Members of British military in PH for disaster response training

About 40 members of the British military are in Manila for a two-week training with the government and disaster relief organizations on responding to earthquakes in an urban setting.

Lt. Col. Jem Blades, the exercise commander of the Royal Engineers’ 77 Brigade, said on Tuesday at the British Embassy in Manila that they looked at the existing contingency response plans and offered suggestions to improve their abilities to respond in an earthquake.

“I think the Philippines is in a good situation. You work hard, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council works hard. There are lots of exercises on a regular basis … Keep these [contingency] plans and update it all the time,” he said.

His team had been in the Philippines for 10 days now.

A tabletop exercise was held at the British Embassy as a highlight of the training. They discussed the simulated scenarios to assess plans and procedures.

“It’s an excellent opportunity for the British Armed Forces to work closely with a broad of spectrum of experts from government departments, nongovernmental organizations and local authorities, as well as the Filipino Armed Forces,” Blades said.

Lt. Col. Harry Walker, who was then an exercise commander for earthquake response in Nepal in 2003, said the structures in Manila should be redesigned in case disasters happen in the future.

“From what we have seen there has been lots of concretes and construction. The sites would appear to be hopefully redesigned for future quake that may hit Manila,” he said.

Nepal was hit by a 7.8 magnitude quake on Saturday, which killed thousands and made a massive damage in the country, their worst disaster in 80 years.

“The other important thing to remember are the rules and regulations regarding the structure of the buildings is allowed to go up and is maintained. The construction should be monitored to regulate the quality of the building so disasters do not happen,” he said.

He said there is always something to learn from disasters, whether it’s an earthquake, hurricane or typhoon.

“We’re always learning. It’s the same basic principles. You’re always gonna need the communities to be the first responders so good training and the awareness—prewarning the agencies to respond quickly,” Walker said.

British Ambassador Asif Ahmad emphasized the importance of proper planning in natural disasters.

“The effects of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) were a real eye-opener, not just for the Philippine government but for many others across the world, including our government. We are very much aware of the importance of proper planning in mitigating the worst effects of natural disasters. Thousands of lives can be saved by effective preparation and coordination in advance of and in aftermath of disasters.

“Exercise Civil Bridge is Great Britain’s continuing commitment to working together on disaster risk management, learning and sharing with each other,” he said. RC