Manila – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, and the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) have launched a project that aims to build up the resilience of vulnerable populations constantly threatened by natural disasters, particularly the threat of an anticipated major earthquake in Metro Manila in the Philippines.

The Mass Evacuations in Natural Disasters (MEND) project which focuses on Metro Manila’s most vulnerable urban poor communities, particularly informal settlements, kicked off with a five-day training (12-16/03) with 64 participants from local government units, relevant government agencies and NGOs.

MEND seeks to enhance the Metro Manila region’s capacity to prepare for the ‘Big One’ – the potentially massive earthquake anticipated along the region’s west valley fault, which traverses various parts of Metro Manila and the surrounding provinces. The fault moves roughly every 400 years according to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, which means that the metropolis is due for a 7.2 magnitude earthquake.

“When I first heard of the ‘Big One’ I was nervous. Being part of the fault line, our area is exposed to a lot of risk,” a barangay councillor Alex Santos of Quezon City shared his anxiety on the potential earthquake. Quezon City is one of Manila’s most densely populated areas with around 2.9 million people.

Local community leaders like Santos are worried about their capacity to respond to such an event; a damaging earthquake of that magnitude will no doubt overwhelm the resources of local governments.

For the MEND project, IOM has combined urban displacement management through their Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) expertise, as well as an innovated mass evacuation in natural disasters approach. The project also focuses on supporting the development of contingency plans, identifying the most accessible areas for safe evacuation as well as providing training on information gathering and management. The project will also utilize the Organization's Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM) information gathering and management tools.

Notably, this particular type of project is also a first for ECHO in the field of urban disaster preparedness.

Arlynn Aquino, ECHO programme officer, shared some optimism on the initiative: “ECHO has historically supported humanitarian emergencies. This is, therefore, one of the rare times we’ve invested in preparedness, and it is amazing to witness that this modest investment is creating a ripple effect for frontline responders.”

Aquino added, “We hope this will continue to raise awareness on the value of preparing for a disaster and it is our hope that local governments will use their positions of influence to bring the knowledge that they gained from the workshop and deliver it to their communities.”

Speaking at the conclusion of the training, IOM Philippines Chief of Mission Kristin Dadey noted: “The Philippines continues to be a shining example in the region. Their ability to prepare for major disasters is a model for others to follow, as is the Filipino’s resilience in dealing with disasters when they happen.”

The initial training sets the momentum for a field simulation exercise scheduled for April 2018. The simulation will involve urban poor communities in three target cities in Metro Manila.

For more information, please contact Kristin Dadey, IOM Philippines, Tel: +63 917 803 5009, Email: kdadey@iom.int