SIDON, Lebanon: South Lebanon’s joint operations room for crisis response will launch at the end of this month and the government will hold its first full-scale disaster response drill to test its preparedness.
The new operations room, in the southern capital of Sidon, will oversee a permanent emergency network, designed to facilitate quick responses to crises and natural disasters.
Security, military and municipal officials will all be a part of an integrated response, along with members of civil society groups and humanitarian aid organizations.
“For the first time, various [government] administrations, apparatuses and associations will come together with [new] discipline and follow-up,” a senior official from the south Lebanon governorate said. “The main goal is to speed mobilization when a crisis takes place, whether it is a security breach, a natural disaster or an Israeli attack.”
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the operations room would coordinate the mobilization of many groups, not just the army, ISF, Civil Defense and Red Cross. “For the first time civil administrations will be involved in disaster management, in responding to crises and [providing] aid. The education, public works and health ministries will be involved, and will play a role in the operations room for the first time.”
The Rafik Hariri Hall in Sidon’s Serail has been chosen as the headquarters for the joint operations room, which will be orchestrated by the governor or a representative acting on his behalf.
The room is equipped with numerous tables, chairs, telephones, computers and alternative communication lines directly connected to the Grand Serail in Beirut.
The decision to establish the operations room comes following a Cabinet initiative to evaluate and improve disaster management response across the country. Parliament is currently preparing a draft law to further reorganize government response efforts.
The plan was preceded by a series of meetings on crisis response, involving the Lebanese government, the United Nations Development Program and input from other countries.
Sidon’s Mayor Mohammad Saudi and the ISF’s Chief in south Lebanon, Samir Shehadeh, recently visited Japan to participate in a convention on disaster response. The aim was to learn from Japanese expertise in crisis management. Japan has dealt with a number of natural disasters, including tsunamis and the earthquake-induced meltdown of the Fukushima nuclear reactor in 2011.
South Lebanon has faced a number of its own crises over the past 10 years. Israeli assaults, natural disasters and security breaches all pose a threat in the region and local civil society has significant experience dealing with emergency situations.
But until now, there was no umbrella organization to coordinate this expertise. But the government hopes that disaster management operations room in Sidon will change that.
“For the first time, as in the army, an executive instructions memorandum was created,” the governorate official explained.
The official said the first 48 hours after a disaster are the most vital, adding that the memorandum sets out the steps to be taken during this critical stage.
“The governor’s role and the roles of every administration and apparatus are included. If the governor cannot be present for any reason, anyone with this memorandum will know how to act,” the official said. “The response during the first 48 hours is what’s most important, [as] after that everyone is going to come and help.”
The final touches are being put on preparations for a large disaster response drill – the first of its kind in Lebanon – which will take place on March 28. The drill will take place near Sidon’s Serail and along the city’s coastal front, focused on the area between Sidon’s port and Alexander Bay.
The operations room will be tested during the maneuvers, as will the work of government officials and relief workers on the ground. The exercise will include drills on evacuating wounded and trapped people, transporting the wounded, marine rescue operations and logistical support.
The goal is to test the functioning of the operations room and its ability to respond to conditions on the ground, as well as to locate areas where its response can be improved.
“There’s a lack of data,” the official said, when asked about the difficulties of implementing the new plan. “This is why we have distributed forms for the municipalities to fill in with what they have in terms capabilities and readiness, as well as what they lack. The municipalities are often the closest to people and the first to respond”
The evaluation will help document any shortages of manpower, equipment and medical and logistical support. The official explained that there is little available housing for victims of a future disaster, as available shelters are already occupied by Syrian refugees. Citing a similar problem during the summer 2006 war with Israel, he said efforts must be redoubled to find places for potential refugees.
The government is also looking to raise awareness among the public.
The official explained that people must learn what to do when a crisis occurs, such as when to run to the scene of an accident and when not to, and how to properly care for someone who is wounded. “Our mission is to raise awareness [on how to act] in different scenarios, [so that people] can contribute assistance, not confusion.”
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