The Country Team: A Personal View Interhands III Conference Karen Welch, Mission Disaster Relief Officer U.S. Mission to El Salvador June 18, 2003

1
The Country Team A Personal ViewInterhands III
ConferenceKaren Welch, Mission Disaster Relief
OfficerU.S. Mission to El Salvador June 18,
2003
2
The Country Team and Disasters

• Emergency Action Committee (EAC), chaired by
  Deputy Chief of Mission (DCM)
• Author of the Missions Emergency Action Plan

3
What does the Emergency Action Committee do?

• Make decisions during natural or man-made
  disasters, emergencies and other crises
• Coordinate all aspects of emergency situations,
  including
• Political, consular, military, disaster response,
  and public information concerns

4
Landslide in Las Colinas El Salvador 2001
5
Who is the Mission Disaster Relief Officer (MDRO)?

• Embassy officer designated by U.S. Mission
  responsible for coordinating the Missions
  disaster response efforts
• Chief operating officer for the EAC during a
  disaster, reporting to Deputy Chief of Mission
  (DCM)
• Embassy liaison to USAIDs Office of Disaster
  Assistance (OFDA)
• Usually a USAID administrative officer or
  development specialist working in the area of
  agriculture, environment or health

6
What does the MDRO do?

• Maintain ongoing relationships with host-country
  emergency responders, such as
• National Emergency Response Agency
• Fire fighters
• Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
• International organizations
• Government ministries

7
Vice Minister of Health, NGO director and
Regional Emergency Committee plan response to
earthquake destruction
8
MDRO Role

• Draft disaster alert cables, disaster declaration
  cables, and disaster situation reports
• Establish systems for effective monitoring of
  assistance
• Facilitate information exchange between
  government, NGOs and Embassy during a disaster

9
MDRO Role

• Information exchange may include
• Situation reports from USAID project sites
• Data on NGO and government response capability
• Sources for local purchase of relief supplies
• Expert technical advice and formal assessments

10
MDRO Role

• Evaluate disaster scene, assessing impact on
• Food and agriculture
• Health and sanitation
• Shelter
• Logistics and management
• Infrastructure
• Relief efforts

11
MDRO Role

• Develop consensus among Embassy and host-country
  officials on use of OFDA resources for disaster
  assistance, including
• Initial 50,000
• Stockpiled relief commodities
• Technical expertise
• Grants to NGOs or international organizations

12
Midwives receive basic equipment to attend births
in hard-hit rural areas
13
How does the MDRO relate to the Country Team?

• As member of Emergency Action Committee (EAC),
  updates Mission Disaster Response Plan (MDRP)
  Chapter 7 of the Emergency Action Plan
• Ensures EAC familiar with MDRP
• Monitors data for signals of potential disaster
  and advises EAC
• Advises EAC on appropriate types and levels of
  USG response
• Serves as disaster response resource person for
  Military Group and other Agencies

14
Mobile Unit Self-Contained Transportable (MUST)
Hospital, El Salvador 2001
15
Thank you