New civil defense chief requires pre-disaster risk assessment

OCD Director Alexander Pama. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Government disaster managers, especially those in local government, are expected to conduct pre-disaster risk assessments in their areas and design appropriate responses according to their needs, according to the new Office of Civil Defense chief.

OCD Director Alexander Pama said the National Disaster Risk Reduction Council has approved the Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment (PDRA) that would “dictate the protocol” to be followed by government disaster managers.

“[PDRA] would be a major paradigm shift. Our focus would be pre-disaster, that before a disaster arrives, it would be clear to everyone how they would respond,” Pama told the Inquirer on Thursday.

Pama said disaster managers in every regional and local government would need to analyze and understand the risk factors in their areas and would have to “translate” this into appropriate responses.

“Signal No. 1 in areas may have different risk factors. It depends on the [characteristics and needs] of the place and it would call for a different response,” said Pama.

Pama, a former commander of the Philippine Navy, said that “the LGUs will play a significant role before a typhoon.”

“The PDRA will dictate their protocols,” he said.

The PDRA will address the gaps in existing disaster management protocols, envisioned to “coordinate, harmonize and synthesize” the risk assessment and response to the kind of disaster that would strike.

Pama said last year’s disasters, from Supertyphoon Yolanda to the Bohol earthquake, and the Zamboanga siege, “emphasized the need” for a pre-disaster risk assessment.

“Our work is not just to count the dead,” Pama said.

Pama also stressed the need for more effort to make the public understand disaster warnings and the impact of disasters on their lives.

He said that to reach more people, he would ask television networks to include such information in their telenovelas.