Komunidad’s Resilient-Siargao Project is off to a good start as it completes the first phase of its program to help the island province in its recovery post-Typhoon Odette.
Last April, Komunidad launched Phase 1 of its roadshow in Siargao that includes Weather/Climate and Tropical Cyclone and Enterprise Web App Training and Development in nine municipalities in the province as part of the pilot implementation of the program.
This follows the launch of the Resilient-Siargao Project, an 18-month engagement with local government units of the project, on March 21. Komunidad is helping Siargao rebuild from the ravages of Super Typhoon Odette which pummeled the tourist destination in December 2021, through science-based knowledge and tools to help them better prepare for disasters.
On April 21, members of the Technical Working Group from the towns of Del Carmen, San Benito, Burgos, Dapa Socorro, San Isidro, Pilar, Sta. Monica, and General Luna learned about basic meteorology and how to integrate scientific information and concepts into their local disaster and preparedness protocols—all this is done with the help of Komunidad’s decision support tools. Participants were also taught how to navigate and use Komunidad’s dashboard, including its features and functionality.
As part of the Phase 1 implementation, a total of 196 representatives from the Municipal Disaster, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Education, Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fire Protection, and Philippine Port Authority from the five municipalities took part in Training and Deployment.
Komunidad also carried out pre- and post-tests to make sure the participants had learned from the training. At the end of the training, participants were familiarized with the enterprise web app.
Despite the slow internet connection in the towns of Del Carmen and Dapa, the training was received positively, and the five towns also expressed their interest in adopting Komunidad’s system after their grant project.
Komunidad, meanwhile, is gearing up for the Phase 2 implementation of its Resilient-Siargao Project which would entail user training and the completion of the design of its public web app, mobile app and automated reports for DRRMOs. These apps and reports are the decision support tools Komunidad designed for the municipalities’ use to become more climate resilient communities.
All these have been made possible through Komunidad’s partnership with the GSMA Innovation Fund for Climate Resilience and Adaptation, funded by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Swedish International Cooperation Agency.
