Pre-Hurricane Conference 2021

Summary

Session 1: Opening Ceremony – Getting prepared to guarantee that no one is left behind

To increase readiness for hurricane preparedness throughout the region and to ensure that National Societies and IFRC will have an updated contingency plan that addresses COVID-19 considerations and builds on lessons learned during the past year. Those are the two main objectives of the 2021 Red Cross Pre-Hurricane Conference, highlighted IFRC’s Regional Director for the Americas, Martha Keays. 

Mrs. Keays warned about the risk that hurricane preparedness and response will be neglected and overshadowed by the COVID-19 response operations and called to stay vigilant and prepare, promote the use of science-based decision-making processes that have the potential to multiply the positive effects of preparedness actions and therefore increase capacity to respond by making resources readily available and strategically placed.

IFRC’s Under Secretary General for National Society Development and Operations Coordination, Xavier Castellanos, remarked that investing in early warning and early action systems is key, as well as ensuring that laws and institutions are prepared to manage new climate risks in an integrated way, as climate risks will continue to overlap with other major crises.

Both Keays and Castellanos stressed that preparation and coordination can save lives and that as a humanitarian organization IFRC will continue to work so that no one is left behind in a region where large disasters are becoming more frequent as a result of climate change.

In the Americas, the IFRC will continue to support National Societies by continuously monitoring weather and climate-related events, developing contingency, preparedness and response plans, allocating Disaster Relief Emergency Funds, strengthening humanitarian advocacy, promoting disaster risk reduction initiatives, and contributing to extend national and local capacities to stem the spread and to protect people and communities from the impacts of COVID-19.

The IFRC is the largest humanitarian network in the world and, in collaboration with the national societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, coordinates with governments, communities and international agencies the response to the needs of people affected by crises and disasters. In the Americas, there are over 800,000 volunteers, with hundreds of them trained as national teams of intervention, rapid response, assessment of damage and analysis of needs.

Session 2 – CDEMA & CEPREDENAC – Joint action to save lives and build up resilience

2020 was a year like no other. With 30 named storms – the most ever recorded – there was the need to use the Greek alphabet in naming tropical storms for only the second time in history. The season included 13 hurricanes, among which six were major hurricanes, causing significant damages in many countries in the Atlantic Basin, Caribbean Sea, Central America, South America, and North America. 

There were five landfalling hurricanes in the Caribbean, including Eta and Iota. They devastated parts of eight countries, from Colombia to Belize, over a period of about two weeks. There were also 12 landfalling storms in the continental United States.

For 2021, the Pacific prediction is 12-18 tropical storms, leading to 5-10 hurricanes, of which 2-5 will be major. In the Atlantic, predictions are for 13-20 named storms, of which 6-10 will form into hurricanes, leading to 3-5 major hurricanes.

Within that context, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and the Coordination Center for Disasters Prevention in Central America and Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC) remarked that joint action is crucial, and that building up resilience should remain the guide and goal when responding to the needs of those exposed to major vulnerability.

Actions must be based on evidence of preparation and mitigation, under the principle of anticipation, where the surgency, sustainability and resilience persist, they explained.

According to these organisms, it is crucial to partner with actors such as the International Federation, the United Nations System, USAID, OTAM, and promoting the Scientific Technical Network and Global Actors, which seek to provide the warning information that allows the appropriate action of the systems of risk management to save lives.

Session 3 – Forecast by NOAA – What we need to know about the 2021 hurricane season

The mission, data, information products of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Agency of the United States were explained in this session led by Michael Brennan, Ph.D. NOAA’s Branch Chief Hurricane Specialist Unit.

The National Hurricane Center coordinates with each country, which is responsible for monitoring in their territories. This year, coordination between countries (thanks to technology) will be simultaneous, conversations and alerts will be given in real time. 

Forecast is important because it allows to organize preparation activities in the communities. However, the forecast information is changeable; therefore, people must be constantly informed in order to be aware of the updated data.

After each tropical cyclone or each season, NOAA’s reports will be issued to inform about the intensity, meteorological data, number of damages and deaths in order to evaluate the forecast. Regarding deaths, the causes are differentiated, for example, water, wind force or indirect fatalities. In addition, conferences and training sessions are held for television hosts and people interested in the subject. No face-to-face talks have been held due to the pandemic in the last two years, but it is expected to do so again in 2022.

NOAA encourage journalists, media, specialized organizations to use this information to get prepared and transform it into messages that explain better not just the meteorological event itself but the hazards and threats that most vulnerable communities face. Some of the NOAA contents available this season include:

1. Hurricane Watch: Hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area, generally within 48 hours.
2. Hurricane warning: Warnings issued 36 hours prior to the arrival of tropical-storm-force winds.
3. The summary report of tropical cyclone reports provides a complete summary report for every Atlantic and East Pacific Storm and this information are available: https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/ (NHC web site). With the information of final track, intensity and size info, damage and casualty figures and forecast critique.
4. RSS feeds from NHC, available here: www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutrss.shtml
5. The material is available in English, but some of the content is available in Spanish. Information can be found at the following link: https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutrss.shtml

Session 4: Health needs during hurricanes

The COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us that we are all at risk and need to pay close attention to health during emergencies. Red Cross National Societies across the Americas region placed health at the forefront of their response during 2020, taking into consideration the needs of mental health and psychosocial support as well as water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). The Red Cross, in its disaster response, offers psychosocial support to persons ensuring that not just their physical needs but also mental needs are met. 

The Red Cross works closely with States in ensuring mental health and psychosocial support needs are met both during the pandemic and the hurricane season. For example, the Jamaica Red Cross has partnered with the Ministry of Health to train community members in Psychological First Aid to reach those in remote communities which may need psychosocial support. 

WASH became a critical component of the response too, especially during the pandemic. Red Cross National Societies like Belize Red Cross, Honduras Red Cross and Nicaragua Red Cross undertook several activities including sensitization sessions on hygiene and sanitation to help prevent spread of illnesses during events like Hurricanes Eta and Iota.

We must take immediate actions to reduce the negative impacts of health in emergencies and can do it by following some of these recommendations:

• A continuous and sustainable learning process with attention to training volunteers from the community or close to it, properly connected and ready for action.
• Strengthen rapid action, risk detection and control, community support. 
• Support the Red Cross National Societies for case traceability, WASH actions and the articulation of the health services network.
• Maintain the continuity of health services, also considering the pre-existing conditions of the population. It is always recommended to identify and use the health assets that are available.
• Take care of the frontline staff. Addressing mental health needs is critical for the population and emergency responders. Mental health programs accelerate recovery.
• Promote WASH programs and strengthen biosecurity measures, even if we are amid an emergency response, we must not forget the prevention of epidemics. 
• Learn new health technologies that strengthen emergency response. Many are adapted to expand health services and serve a wider population.
• Building more resilient systems based on sustainable and environmentally friendly solutions. Good communication establishes trusting relationships with the community.
• Solutions are shared actions among several actors and coordination helps to optimize resources and generate strategic alliances.

Session 5 – Forecast Based Financing and DREF for Early Action – We can respond faster

Forecast Based Financing (FBF) is an innovative early action mechanism to act faster in a region with multiple threats and risks and that will face more and more extreme events related to climate.

FBF organizes efficient answers to an emergency, precising location, intensity and duration of an event, and reduce costs on humanitarian intervention. This approach is implemented around the world and in the Americas Red Cross National Societies are using it already, like Honduras when responding to droughts and storms; Ecuador, when dealing with volcanic ashes and floods; and Peru in the face of cold waves and snowfalls. 

Red Cross teams will also implement the FBF during this year. Guatemalan Red Cross is working on the Northern part of the country with different protocols on communities affected by Eta and Iota to prepare for this season. In Costa Rica, last year, more than 2,000 families benefited in the Fbf programs with support on shelter, health, livelihoods, and wash also within the framework of the response to the hurricane season.

More and deeper knowledge about this approach and its impact will be available soon, as a regional study on tropical storms is in being carried out, and thanks to the alliance with the academy and research centers in the Americas.

The FBF toolkit is available here. Download it now and learn more about this approach, the methodology to implement it and the relation it has with WASH, cash and voucher assitance, shelter, and more. 

Finally, remember that the Disaster Relief Emergency Fund is great tool to promote and enhace FBF. It is a mechanism for NS to fund their reponses and early actions and get specialized support. 

Session 6 – Adapting to a Changing Climate: Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Change Adaptation

In order to adapt to a changing climate, IFRC and Red Cross National Societies, as well as partners, work on different Disaster Risk Reduction strategies and build more resilient communities across the region.

The Zurich Foundation, partners in the region, presented a recent study named the Global Risks Report. This report identifies risks like extreme climate conditions, climate action failure, human-made damage, infectious diseases, and biodiversity loss as critical global threats. Climate risks are an imminent risk factor for development. Reconstruction and recuperation have centered recently on COVID19, but we also must pay attention to climate-related factors.

National Societies like the Canadian Red Cross are working in the Caribbean region in different axis like building community training in disaster mitigation and management and implementing community microprojects, to foster an ecosystem-based disaster risk management.

Other National Societies like the Mexican Red Cross are participating in the Flood Alliance Program to foster resilience, understanding about vulnerability, and work on real adaptation and mitigation actions. 

The Jamaican Red Cross shared their experience on the Resilient Islands program, and how they work with communities and accompany, enable, and connect them to build their own climate-centered resilience.

Finally, having a greener humanitarian response was discussed: how humanitarian interventions could save lives without risking damage to the environment and ensuring that programs and operations have a minimally adverse impact on the planet. Panamanian Red Cross was used as an example with one of their WASH interventions in La Peñita, Darién, where the team has installed a water pump for migrants and community members powered by solar energy. 

Session 7 – Challenges, Opportunities, and Learnings in Communication and Community Engagement and Accountability in Disasters

During the 2020 Hurricane Season, the Community Engament and Accountability team in the Americas had three key learnings for the current season: being prepared, building relationships and knowing our communities; setting up a feedback mechanism, since gathering feedback leads to strong operations; and working across sectors, which is crucial to response operations. 

In regard to lessons learned in the public communications area, three key points emerged: 

1.  Media coverage has changed: Covid-19 related restrictions have changed the way media used to cover emergencies and disasters.
2.  Mobiles are the main channel: Most of the images, videos and testimonials are gathered and shared using mobile devices and chat apps such as WhatsApp and Telegram.
3. Being prepared for the comms response: the Covid-19 context has boosted the creativity and flexibility of the Red Cross’ comms work and confirmed the need of preparing for response.

With the upcoming season, internal and external communications and cocreation with National Societies will be crucial for content development, collect information, and develop multiple resources. 

How should we prepare for the 2021 season? Collect secondary data about previous emergencies, review lessons learned, work together with different sectors within the Red Cross as well as other organizations, and use data and feedback for decision making.

During the session, three specific experiences of community participation were presented that can inspire other Red Cross groups in the region, such as the application of surveys among the migrant population in Trinidad and Tobago and the use of WhatsApp as a feedback mechanism in Peru and Chile. In Peru, this platform serves for decision-making and to promote dialogue with the migrant community, while in Chile it allows to attend to and understand the information needs of citizens about COVID-19 and vaccination, among other key issues.

Session 8 – Participant National Societies and Governments

Partnerships between sectors is crucial in order to respond to emergencies across the region. During the first session on 24 June, Partner National Societies, along with allies from governments shared their experiences and lessons learned in past hurricane seasons and other emergencies, especially in the Caribbean region. 

The American Red Cross and USAID’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance shared a concise explanation on how, as a Red Cross National Society, can apply to funds like the Initial Relief Assistance program. An important reminder for National Societies in the region is that, during peacetime, validate and update codes like the SAMS and DUNS, which are always needed to apply for USAID funds. An important aspect of the partnerships with USAID and American Red Cross are the different programs that are taking place in the region to build resilience in communities and prepare for emergencies. 

PIRAC and French Red Cross exchanged their perspectives on working together in different crises and emergencies, especially in the Caribbean, like the dengue epidemics, responding to hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020, and currently, responding to floods in Guyana and the volcanic explosion of La Soufriere in St. Vincent. Partnerships between PIRAC, the French Red Cross, and local national societies build the capacity of responding to emergencies in an agile way and support more families and communities. 

Finally, the British Red Cross and the UK government shared the experiences of the British Overseas Territories in the Caribbean. Different territories, amid the pandemic, have worked to contain COVID19 outbreaks and built resilience and capacities to prepare for the 2021 Hurricane Season. An important goal for the response in the region: working on medium- and long-term recovery and supporting the region to respond and build capacities.

Session 9 – IFRC Logistics in the Americas

In the Logistics session of the Pre-Hurricane Conference, the IFRC team in the Americas spoke about the different response mechanisms from the management of the humanitarian supply chain. ‘We do not always know the quantity, when, and what elements are going to be needed, so the response systems must be prepared to respond and serve the communities,’ explained Maricio Bustamante, Director of Humanitarian Services and Management of the Supply Chain of the International Federation.

In the appeals or DREF (Disaster Relief Emergency Funds) documents, it is very important that the Humanitarian Supply Chain team describes the logistics and supply chain tasks with the greatest amount of detail and budget to make possible the movement of merchandise, to make it possible for it to reach families and people who need it. The items or articles that are part of the response can be found in the itemscatalogue.redcross.int: this catalog is a guide that at the time of an emergency should be brought down to the local reality.

During the session, the Salvadoran Red Cross shared its experience of going through a process of joint work with the IFRC’s Logistics Unit.

Finally, IFRC’s Logistic Unit Manager, Stephany Murillo, explained how the Humanitarian Hub for the Americas, based in Panama, works. In this hub, stock of different materials is pre-positioned, to respond to emergencies in an agile way. From the hub, the supply chain and information management are coordinated, purchasing and supplier management is carried out, among other tasks.

Session 10 – Anchoring the Auxiliary Role in Laws and Policies

Ariel Kestens, IFRC Head of Delegation for the Dutch- and English-Speaking Caribbean, noted that Red Cross’ preparedness efforts imply coordinating the response with the authorities and advocating for two things: (i) the recognition of the auxiliary role of the Red Cross in laws and policies; (ii) to be granted the legal facilities that we need to operate effectively, through Legal Status Agreement, MoUs with the authorities and International Disaster Response Laws.

IFRC’s Coordinator for Legal Advocacy and Auxiliary Role in The Americas, Sophie TEYSSIER; Legislative Advocacy Adviser, Stacy Cummings; and Disaster Law Officers, Rebeca Muñoz and Jessie Jodan focused the session on:

IFRC Guide to strengthen auxiliary role

The IFRC secretariat has been playing an active role in assisting national societies with advancing their auxiliary roles, ensuring they are recognized not just in the relevant Red Cross acts but also in sectoral regulations relevant to the role of the Red Cross, such as health, disaster risk management, social welfare and migration. To this end, IFRC has developed a guide to strengthening the auxiliary role through law and policy. The guide provides a refresher on the auxiliary role and highlights the main elements of the Red Cross Red Crescent Model Law.  

Law and Public Health Emergencies

With the COVID-19 pandemic, states have been forced to apply legislation to impose restrictions on freedom of movement, assembly, closure of borders, curfews, lockdowns etc. IFRC engaged in a research project to assess current legislation and instruments governing public health in emergencies (PHEs) and develop recommendations. 

The report will be launched July 8, 2021 and will serve as a new resource to assist national societies to support their governments to improve disaster-related laws and policies. The document includes key recommendations in the areas of international health regulations, domestic legal and institutional frameworks, PHE risk management and DRM frameworks, States of Exception, role of law in mitigating secondary impacts and vulnerable groups, and legal facilities for humanitarian actorsds and equipment.

Legislative Advocacy Toolkit

IFRC has been working with national societies to increase their capacity to advocate for law and policy actions on behalf of those most affected by disasters and public emergencies. This includes developing tools such as the Legislative Advocacy Toolkit. This has been used around the world to assist national societies to develop and implement their own advocacy strategies and goals. The tool is also used to offer training in legislative advocacy to national societies. 

Sharing of Honduras Experience

There was a need to create a law that would allow the Red Cross and the humanitarian world to have the necessary tools to respond. The law was approved in order to bring urgent help to the most vulnerable and was key to responding to the communities affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota. Members of all political parties, regardless of their political affiliation, voted in favor of this normative framework thanks to which the Honduran Red Cross is now better equipped to carry out its work and the state has a greater understanding of the auxiliary role of the Red Cross.

Session 11 – Gender equity in emergency operations leadership (GLOW)

The Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement renewed its commitment to gender equity and inclusion in 2020: having a diversity of people in decision-making and generating listening from all the people who are part of an operation is crucial. From the preparation for the emergency there must be inclusion and diversity, thus reducing gender impacts and closing integration gaps in the different sectors of intervention or response to emergencies.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) highlights the importance of greater integration of women in all work environments, this integration being fundamental to effectively manage disaster risk, empowering women and developing your resilience.

During the emergency caused by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, multiple barriers were identified in disaster risk reduction and climate change policies, impacting living conditions, access to water, return to communities and access to health, as there were more women and girls displaced in this emergency.

Due to Hurricanes Eta and Iota in Honduras, groups of women were affected by the devastation of their homes, complicating their access to water and sanitation services, presenting multiple barriers and challenges to vulnerable groups in the country and their return to their communities of origin.

During emergencies, women are mostly affected, having complications in accessing services. These are not included in the same way or at the same level as men in decision-making, thus affecting the preparation and response processes.

In the session on Gender Equity in emergency response, women like Melina Miele, who participated as a leader in the response to Operation Eta / Iota in Central America, told their testimonies of being women in environments where male leadership predominates. During these testimonies, different women shared their experiences and how they can also be part of these spaces. We need more women as Chiefs of Operations, more women as Field Coordinators, we need more Women as Disaster Manager.

Protection, gender and inclusion is a very important aspect of humanitarian response, especially when coordinating, organizing, and implementing it, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Session 12 – Cash and Voucher Assistance: Preparedness Actions

Cash and Voucher Assistance (CVA) refers to programs where cash transfers or vouchers for goods or services are directly provided to people affected by disasters. Benefits of cash transfers include providing dignity to beneficiaries, who can decide the best way in which to invest that support: buying food, paying debts, or repairing their houses or business, for instance. Risks associated to CVA can be approached by taking different mitigation measures among different programmatic axis.

Cash preparedness is an ongoing capacity development initiative that aims to increase CVA capability through integrating CVA to other programs with the objective that CVA becomes an organic part of the Red Cross response, and strengthening leadership support on CVA, coordination and communication.

Red Cross teams are cash ready when they are able and likely to deliver appropriate assistance in the form of scalable, timely, and accountable CVA. There are different levels to know and evaluate when a NS is CVA-ready. Further resources to learn more about CVA include the Cash Toolkitand the Cash Hub.

The Colombian Red Cross experience

Since 1997, the Red Cross in Colombia has prepared and started implementing CVA programs in different areas of the country with different beneficiaries, including work with victims of the armed conflict and later with the emergency caused by the Galeras volcano. CVA programs have gone hand in hand with livelihood programs. Right now, the Red Cross counts with a Strategic Plan for CVA, creating a synergy between the Admin, Financial, and Programme departments in the SN. CVA program was a success when responding to Iota in the Providencia Island, where volunteers were trained on livelihoods and CVA, and the Red Cross carried out detailed needs assessments, feasibility studies and evaluations of financial providers able to implement the CVA approach.

Working and coordinate with the Cash Working Group if in the country is a great way to align CVA actions in country.

Session. 13 – Displacement in Disasters

In 2020, 238,000 displacements were due to conflict issues, and 4.5 million due to disasters. Specialists define climate migration as one where climate change is a driver or contributor for a person to migrate voluntarily or involuntarily from their community. Based on this type of migration, actions must be taken based on needs and vulnerabilities: the communities most exposed and vulnerable to climate displacement must be the first priority. 

Displacement is defined when people are forced to leave their home and usually occurs after a trigger or event that forces a person to leave their home or place of habitual residence, and it is more likely to occur in people or communities with less resilience. 

Climate displacement is expected to increase significantly in the coming years and could have an impact on border displacement, legal rights, prolonged displacement, cyclical displacement, and host communities.

On the economic side, migration can diversify sources of income, it can increase the capacity to face threats such as emergencies, reduce poverty and even increase the capacity of host communities through remittances. On the other hand, the lack of financial resources and family or individual indebtedness can affect the reconstruction of the life of the migrant population, increasing the risks of protection at the social level. It has been shown that with a little investment in the migrant population, emergency preparations become stronger, and community networks are better prepared for emergencies.

The only situation in which international law can grant the right of entry to climate migrants occurs when environmental drivers are combined with established grounds for protection under the 1951 Convention on the Status of Refugees by What the convention extends protections to petitioners with a well-founded fear of persecution due to their religion, nationality, political opinion, social group, individual and the petitioner must also be unable to obtain protection in the country of origin. 

Although recent international processes, such as the Global Compact on Migration, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, have underscored the importance of climate-induced migration, there is no global multilateral framework against this problem and international law does not guarantee the protection of climate migrants who fall outside the scope of international refugee law, so regional and national solutions are the most appropriate and useful.

It is important to advise Red Cross teams and governments that, in the first phase of disaster preparedness, they carry out actions such as raising public awareness to prepare for the possible impact of a hurricane or other natural phenomena. The Red Cross, in coordination with government disaster management services, can help map public emergency shelters and distribute lists to the public as part of disaster response.

Session 14 – Strategic alliances between Private Sector & Red Cross National Societies

Together with academic, corporate and humanitarian actors, the Red Cross work in the Americas to understand better the risks that communities face and the way in which the disaster’s curve behaves. 

Creating synergies and believing in the power of co-creation is at the core of the collaborative work between the Red Cross and the private sector, a key stakeholder in disaster response. This joint action builds on three main pillars: trust, long-term thinking focused on the resilience of communities, and flexible and complementary action. 

A successful case is the collaboration with Airbnb. Thanks to a woman named Michelle, who offered her home free of charge to support those affected by an emergency, an initiative to support people hit by disasters was activated. Now, when a disaster streaks, Airbnb members in several countries can offer shelter and open their homes and their hearts to those in need, including Red Cross volunteers deployed to provide humanitarian assistance.

The Disaster Fighters project was presented during the session to illustrate how new strategies can be created to engage people, using new platforms and creative content such as campaigns that foster community participation, and music that keeps people informed and call them to action. This initiative by the World Bank uses social media platforms and digital content that helps communities getting prepared to face the 2021 hurricane season. 

Session 15 – Localization and Red Cross’ capacities – As local as possible, as international as needed.

Localization in the emergency context means recognizing, respecting and strengthening leadership and decision making by local and national actors in humanitarian action, in order to better address the needs of affected populations. 

Local teams are the first to respond, and by strengthening these teams we can save more lives. Localizing helps us support in a better way affected communities, by delivering a more agile and efficient response. In the Americas, we are implementing this approach by working on three pillars: mobilizing human resources, stocking of humanitarian materials, and developing knowledge to strengthen the capacities of the Red Cross teams.

The case of Honduran Red Cross

More than 1,400 volunteers, six ERU’s and a group of IFRC specialists were activated in the operation to provide humanitarian support to the communities affected by hurricanes Eta and Iota in 2020. This disaster left more than 4 million people affected in Honduras, where more than half a million people were evacuated, and thousands of families are still recovering from the negative effects of the storms and the pandemic on the economy and livelihoods.

Since November 2020, the Honduran Red Cross and the IFRC network have supported 11,706 evacuated people in 136 shelters and performed 4,707 aquatic rescues and 147 air rescues. In total, more than 300,000 people have been assisted in 15 departments through cash and voucher PGI, WASH, health care, among other strategies. 

During this operation, a “mirror model” was implemented: IFRC organized its support mirroring the Honduran Red Cross’ organizational chart, in order to promote mentoring, peer learning, exchange knowledge, and the strengthening of the skills of both national staff and international teams.

Localization wise, some of the lessons learned include the key role of anticipation and national response plans, these instruments allow to implement tailor-made, effective and good quality responses. Other crucial elements for success are providing insurance and coverage for volunteers, implementing COVID19 protocols for local and international staff, improving communication and coordination among all actors and levels, enhancing IDRL law, and empowering the NS and volunteers. It is also relevant to continue preparing communities with an early recovery approach and establish the bases for a long-term recovery. 

Some of the challenges faced by the Red Cross teams in the operation have been the sociopolitical context in Honduras, the limited access to COVID Vaccines and health services, the displacement and movement populations, the armed violence in the urban context, the negative perception of Honduras at international level, and the competition for international funds.

Session 16 – Volunteering in Emergencies

The panel was led by Andrés Morales, IFRC’s Volunteering & Youth Development Regional Coordinator and included insights from Félix Castañeda, Member of the Guatemalan Red Cross since 2000, Fernando Rivera, National Volunteering Coordinator, Mexican Red Cross and Ignacio Larrondo, IFRC’s Volunteering in Emergency Office. 

A key requirement of national societies is the capacity to mobilize volunteers to provide services where necessary.  This means ensuring that volunteers have the required resources and support to effectively carry out voluntary services. 

In the context of working in risk prevention amidst COVID-19, the Red Cross must unlearn and relearn several processes and how we operate. Volunteers also have to adapt, especially to technological advances to be able to effectively carry out their duties, e.g. hosting training sessions online. 

Vulnerabilities are enhanced due to COVID-19, so the Red Cross has to increases its preparedness activities, ensuring volunteers are trained before being deployed in emergencies. Adequately organizing and training volunteers will enable us to respond in a coherent manner when a disaster or emergency occurs. In Guatemala for example, the Guatemalan Red Cross mobilized and assigned youth volunteers to lead face to face activities instead of older volunteers, since older volunteers were more at risk due to COVID-19.

Before emergencies, it is critical to assign specific roles to volunteers, so they know how to respond before, during and after emergencies. Volunteers should be informed upon recruitment, of the nature of the operations of the Red Cross, and what is expected of them. Where we have spontaneous volunteers signing up to respond to emergencies, these should be trained and integrated into the response, ensuring they are aware of the Red Cross code of conduct and principles. 

COVID-19 has modified everything and has forced us to look at how we mobilize volunteers, taking into consideration the restrictions imposed by the state. We also have to ensure the care and welfare of volunteers by putting systems in place such as volunteer insurance, distribution of PPE, operational security and training before deployment, so that volunteers have everything they need to carry out their tasks as safely as possible.

During emergencies, it important to bear in mind that volunteers can also be impacted and so they need to be included in the assessment and the response. For e.g. in the COVID plan, volunteer support had to be included in the budget for volunteers working in the response who needed to live away from their family members for a sustained period to avoid infecting them. Water, food, health and security are critical components which need to be secured for volunteers during emergencies. 

After emergencies, the Red Cross supports not just volunteers but also family members of volunteers who may have passed away during emergency response. Psychologists are hired to provide support not just to responders but also their affected loved ones. It’s important to help people that help others. Volunteers have to be protected so they can feel safe in order to help other people. If volunteers don’t feel safe, it will be difficult for them to effectively help communities. 

Lastly, it is important to put in place retention and recognition programmes for volunteers. Satisfaction surveys are important in assessing how volunteers feel about their role and how they are being treated. Showing recognition to volunteers after emergency response helps them feel appreciated and more willing to continue volunteering in other emergencies.  It is also critical to maintain the care and welfare of volunteers even after the emergency, including monitoring volunteers from a psychosocial perspective and offering mental health resources which they can access. 

Session 17 – PER and NSD, complementarities and alignment

Strengthening of National Societies is one of the Federation’s and particularly the IFRC Secretariat’s fundamental tasks, as well as Preparedness for Effective Response or PER. Both go hand in hand and are essential for the institutional development of National Societies in the region. William Parra, Regional Coordinator, National Society Development, explains some of the challenges that need to be addressed when developing PER and NSD plans like new city configurations, migration, and aging of the population: Red Cross National Societies must adapt to these changes to respond effectively to disasters and emergencies.

Later in the session, Krystell Santamaria, National Societies Preparedness, Business Continuity for Covid-19, explained that ‘Coordination within the movement, activation of response mechanisms, logistics, etc. are aspects that must be constantly strengthened to give effective responses and strengthen the role that we must give within our auxiliary role.’

In the COVID19 response, PER aspects need to be prioritized to strengthen NSD preparedness and operations can continue and better articulate the responses in other programmes and operations. PER and NSD processes and frameworks support National Societies to grow, with the aim of having more harmonized and more effective operations and responses to support the people who need it most.

Lastly, Panamanian Red Cross, Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross, and Honduran Red Cross shared their experiences with their own PER and NSD processes and how it has strengthened their organizations. For example, Honduras shared their experiences during the Hurricane Eta and Iota response with very complex scenarios: the PER and NSD processes that they have gone through were key to respond efficiently and holistically. 

In Trinidad and Tobago, the PER process was crucial to respond to the COVID19 pandemic, and showed that preparedness is intrinsically correlated with emergency response.

The Trinidad and Tobago Red Cross was able to use the elements of the PER process to help them respond effectively and efficiently during the pandemic. For example, after undergoing the PER Self-Assessment in December 2020, the TTRC was able to trace the preparedness activities and gaps related to its COVID-19 Response and other programmes.

Ms. Santamaria left us with this closing remark: ‘Humanitarian needs change so our organizations have to change to better serve our communities.’

Session 18 – Information Management – alliance with Disaster Pacific Center and IFRC Risk Watch

For more than 20 years, Pacific Disaster Center (PDC) has supported governments, non-profits worldwide, and organizations including IFRC, sharing in the mission to save lives and reduce disaster risk. 

Data Driven Products for Monitoring and Decision Making

PDC’s global mission is to make evidence-based decisions to save lives and reduce disaster risk, with a focus on information and cutting-edge science. PDC is a bridge between academics and practitioners, making information meaningful, including traditional and non-traditional data sets. Who is this information for? Decision-makers like policymakers and disaster managers: PDC works to make data accessible to them.

In today’s session, PDC shared the organization’s AIM Model (All-hazards Impact Model), which has revolutionized impact modeling because it accurately estimates data points like population, capital, and key infrastructure exposure when a disaster strike. One of the main projects where this model is used is DisasterAWARE, a platform that National Societies teams can register for with their institutional emails.

DisasterAWARE helps decision makers to make better decisions, faster. It is a risk intelligence platform to get a better understanding of risks and impacts with features like:

• Leveraging thousands of data from PDC and vetted partners to help inform decision making
• Leverage PDCs country-level Risks and Vulnerability Assesment data for identifying areas at most need of support/most vulnerable
• SMARTALERT early warning system

The Disaster Aware App called DisasterAlert which is available for Apple and Android.

Inform DRR Decisions and Increase Resilience

PDC has a National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment (NDPBA) which is a sustainable system for accessing, understanding, updating, and applying critical risk information in decision making. The NDPBA provides the necessary tools, scientific data, and evidence-based practices to effectively reduce disaster risk—informing decisions at the national, subnational, and local level.

The NDPA Data for Critical Decision Making looks at Data and Information Exchange, Risk and Vulnerability Assessment, Disaster Management Analysis and DRR 5-year Action plan, all of which help to inform DRR decisions and increase resilience. 

A National Disaster Preparedness Baseline Assessment was recently completed in Trinidad and Tobago and it highlights the vulnerabilities, hazards and capacities as well as recommendations. The data can be used to compare municipalities to see which ones have the highest hazards and exposures so proper planning can be put in place. 

For IFRC, the partnership with PDC is crucial for making informed decisions. Through the Information Management teams work closely with PDC, as well as using Risk Watch, an IM tool that helps decision makers in the organization to consider key risks and help National Societies to take action ahead and reduce those risks.

Session 19 – Closing event: It is time for resilience, equity, anticipation and preparedness, and glocal disaster response

Along the 2021 Red Cross Pre-Hurricane Conference, Red Cross National Societies, IFRC teams, partners, allies and public official have made clear that getting prepared is key to save lives and build up resilience, and that to make that happen joint action is needed now. 

The Red Cross teams in Central America, North America and The Caribbean should take measures to get prepared and strengthen their capacities in the areas of community engagement and accountability, climate change adaptation, localization and local-global response, continuity of services and operations and protection, gender and inclusion. Also, in the fields of cash and voucher assistance, anticipation, humanitarian advocacy, protection of livelihoods, CRM, location, public health, forecast based financing, data gathering and analysis, and information management. 

Scenario planning, logistics, early action, public communication migration and internal displacement linked to disasters and climate change, green response, female leadership, and duty of care are also areas that should get strengthened, as well as the response to COVID-19, because the pandemic is not over and continues impacting vulnerable families and communities and even Red Cross volunteers. 

To guarantee a faster, greener, more effective and resilience-centered preparedness and response, financial and non-financial resources from governments, private sector and the Red Cross should combine and favor innovation, digital transformation, capacity development, and knowledge sharing initiatives across the region. 

That joint action is needed now and the IFRC network is a key and strategically located partner to articulate it and make it happen. It is also a step forward in the right direction: fostering a smart investment at local, national and international level to guarantee that the most vulnerable will be protected in the face of more frequent and intense climate-related disasters.

28 out of 35 countries in the Americas are classified as medium, high, or very high in terms of climate-related risks. The Americas is a highly disaster-prone region. North America, Central America, and The Caribbean are cyclically affected by tropical storms and hurricanes that regularly devastate vulnerable communities. The impacts of global warming are already killing people and devastating lives and livelihoods every year, and they will only get worse without immediate and determined action.