Video transcript: Helping communities prepare for natural disasters
Oxfam's Madina Aliberdieva introduces a special flood simulation exercise run as part of our disaster risk reduction work in Tajikistan.
My name is Madina Aliberdieva and I am the Disaster Risk Reduction Co-ordinator for Oxfam GB in Tajikistan. Today we’re having a simulation for a community in East Khatlon region. The simulation is a flood simulation so we’re gathering the community in the safest place in this village which is a school, which will have a registration and first aid and other services like social care.
Children and other vulnerable groups gather at designated sites. Children that have been lost or traumatised are given special attention and toys.
Then we move the population to another even safer site. So, we’ve done a lot of work with this community on disaster preparedness and this [exercise] is really to test the knowledge of the local community on how well those skills and those trainings have been delivered to the community.
“This is a good exercise for our people to get ready for the floods that happen three or four times a year.”
“These floods have had a detrimental affect on our lives,” explains community member Zairov Odihasho.
Around 1,000 people took part in this exercise and 35 communities will run this event.
Tajikistan faces a high incidence of natural disasters including floods, landslides, avalanches, mud flows and earthquakes.
Date: August 2009
