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Early Warning Systems Project

Countries
Fiji
Sources
Fiji Red Cross
Publication date
Origin
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The Asia Foundation was pleased to provide a grant of $55,000 FJD to the Fiji Red Cross Society (FRCS) for the project entitled “Early Warning Small Grants Scheme for At-Risk Communities in the Pacific”.

The grant was made possible through the generous support of the United States Agency for the International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) under the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Programme Phase (PDRMP – 2) implemented by the Asia Foundation.

The Foundation makes this grant in recognition of FRCS’s effort to strengthen community resilience to natural hazards in Fiji and the Pacific and it’s work with local communities through the local Red Cross Branches throughout the country. The Foundation aims to enhance the capability of Pacific island communities to the impacts of hazards often resulting in disasters that cause loss of life and property.

Fiji Red Cross will be able to support up to six communities located in the Northern Division of Fiji to further enhance community early warning preparedness systems. The proposed activities will be implemented by the village disaster committees, assisting the people responsible to be more proactive within the village/ community settings, working with the villagers to practice their plans in the lead up to each cyclone and/ or flooding season. The grant period will be from December 2013 to February 2014.

The Red Cross disaster team will work with the selected communities to be able to identify safe routes, evacuation center/ sites, and provide training to the local communities for when warnings are sounded, install rain gauges in the villages; provide support to the village disaster committees for procurement of tabards/ vest, hailers, whistles, helmets, etc. for use by those responsible for assisting vulnerable members of the community to evacuate when warnings are given.