Año: 2016

REUNIÓN DEL GRUPO REGIONAL 2010 (JAPAN)

The meeting of the INSARAG Regional Group Americas was held in Kobe, Japan on 14 September 2010. The meeting was organised by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, as well as OCHA in its capacity as the INSARAG Secretariat. The meeting was attended by 34 participants from 15 countries and organisations.

2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (Arabic)
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (English)
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Chairman Summary (French)
2010 INSARAG Americas Meeting Agenda (English)

EJERCICIO REGIONAL INSARAG – SIMEX 2016 – COLOMBIA

Resumen

752 participantes de 25 países y organizaciones, representando el Sistema Nacional de Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres, así como el Sistema distrital de Bogotá, el Equipo Humanitario de País, el Equipo de las Naciones Unidas para la Evaluación y Coordinación en caso de Desastres (UNDAC) y sus socios, y un total de 30 equipos USAR nacionales e internacionales, 21 Equipos Médicos de Emergencia (EMT) nacionales e internacionales, se reunieron para el SIMEX Américas 2016, el ejercicio regional de respuesta a terremotos en Bogotá, Colombia, del 26 al 30 de septiembre del 2016.

El ejercicio fue auspiciado por el Gobierno de Colombia a través de la Unidad Nacionales para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres (UNGRD), y organizado conjuntamente con la Oficina de Coordinación de Asuntos Humanitarios de las Naciones Unidas en su calidad de Secretaría del INSARAG y con el apoyo específico de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (OPS). 

Ver aquí un resumen visual y el video de sistematización del SIMEX:

EJERCICIO REGIONAL INSARAG – SIMEX 2014 – COSTA RICA

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INSARAG regional earthquake response simulation exercise, 2-5 September 2014, Costa Rica

From 2 to 5 September 2014, Costa Rica hosted the 2014 INSARAG regional earthquake exercise in San Jose. The exercise was co-organized by the Government of Costa Rica, and OCHA as INSARAG Secretariat. This was the fourth exercise that took place in the Americas Region.

The event was opened by the Chair of the National Commission for Emergencies, Dr. Ivan Brenes Reyes, the UN Resident Coordinator, Mrs. Yoriko Yasukawa and the Chair of INSARAG-Americas Regional Group, General Alfredo Enrique Murgueytio Espinoza of Peru.

Around 250 participants participated to the exercise, representing the entire Government structure in charge of emergency response in Costa Rica, as well as all international actors ie.

  • the National Disaster Risk Management System mainly those actors representing the Emergency Operations Center (COE) and the national coordination structure for international assistance (CATAI – Comité Asesor tecnico de Asistencia internacional)
  • 4 national USAR teams,
  • the United Nations Disaster Management Team (DMT) and UN Emergency Technical Team (UNETE);
  • the UNDAC team and its partners in the region (Americas Support Team, Télécoms Sans Frontières, MapAction and White Helmets). The UNDAC team was joined by an associate member from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent (IFRC),
  • 15 USAR teams (representing 13 countries from the region) and
  • 2 Foreign Medical Teams (FMT); who were in fact from Costa Rica but acted as FMTs. .

Probably the biggest factor contributing to the success of the exercise was the full ownership by national authorities to run the exercise and use it as a learning opportunity for all involved. The exercise even saw the active participation of the President of the country, Luis Guillermo Solís Rivera

For the first time, the exercise incorporated as a separate actor the Foreign Medical Teams (FMT) with the aim to put in practice their role and coordination mechanisms integrated with the existing ones of the OSOCC and RDC. The use of the international airport facilities and the participation of the airport authorities as an entry point for all international teams (USAR, UNDAC, support teams, and FMTs) gave a strong aspect of realism to the exercise and also helped in the overall understanding of the difficulties linked to this.

During the exercise, USAR teams were familiarized with the use of the new forms currently being proposed as part of the revised INSARAG guidelines that are expected to be endorsed in 2015.

For the UNDMT and UNETE the exercise was an opportunity to get a lot more familiar with their responsibilities if a major emergency was to strike Costa Rica; a country which has fortunately not been hit by such major disasters in recent decades, but which is aware that it may hit.

The exercise was an excellent opportunity for all participants to learn and exchange experience on the response coordination mechanisms put in place in response to a 6.5 magnitude earthquake affecting the Alajuelita region, near San Jose, an area of 800,000 inhabitants. The agenda allowed for a 2-day preparation of participants to get acquainted with national and international coordination mechanisms, and then simulated the first 8 days of the response compressed into 2 days of exercise.

EJERCICIO REGIONAL INSARAG – SIMEX 2013 – PERU

Peru was the host and co-organiser together with OCHA as INSARAG Secreriat of the 2013 INSARAG regional earthquake response simulation exercise that took place from 1 to 4 October in Lima. The exercise was opened by Dr. Juan Jimenez, Prime Minister of Perú, the UN Resident Coordinator a.i. , Dr. Luis Fernando Leanes, as well as General Murgueytio, Head of the Peruvian Civil Protection (INDECI) and current I Vice-chair of the INSARAG Americas Regional Group. More than 260 participants, representing the entire Government structure in charge of emergency response in Peru, ie. the National Disaster Risk Management System, coordinated by the INDECI (Instituto nacional de defensa civil), 9 national USAR teams, the Humanitarian Country Team /Red Humanitaria Nacional; the UNDAC team and its partners in the region (Americas Support Team, Télécoms Sans Frontières, MapAction and White Helmets) as well as 13 USAR teams from the region and beyond gathered to put into practice activation protocols and coordination mechanisms at the national level as well as between the national system and the international actors, practising the implementation of the INSARAG guidelines and methodology as well as other key international guidance instruments, such as the IDRL Guidelines, OSOCC guidelines, as well as IASC guidance on multi-cluster/sector initial rapid assessments and coordination set ups. The Government put into practice its national emergency operations plan, USAR teams practiced the implementation all phases of an USAR response cycle, the Humanitarian Country Team put into practice its own activation protocols with the Government, the coordination, assessment and response planning phases as well as humanitarian resource mobilization mechanisms. The UNDAC team, with the help of its partners , coordinated the international USAR operation and established an On-Site Operations Coordination Center (OSOCC), ran the Reception and Departure Center, and supported the Humanitarian Country Team in the multi-cluster initial rapid assessment and coordination with national authorities. The exercise was an excellent opportunity for all participants to learn and exchange experience on the response coordination mechanisms put in place in response to an 8.6 magnitude earthquake affecting the capital of Lima and Callao, an area of 9 million inhabitants. The agenda allowed for a 1.5 day preparation of participants to get acquainted with national and international coordination mechanisms, and then simulated the first 8 days of the response compressed into 2 days of exercise. It is the third such regional exercise that took place in the Americas region and participants as well as the exercise control group observed a steady improvement of the capacity of respondents but also of the way the exercise is run. Lessons learned will feed into upcoming regional exercises.