid Term Review. He stayed on the island from the 15th until the 18th of September. He met with members of the FSM PACC Steering Committee and other stakeholders. Even thought we revised all aspects of the project, Peter got more information regarding the climate proofing of the road. After analyzing the data he collected, he will give us suggestions to improve our work.


Mr. Peter Hunnam meets with Mr. Simpson Abraham and Mr. Weston Lukymis, director of the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure.

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

PACC Gender Assessment

From September 11th to the 14th, we received the visit of Mrs. Sarah Whitfield, a consultant from SPREP. She came to make a gender assessment on the PACC project.  She met on the 12th, with representatives of the women and youth groups. She gather information on the roles of males and females on our society and how the PACC pilot project addresses gender issues. The next two days she met individually with Mrs. Salome Martin, the president of the Kosrae Women's Association, Mr. Bell Tosie, The  Kosrae State Youth and Gender Coordinator and Mr. Richard Sigrah and wife Lila, residents of the Okat road, which is the road pilot project. Some of the findings were that many women from did not have idea about the project scope. More recommendations will be delivered after the analysis of information collected in the island. This recommendations will help us improve target gender related issues of our project.

Sarah meets members of women and youth groups.


              Sarah interviewed Richard and Lila about the avantages and disanvantages of the road.

For more information on gender mainstreaming, we have the document " Stocktake of the Gender Mainstreaming Capacity of Pacific Island Government - Federated States of Micronesia ", edited  by Treva Braum, SPC 2012. Contact us for an electronic copy.



Tuesday, September 11, 2012

El Nino Conditions Developing in the Pacific Ocean

 By mid-August, atmospheric indicators such as weakening of the trade winds and the northward movement of the South Pacific Convergence Zone, indicated a renewed response in the atmosphere to the unfolding El Nino Event. Climate models continue to show further warming across the tropical Pacific Ocean, with temperatures exceeding El Nino thresholds expected before the end of September 2012.

El Nino conditions bring below average rainfall to most part of the Pacific, especially to those places west of the dateline and also to the south. From December 2012 to May 2013, we expect to see below average rainall and perhaps very much below average across the western Pacific.

Information from " Climate Change Matters", Issue 5, September 2012. SPREP's Climate Change Division Newsletter. Image from "Adapting to a Changing Climate" Micronesia Conservation Trust and The Nature Conservancy on behalf of the Micronesia Challenge.