Valley
Disaster response drill starts in Capital
The fourth iteration of Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange, which is held routinely by the Nepal Army and the US Army Pacific, kicked off in Kathmandu on Tuesday.The fourth iteration of Disaster Response Exercise and Exchange, which is held routinely by the Nepal Army and the US Army Pacific, kicked off in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
More than 300 people, including security personnel, Red Cross workers and government agencies from 14 countries, are participating in the four-day drill.
The exercise that kicked off on Tuesday focuses on civil military coordination in disaster response, mass casualty simulation, search and rescue and camp management and coordination. A response drill will also be held at the Tribhuvan International Airport as part of the exercise. Inaugurating the drill, Chief of Army Staff Purna Chandra Thapa said the DREE is a platform for the security forces and volunteers from different countries to share their best practices in disaster preparedness and response.
“Disaster response is Multi-sectoral responsibility. In four-days, the participants will exchange their expertise while also learning to make the best use of technology in disaster response,” he said.
Michael Gonzales, charge d affairs at the US Embassy in Nepal, said apart from imparting knowledge and skills, the exercise will also work on disaster management plan, identify the gaps and shortfall and support to address them.
Meanwhile, the organisers announced that the biannual drill would be held annually from this year.
They also said that preparations were afoot to stage the exercise at the provincial level as well from next year.
Brig Gen Jit Bahadur Gurung, director of the NA Directorate of Disaster Management, said the skills earned during the exercises in 2011 and 2013 had helped the soldiers a great deal while responding to the 2015 earthquake.