ANDREANE TAMPUBOLON
Andreane Tampubolon, or Anne as she is known to her colleagues and friends, works with the Indonesian Red Cross Restoring Family Links (RFL) team. As the head of the RFL team within the Disaster Management Unit, Anne has been engaged in the organisation for more than 10 years, providing her with a rich variety of experiences and engagements across the international disaster management sector. Anne has also contributed as a facilitator in the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme, and has been deployed as an ASEAN Emergency Response and Assessment Team (ASEAN-ERAT) member to regional disasters including the 2015 Myanmar floods, the 2016 earthquake in Aceh, Indonesia, and the recent Greater Jakarta floods, also in Indonesia. Anne also holds many deployments directly as part of the Red Cross.
For this article we engaged Anne with questions on a variety of areas related to disaster management, and her responses and ideas were interesting and full of understanding.
What has been your greatest challenge in responding to disaster on a regional level?
Identifying, utilising and sharing information across language barriers is a significant challenge through all my experiences. For example, immediate responders are the ones who often have the greatest knowledge of the situation and how to handle it. However, it can be a challenge to share this knowledge from partners from other countries. In terms of challenge, I often find that we may need to have more field personnel with managerial skill. But, with many knowledge management skills available, it should also enhance the capacity of field personnel. Our field officer partners sometimes has difficulties to share their experience with a wider audience. This can have an effect on the knowledge transfer in the field and back to higher levels, as field responders often hold significant insights and experiences that should be raised with all other parties.
What challenges do you see related to disaster coordination in the region?
It can be a challenge to ensure aligned understandings between the support we are providing and the expectations of our recipients. This can be particularly heightened during disaster responses and requires strong communication, mutual understanding and personal approach.
What are some of the cross-cutting challenges you have faced?
Gender balance in teams deployed for fieldwork remains a challenge, I think. For example, I have previously been deployed in a team of 10 individuals and I was the only woman. However, I have previously been deployed in a team of four with three of those team members being women, so there is scope for better balance. This issue needs further attention in our region as it can have an impact on the work – whether we realise it or not.
With so many deployments, you are clearly used to working intensively in the field. What are your self-care tips for handling stress and pressure?
I fully believe it is best to make sure that you are able to take care of yourself before you attempt to take care of others in a disaster situation. This is a significant part of preparation for field deployment, and people have different ways of ensuring they are ready, as well as how they maintain their health in the field. I personally like to ensure I have a little downtime wherever I go and have some light entertainment to enjoy while I rest. In a technological world, having movies to watch or music to listen to is quite easy, and this is what I do to enjoy my down time when I can get some.
As you’ve been engaged in the ACE Programme, what do you see as the importance and meaning of good leadership?
Being a good leader means knowing the strengths and weakness of people that I work alongside and making sure that I do my best to identify gaps, weaknesses and room for improvement in a team. It is also important to work with people to improve people to lessen their weaknesses and increase their strengths. Being a good leader is also not just telling people what to do but working with them to achieve the goals.
So, what would you like to remind readers about in relation to the humanitarian sector?
I would remind everyone that being a humanitarian worker means you must remember to be a human. We can’t just work through systems and by protocols alone, but we must use our empathy and remember that we all are humans, and don’t forget to keep in mind to enjoy every process. There might be ups and downs in every operation. Not necessary with the good intention to help the process will then be smooth all the way. Yet manage the expectation and try the best you can to achieve the objectives accordingly
Written by : Ina Rachmawati | Photo : Private Collection
RSIS-AHA CENTRE WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY WEBINAR:
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE IN SOUTHEAST ASIA DURING COVID-19
In commemoration of the World Humanitarian Day on 19 August 2020, the AHA Centre collaborated with the Centre for Non-Traditional Security (NTS) of the Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) to implement a webinar on Humanitarian Assistance in Southeast Asia during COVID-19.
The discussion focused on the potential dual threats of a pandemic and natural disaster. Speakers shared ideas and insights on the particular challenges faced by the humanitarian sector during the pandemic, as well as potential solutions to the challenges, and how to strengthen partnerships between relevant stakeholders.
The webinar featured a number of distinguished speakers and guests. Primarily there was Tan Sri Dr. Jemilah Mahmood, who previously served as the Under Secretary General for Partnerships at the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and currently is the Special Advisor to the Prime Minister of Malaysia on Public Health. Next were Mr. Masahiro Ishizeki, the Head of International Programmes of Mercy Relief, and Ms. Carol Lee, Executive Director of Mercy Relief. Dr Alistair D. B. Cook is Coordinator of the Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief Programme and Senior Fellow at the NTS Centre, RSIS. Prof. Mely Caballero-Anthony, Head of NTS Centre, RSIS, opened the one-hour webinar, and Ms. Adelina Kamal, the Executive Director of the AHA Centre, served as the moderator of the discussion.
All speakers raised many important points during the course of the discussion. Dr. Mahmood said that the pandemic should not be an excuse for the region to ‘take their eyes off’ the many issues facing the region, including the ongoing threat of natural disasters, climate change, refugees and irregular migration. She also highlighted the potential solutions offered by technology in mitigating the impact of the pandemic, such as one example applied in Malaysia named the “Kita Match” application.
Mr. Ishizeki shared the activities implemented by Mercy Relief in several countries in the region to mitigate the impact of the pandemic, as well as some of the learnings from the response. Key points included on ensuring accountability, as well as the logistics of managing operations spanning several countries at the same time.
Finally, Dr. Cook noted several humanitarian trends happening right now, many of which actually preceded the pandemic, but became more pronounced due to COVID-19. Examples included how the needs of the most vulnerable population often become secondary to the political security considerations, and the challenge to global cooperation as more countries turn to regional collaboration. Dr. Cook also proposed for humanitarian lane to facilitate quick transfer and distribution of humanitarian assistance during emergencies, as well as a national one stop shop in order to enhance government’s relations with local and national partners, including the private sector.
Written by : Dipo Summa | Photo : AHA Centre
UNIVERSITY OF
CANTERBURY
The University of Canterbury and the AHA Centre have held a long and close relationship since the AHA Centre’s early years after establishment, with the university continuously sharing disaster response knowledge with ASEAN nations, particularly through its engagement with the AHA Centre Executive (ACE) Programme since 2014.
The University of Canterbury (UC) has catered to the demand for university level emergency management professional development and education since 2013. ACE Programme participants have benefited from UC’s dynamic disaster management faculty, who have been delivering short courses and qualifications, driven by their internal team’s international experience in the field of disaster management.
As part of the ACE Programme curriculum, the University of Canterbury has delivered the Critical Incident Leadership (CIL) course since the programme began in 2014. The course introduced participants to various hazards, and engaged them on the essentials of critical incident leadership competencies. In Jakarta, participants learnt about a range of hazards in New Zealand, as well as the institutional structures and policies that govern New Zealand’s disaster risk management processes.
The second phase of the CIL course is a 150-hour component delivered in various locations across New Zealand. This phase concentrates on the development of strategic thinking, proactive planning, decision-making, situational awareness, communication, coordination, and collaboration. Through field visits, the ACE Programme participants also interacted with emergency management practitioners, and experience first-hand exposure to various stakeholders – both experts and community – on how they understand their risks, prepare for, respond, and recover from disasters.
Participants were also immersed in the multicultural nature of New Zealand’s population, and see how the nation’s disaster management strategies take advantage of this diversity to strengthen their disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation efforts. The delivery of the Critical Incident Leadership Course in Jakarta and New Zealand is supported by New Zealand’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade.
Written by : Ina Rachmawati, Ferosa Arsadita | Photo : AHA Centre
TSUNAMI MITIGATION
DURING THE PANDEMIC
The current pandemic leaves disaster managers with new and unique challenges in preparing for – and responding to – natural disasters that may take place. With restrictions on human interaction and movement due to significant health challenges, the occurrence of a natural disaster could force large numbers of people into close proximity, with the potential to add to the disaster impact through spread of the highly contagious virus. To overcome this, planning and guidelines are required to be developed in short turnaround, and risks such as tsunami disasters require specific consideration.
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC-UNESCO), in consultation and collaboration with expert working groups within Intergovernmental Coordination Groups (ICGs), has released regional guidelines for tsunami warning services, evacuation and sheltering during the COVID-19 pandemic. The four regional guidelines (for the Pacific Ocean, the Caribbean, the Indian Ocean, and the North-eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean) include details of regional tsunami services, that can be used by national authorities responsible for the organisation of tsunami warning and emergency response to develop their own nationally-coordinated guidelines.
These guidelines are also supported by a special national version for Indonesia, particularly due to the nation’s recent history of large tsunami events. For some Southeast Asian countries, including the Philippines and Viet Nam, the Pacific Ocean regional guidelines will provide relevant information. Meanwhile, Thailand and Myanmar can refer to the Indian Ocean regional guidelines. Additionally, these guidelines can also be applied to other coastal hazards such as storm surges and flash flooding.
When the National Tsunami Warning Centre (NTWC) and/or a National Disaster Management Organisation (NDMO) issues a tsunami warning, the desired action for the public is to follow the advice of the authorities, including evacuation from identified at-risk locations as required. It is important to highlight that human life is the priority when tsunami evacuations are required, regardless of COVID-19 stay-at-home orders and physical distancing protocol. Of course, in a state of evacuation such protocols may not be practical. Regardless, handling any resultant COVID-19 infections must be done immediately following an evacuation, to minimise the risk or large-scale infection. Communities must also be aware of COVID-19 safety protocols and any requirement for physical distancing when sheltering at an evacuation site. In addition, a personal or family emergency backpack should be augmented with disposable tissues, alcohol-based hand sanitiser, disinfectant wipes, and possibly face masks, in consideration of the heightened sanitation and hygiene requirements due to the COVID-19 virus.
Written by : Shahasrakiranna | Source : Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission