The aim of this workshop was to encourage the members of Southern African Development Community (SADC) to implement impact-based forecasting which utilises weather forecasting to predict and communicate the potential impacts of weather and climate events on society, the economy and the environment. Attendees discussed the modalities of anticipatory action, interpretation of meteorological data and translating it into actionable impact forecasted as part of the in-person training programme targeting disaster managers, emergency coordinators, food security analysts, meteorologists and other experts involved in weather and climate related decision making and risk management.

Following the first 3 days training session, Mr. Robert Ernesta, the Director General of Disaster Risk Management Division, also the Chairperson for the Seychelles Vulnerability Assessment Committee (SezVac) presented the workplans of the committee for the year 2024/2025.  Several activities were discussed, including the review of National Food and Nutrition Security Policy and the Situational Analysis Report.

During this presentation, Mr. Ernesta also explained the effects of the El Niño phenomenon on Seychelles through the disasters of massive flash flood and extensive rockfalls in the North of Mahé on December 6, 2023.

The El Niño phenomenon refers to the warming of the ocean’s surface or the above average sea surface temperature in the Central and Eastern Pacific Ocean which occurs at irregular intervals, two to seven years. The phenomenon is also associated with drought, erratic rainfall and high temperatures. These occurrences lead to water scarcity, reduced food availability and disease outbreaks.

The Seychelles delegation briefed the attendees of the workshop on the events surrounding the disaster on the 6^th December 2023, which was related to the El Niño phenomenon.

According to SADC, there has been an increase in the number of reported disasters whose intensity, frequency and level of devastation has been increasing, henceforth compromising the developmental strides that the region has been making. Thus, March 2022, the Secretary General of the United Nations directed the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) to a new initiative that will provide every citizen on the planet, including Seychelles with the coverage of an Early Warning System.

Through this workshop, DRMD obtained several elements on anticipatory approach through group discussions and open-ended scenarios to boost proactive measures prior to disasters to minimize risks, protect lives, livelihoods, and enhance resilience.

Attending the workshop were Mr. Robert Ernesta, the Director General of DRMD, Ms. Aisha Rachel, the Head of Planning and Preparedness unit and Ms. Brenda Cheptoo from Seychelles Meteorological Authority.

The workshop was launched with remarks from the Minister for Internal Affairs, Mr Errol Fonseka, Principal Secretary for Local Government and Community Affairs, Mr Kevin Perine, and Director General of DRMD, Mr Robert Ernesta.

The primary objective of the workshop was to streamline the National Incident Command System, taking into consideration the challenges faced by various agencies in responding to emergencies and disasters and how each MDA’s plans could coordinate with one another.

As the workshop aimed to enhance communication, coordination, and collaboration among stakeholders so that Seychelles can be better prepared to respond to any crisis.

The setting up of the EOCs on both islands will allow the Division to effectively coordinate multi-agency response during major disruptions.

The EOC on Praslin based at the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Service Agency (SFRSA) Station
on Eve island will also serve as the Regional Emergency Operation Centre (REOC) for both
islands. In the event of a serious disruption on either island, the REOC will linked with the
National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), based at the DRMD headquarters at Mont
Fleuri.

On La Digue, the EOC is based at the ex-courthouse and will be manned by officers of the
Police Force.

On both days of the launch, the Director General of DRMD, Robert Ernesta led the interactions
with the various agencies in attendance. He was accompanied by a number of key DRMD staff
as they met with stakeholders such as the Police Force, the SFRSA, the Landscape and Waste
Management Agency (LWMA), the Seychelles Parks and Gardens Authority (SPGA), the
Terrestrial Restoration Action Society of Seychelles (TRASS) on Praslin and on La Digue, the
Business Association.

During the interactions with the various agencies, way forward in regards to the contingency
plans for Fire Forests and Landslides on Praslin and Flood on La Digue were discussed.

Training is being planned for officers who will be the dedicated work station attendants in the
centres. The first training they will be provided with will be radio communications.
At the moment persons who will be engaged in the EOCs during emergencies will be doing so
on a volunteer basis.

For the meantime, the EOCs will be exclusively accessed by first responder agencies during
emergencies and other significant events. The public will have limited access in view that the
purpose of the centre will be for coordination of response between responder agencies.
During emergencies, the public will still need to channel their queries, requests and reports to
their respective district authorities who will in turn relay information when and as appropriate to
the officers in the EOC. The EOC will organise the release information to the public when this is
deemed appropriate and necessary.

In addition to the opening of the centres, the DRMD team and its stakeholders visited the
Landfills on both islands. Following the visit, it is expected that essential recommendations to
government in regards to the proper management of the Landfill will be provided in the very
near future.

On La Digue, the Business Association and other stakeholders initiated the creation of a
Disaster Risk Management Committee to identify areas of concerns and to provide their
recommendations to the DRMD and other relevant authorities periodically.

On Friday the 18th November, the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) in collaboration with the Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) conducted a tabletop exercise with the aim of testing the efficacy of the current Port Victoria Emergency Preparedness Plan.

The main objective was to identify gaps and limitations and assessing understanding of the plan in liaisons with stakeholder’s respective of roles and responsibilities within the commercial port.

The Port Victoria Emergency Preparedness Plan is supposed to be guided by the National Integrated Emergency Management Plan (NIEMP).

The Port Emergency plan is expected to specify basic guidelines that should be followed by the Port personnel in the event of an emergency occurring either on land or in water adjacent to the port facility. It covers all types of emergencies that may arise as a result of fire, explosion, marine casualty, pollution or natural phenomena.

The Table Top exercise held at SPA was carried out through scenarios where participants were expected to execute given injects in a coordinated manner and show understanding of the situation and what was expected of them. The exercise was followed by an afternoon de- brief and discussion.

The entirety of the exercise was guided by Clive Chiffone from Seychelles Intelligence Service, Lieutenant, Colonel Michael Hollanda and DRMD Director General, Robert Ernesta. The component assessed were the preparedness of the organisations and individuals within it, evaluation of compliance and exercise execution and recommended action to improve preparedness and planning.

Following the exercise, the need for further discussion and revision of participating stakeholder’s emergency plans were highlighted and post-review meetings are being planned.

Representatives of the DRDM met with officials of the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and national consultant Guy Morel this morning at DRMD Headquarters, Mont Fleuri.  The primary intent of the meeting was to discuss the implementation of a project in regards to the setting up of a network of information systems on food and nutrition security and agriculture in the Indian countries of Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius and Seychelles.

The visitors were welcomed by Director General, Robert Ernesta, Senior Disaster Management Officer, Veronique Philoe and Disaster Management Officer, Ethel Magnan. They received an overview of the work of the DRMD and discussed the creation of a steering committee to manage the new information management system geared towards managing agricultural data and information in Seychelles that will be very useful to the work of the Seychelles Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Sez Vac).

It is expected that the work of the steering committee will eventually be incorporated within the Sez Vac itself once everything is up and running.

The Sez Vac was formed in late 2020, as one of the three committees to be formed under the Disaster Risk Management (DRM Act 2014). The committee is chaired by the Director General of DRMD.

Representatives from various organisations such as the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency, Seychelles Meteorological Authority, Department of Tourism, Public Health Authority, Citizens Engagement Platform Seychelles, Public Utilities Corporation, Cable and Wireless and others attended a validation workshop for the Sendai Framework Mid-Term Review this morning.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015 – 2030 (SFDRR) is considered the blueprint for disaster risk reduction globally. With four main priority areas and seven global targets aiming towards the achievement substantial reduction in losses attributed to lives, health and livelihoods in communities and countries reaches its mid-point next year.

The United Nations (UN) General Assembly has initiated a mid-term review to take stock of the overall implementation of the framework on a country basis. This involves the assessment of the progress, challenges experienced as well as the identification of changes and emerging issues in order to formulate country specific recommendations and priorities. The review is expected to inform specific policy adjustments and present new modalities for governments to adopt and implement in the coming years.

The Mid-Term Review Report produced by the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD) unfolds by introducing the key concepts, frameworks and literature that guides disaster risk management on both an international and national level. It then presents the methodology that the Seychelles has adopted to conduct the review. It moves on to provide an overview of the findings, the progress, gaps and the constraints that different organisations have faced in the implementation of the framework. The report concludes by providing country specific recommendations from the findings in order to guide and improve on the next phase of implementation of the framework.

The workshop that was held at Olympic House, in Roche Caiman comes about following the culmination of numerous stakeholder consultative meetings held by officers of the DRMD. These stakeholders come from various sectors such academia, the media, political leaders and others. The last of the consultative meetings were held in August this year. 

The half day interaction between DRMD and the participants consisted of presentations of retrospective review results by senior officers of the DRMD, namely Aisha Rachel, from the Planning and Preparedness Unit and Veronique Philoe from the National and International Cooperation Unit.

During the plenary session following the presentations, there was a number of significant points raised by the participants. These included the need to have wider consultation to include members of the community as well as the inclusion of traditional and indigenous knowledge in disaster risk reduction. It was also recognised that there is a strong need for more education and awareness efforts by the DRMD and other partner agencies and the need to improve coordination efforts and for much emphasis to be placed on the integration of disaster risk reduction practices at all levels of society.

The report will be amended after further feedback is collected by the DRM

18th Regional Roundtable Meeting ECA African Union African Union Commission AU Barbados Biennial Framework Biennial Report 2021-2022 BNGRC CBRN Central Police Stattion DRM Act 2014 DRMD Early Warning System EASF Eastern African Standby Force Evacuation Plan EWS HARE Humanitarian Day IOC Large-scale exercise Madagascar Malagasy Bureau National pour la Gestion des Risques et Catastrophes meeting Ministry of Finance Ministry of Finance Trade and National Planning National Focal Point National Oil Spill Contingency Plan NFP NIEMP NOSCP p.u.c Port Victoria Emergency Preparedness Plan RDRM-IO SADC Sendai Frame South Korea SPF tabletop exercise UN UNDRR UNICRI Unknown Substance Workshop World Humanitarian Day 2024

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, commemorated on 13th October celebrates how people and communities around the world are reducing their exposure to disasters and raising awareness of the risks that they face.

For the occasion, amongst other activities, the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD), organised an arts competition for primary, secondary and post-secondary students.

The aim of the competition is to increase the awareness of the global environment through drawings and paintings of young people’s understanding of disaster risk reduction, the impact of climate change and the need for joint efforts in protecting the planet and preventing hazards.

Students were invited to enter the competition in primary 4 to 6, secondary 1 & 2, 3 & 4, secondary 5 and post-secondary categories.

Prizes were presented to the winners this afternoon in a ceremony at Alliance Française des Seychelles, Mont Fleuri in the presence of the Director General of the DRMD, Robert Ernesta, partners of the DRMD such as Ministry of Education, Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency, Ministry of Internal Affairs, sponsors, teachers and the prize winners.

The winners are as follows:

CATEGORY P4 TO P6

Winner – Micah Felix, Baie Lazare Primary

Second Place – Vanouchkah Soazara, Bel Ombre Primary

Third Place – Jehden Boniface, Bel Ombre Primary

Recognition of Effort – Saeed Yamaan, Bel Ombre Primary

Recognition of Effort – Ruby Mein, Bel Ombre Primary

CATEGORY S1 & S2

Winner – Habeeba Rebuck, Mont Fleuri Secondary

Second Place – Asher Rath, Mont Fleuri Secondary

Third Place – Keddy Toulon, Belonie Secondary

Recognition of Effort – Lea Laboudalon, Beau Vallon Secondary

CATEGORY S3 & S4

Winner – Shania Pierre, Mont Fleuri Secondary

Second Place- Didiana Bristol, Anse Boileau Secondary

Third Place – Emma Course, Belonie Secondary

Recognition of Effort – Naila Dodin, Anse Boileau Secondary

CATEGORY POST-SECONDARY

Winner – Caleb Simeon, Seychelles Institute of Technology

Second Place – Aailah Dugasse, Seychelles Institute of Art and Design

STAR PRIZE WINNER – Shania Pierre, Mont Fleuri Secondary

The best paintings were chosen by a panel of judges from the Seychelles Fire and Rescue Services Agency, Department of Environment, Ministry of Internal Affairs and the DRMD.

The prizes were sponsored by a number of different organisations such as the Alliance Française, H Savy Insurance, Seychelles Trading Company, Unique Boutique and Semi-Sub Seychelles.

The launching ceremony of the operationalisation of the National Integrated Emergency Management Plan (NIEMP) took place on 4th August 2022 at the Savoy Seychelles Resort & Spa, at Beau Vallon. Present during the ceremony was the President of the Republic, Wavel Ramkalawan, the Vice-President, Ahmed Afif, Speaker of the National Assembly, Roger Mancienne, Designated Minister Jean-Francois Ferrari, Minister Errol Fonseka, the Minister responsible for Disaster Risk Management, other ministers, and other guests. 

Following the opening address by Minister Fonseka, World Bank consultant; Paul Hayden, assisted by Darmen Ellayah guided the guests and delegates through a high-level overview of Seychelles risk and resilience requirements as well as some disaster case studies.

After the ceremony, there was a sensitisation session for the two main committees that are mandated under the Disaster Risk Management Act of 2014 which are the Seychelles Vulnerability Assessment Committee (Sez Vac) and the National Disaster Risk Management Committee (NDRMC). During the afternoon session, the committee members engaged in a desk top exercise guided by senior staff of the Disaster Risk Management Division.