Tsunami Training Workshop

A tsunami training workshop was conducted in Kosrae from September 17-19 for Tsunami threat assessment and decision making.  The trainers were Dr. Laura Kong, Director of the International Tsunami Information Center in Honolulu; Mr. Charles "Chip" Guard, Warning Coordination Meteorologist from Guam, Rev. Eden Skilling from the FSM Weather Service and Mr. Nena William as the Disaster Coord ination Officer for the State of Kosrae.

 

FSM PACC personnel joined the other stakeholders to learn about the new Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) messages. These  messages contains the data from earthquakes, which can be used to determine the probability of generating tsunamis and estimated times of arrival.

The PTWC will give the information and each country should evaluate the need to evacuate. Kosrae State will be in contact with the FSM Weather Station in Pohnpei to determine the need to make tsunami warnings. Another tool we got in the training is a software that give us the location, magnitude and depth of the earthquakes, to visualize were it was and the potential to generate a tsunami. With these new products, Kosrae is better prepared to evaluate the need of evacuation  before a tsunami reach the island.

 

From left to right: Mr. Nena William, Dr. Laura Kong, Rev. Eden Skilling and Mr. Chip Guard.

El Nin~o Warning

A chart which shows the current weather conditions of El Nin~o, La Nin~a and Neutral years, has been produced by Coastal Engineer, Mr. Douglas Ramsay. He works for New Zealand's, National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research Ltd. Mr. Ramsay prepares Kosrae tide tables from the data gathered by the FSM PACC meteorological instruments and also updated the Kosrae Shoreline Management plan.

The chart has an arrow showing the strenght of the current state and also the changes expected in terms of rainfall, drought, temperature, typhoon ocurrence, sea level, trade winds and coral bleaching.

This warning can be accessed in kosraecoast.com

Kosrae State Joint Action Plan in Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change

A consultation meeting on Disaster Risk Management & Climate Change Adaptation, was held in Kosrae State from August 26 until September 6, 2014.  Consultants from SPC and the National Government Office of Environment & Emergency Management, OEEM; facilitated the consultation. The purpose of this consultation was the collection of inputs from Kosrae stakeholders, and prepare the  Kosrae Joint Sate Action Plan, KJSAP on DRM and CCA.

The KJSAP, will implement National Government policy goals, it is State driven, allows for multiple perspectives by consulting different sectors/stakeholders. The plan aligns with the State, National and Regional approach of integrating disaster and climate risk.

The consultation  was conducted by the Kosrae Disaster Coordinator, Mr. Nena William; SPC consultants, Mrs. Anna Gero and Noah Tokavou  and OEEM’s James Lukan and Cindy Ehmes. The stakeholders consulted included, The Governor’s Cabinet, Government agencies, NGO’s, Municipal leadership, Disable persons, Youth & Women’s Councils, Church leaders and Senior citizens.

 

The final meetings presented the findings from the different sectors consulted. The key hazard most mentioned was the high sea/swells with 17 inputs from a total of 35. Other findings were the gaps in financial & physical capacity, which need to be improved. The island’s capacity on human, social & environment issues fared better.

Kosrae State Governor, Hon. Lyndon Jackson, merged the Kosrae Disaster Coordination Office and the FSM PACC as one office to be consistent to the local CC legislation on December 2013.  The FSM National Climate Change Policy & Disaster Risk reduction was passed by the FSM Congress in September 2013. Kosrae was the first State to held this consultation, the other three states will be next.

 

 

1st Disaster Risk Management Conference.

National Government OEEM Director, Mr. Andrew Yatilman.

The First Disaster Risk Management Conference was held on the Pohnpei’s Governor’s Conference Room, from June 16-20.  Subjects discussed during the conference included: Damage Assessment for households and for communities, Response & Recovery Planning, Early Warning System by the National Weather Service. There were other presentations by the National Government’s Office of Environment and Emergency Management, the NGO’s International Organization for Migration and the Micronesia Red Cross Society. Mr. Simpson Abraham made a presentation about the FSM PACC Project and its achievements. With the rest of the Kosrae’s Delegation, we updated Kosrae State information for the disaster management checklist. The few checklists we prepare will guide the emergency responders to orderly approach the disaster.

Mr. Abraham makes a presentation on the FSM PACC achievements.

Ribbon Cutting and Benediction of Pilot Road.

On May 29,2014; the FSM PACC project had the Ribbon Cutting and Benediction Ceremonies for the completed Pilot Road. The road from Lacl to Lacs in the Tafunsak Municipality, was climate proofed to make it more resilient to the expected increase in rainfall and sea level rise in  the future.

The Ceremonies took place at the entrance of the Pilot road.

 

The activities begun at 9:00 Am with an openning prayer by Rev. Soloman Mongkeya. The Opening remark was done by the Hon. Governor of Kosrae state, Mr. Lyndon Jackson. The guest speakers for the activity were the FSM Vice President, Hon. Alik Alik, SPREP's Deputy Director General, Mr. Kosi Latu. The second prize winners of the Climate Change Song competition, the Rabbit Island Youth Choir, sang to the delight of the people present. Two more remarks were done by Mrs. Sian Nivinson, as Personal Representative for the Australian  Ambassador and the Mayor of Tafunsak , Mr. Jacob George.

 

The Lelu Gospel Choir sang to the public prior to the Blessing of the project by Rev. Takeo Likiaksa. Then the Ribbon Cutting proceeded and afterwards the Benediction  was done by Rev. Livinson Taulung. Also present at the Ceremonies were Mr. Miguel Ordon~ez, from the USA Embassy; Mr. John Palmer from SPC North REP; Mrs. Louise Dutertre from SPC and the FSM Ambassador to Fiji, H.E. Gerson Jackson.

 

 

Ribbon Cutting, from Left to Right: Mr. Nena William, Master of Ceremonies, Mrs. Louise Dutertre, Mr. Kosi Latu, Hon. VP Alik Alik, Hon. Lyndon Jackson, Mr. Jacob George and DT&I 's Director Mr. Weston Luckymis.

 

 





5th Annual Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Summit

Participants from the four States and the National Government (Office of Environment and Emergency Management), participated on the 5th  Annual Public Health and Hospital Emergency Preparedness Summit which was held on Kosrae from April 14 - 17. FSM PACC Coordinator, Mr. Simpson Abraham, made a presentation about climate change and how could affect the health of the people of the FSM. He talked about how changes in the future climate as more rainfall, will cause more floods and mosquitoes breeding, leading to more mosquito borne diseases as Dengue fever.. He also mentioned the saltwater intrusion that is affecting taro patches in the FSM's atolls, as a result of the sea level rise,which can endanger the food security of the islanders.

Climate Change and Mangroves

The Climate Change awareness team visited  Lelu Elementary School to show an instructional video on Climate Change and how affects our mangroves. This video, prepared by  the Pacific Climate Education Partnership, PCEP from Hawaii with our local experts from KIRMA,  FSM PACC Project, the DOE’s PREL Project and the Science Coordinator; was presented to 3, 4 and 5^th grade students.

Mrs. Ruthey M. Luckymis from KIRMA presents the video to 3rd grade students.

 

 This video includes interviews to mangrove users and we selected Senior Citizens of both sexes to describe us the changes occurred in our mangroves, its tress and animals.  Students had the opportunity to learn about changes degrading the ecosystem and how to minimize negative effects to make us less vulnerable to the expected changes in future climate. After each presentation, we met with the teachers to ask them suggestions to improve the video depending on age group.

Carlos Cianchini from FSM PACC talks about mangrove trees to 5th grade students.