Disaster center activates emergency system
The National Disaster Centre [NDC] has activated its emergency response system following the National Weather Service's official declaration of an El Niño climatic condition this month.
The declaration has triggered high-level warnings for severe drought and frost impacts across several provinces.
NDC director Lason Mana confirmed yesterday that the National Emergency Operations Centre has been activated, and formal advisories have been dispatched to all provincial disaster offices to activate their respective committees.
Mana clarified that while El Niño itself is classified as a prolonged climatic condition rather than an immediate natural disaster, its agricultural and environmental impacts require urgent intervention.
Assessment teams have already been deployed to the Highlands region, which was placed on high alert prior to the official declaration.
The national center is currently awaiting detailed impact assessments from provincial authorities to determine the full scale of damage.
“Each province has their own provincial systems and they have their provincial emergency operations centers as well," Mana said. “At the national level, we will be coordinating especially food and water security here.”
The hardest-hit areas reported so far are located within the Highlands region, including parts of the Southern Highlands and Western Highlands, where severe frost has destroyed local food gardens and cash crops.
No emergency state funds have been released for the response yet. Mana confirmed that a financial submission has been forwarded to the National Executive Council [NEC] and is currently awaiting a decision.
In the interim, the NDC is mobilizing resources alongside international partners.
“We are working with all United Nations (UN) agencies, as they are part of the National Emergency Operations Centre,” Mana said.
The NDC is managing the national-level strategy alongside UN agencies, the Department of Agriculture and Livestock, and the National Weather Service, with a primary focus on food and water security measures.
Mana said all provinces maintain multi-hazard contingency plans and are adapting them to manage the current dry spell.