Silver Spring, Maryland--In preparation for an increasing number of natural disasters worldwide, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) completed a joint training/emergency response simulation exercise in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal. Designed to enhance the emergency response capabilities of the ADRA network in South Asian countries, the field exercise also served to strengthen local inter-office and inter-agency relationships.

The four-day field exercise—named Exercise Khichadi—presented a scenario of several continuous days of heavy rain, which resulted in a major landslide in the village of Ravi Opi in the Kavre district of Nepal, approximately 40 km (25 miles) northeast of Kathmandu. The impact of the landslide scenario included multiple deaths and injuries and forced thousands from their homes.

ADRA conducted Exercise Khichadi in partnership with CARITAS Australia, a member of the CARITAS International network of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organizations in over 200 countries worldwide. ADRA team members from Australia, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka worked alongside staff members from CARITAS offices in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, and Sri Lanka.

The inter-agency emergency response team consisted of a team leader, financial support, human resources support, a planning coordinator responsible for writing proposals and assessing needs, an operations coordinator to implement the interventions, and a logistics coordinator to support the operations team and oversee communications.

The disaster simulation began on November 4, when the Exercise Khichadi response team received notification of the landslide in Ravi Opi. Beginning with a rapid needs assessment to identify damage, response priorities, and beneficiaries for the initial response, the team members were guided by their approved emergency response plans, adapting their response to handle simulation "injects" or additions, such as subsequent landslides in the area and logistical problems common in emergency response situations.

The team's activities included coordinating with other responding nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and government agencies, setting up communications, procuring emergency relief supplies, distributing the supplies and providing services, planning for expanded responses, and finally, holding a debriefing session on November 8 to capture the lessons learned.

Mirroring the cooperative efforts of actual emergency responses, representatives from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Program coordinated with the response team.

The community of Ravi Opi also actively contributed to the exercise, with local government agencies, police, military, and community members lending their support. Experienced emergency management professionals from the United States, Australia, and New Zealand monitored and filed reports on the simulation.

"It has been said that the best way to test a plan is to have a real disaster; the second best way is to have an exercise," commented Robert Patton, regional coordinator for emergency management for the ADRA Asia Regional Office, who served as Exercise Khichadi's team leader. "Through the implementation of the simulation exercise team members are better prepared for a real event."

Exercise Khichadi builds upon the benchmarks set by JavaLava, ADRA's first field exercise, conducted in November 2006 in Indonesia.

"The most important lesson learned from JavaLava and Khichadi," stressed Patton, "is the need for early coordination with other agencies in the field, as well as the extreme importance of communication and the need for prior preparedness and planning to ensure a quick and efficient response." Patton stated that planning is underway for two more simulations in 2008, in Thailand and Papua New Guinea.

AusAID, CARITAS Australia, ADRA Australia, ADRA Asia, and ADRA International provided funding for Exercise Khichadi. Humaninet, a cooperative network of field organizations, supporting technology businesses, and expert volunteers skilled in GIS, GPS, and Satellite Communications, sponsored Exercise Khichadi's communications technology and provided invaluable technical support in the field.

According to recent reports, the Asia-Pacific region is considered the most disaster-prone area in the entire world, accounting for 90 percent of the people plagued by natural disasters worldwide since 2000. Experts believe that climate change and increased population could lead to an even higher number and increased severity of disasters in the near future.

ADRA is present in 125 countries, providing community development and emergency management without regard to political or religious association, age, gender, or ethnicity.

Additional information about ADRA can be found at www.adra.org.

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Author: Nadia McGill

Media Contact: Kara Watkins ADRA International 12501 Old Columbia Pike Silver Spring, MD 20904 Phone: 301.680.6357 Mobile: 301.526.2625 E-Mail: Media.Inquiries@adra.org