Cook Islands: coping with natural disasters are economic and development issues
The Government of the Cook Islands in collaboration with the Pacific Disaster Risk Management Partnership Network embarked on the process of developing the Cook Islands Disaster Risk Management National Action Plan early this month.
The visiting team included Pacific Islands Geoscience Commission’s Sustainable Development Advisor Netatua Pelesikoti, UNDP-Pacific Centre representatives Herman Timmermans and Helga - Bara Bragadottir as well as Richard Mendani from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.
The team facilitated the disaster risk management national action planning process with key Cook Islands stakeholders.
The stakeholders involved in the process were from Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Finance and Aid Management, Emergency Management Cook Islands, Internal Affairs, Met Office, Water Works, Infrastructure, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Agriculture, Tourism, Power, Transport and Communications, Harbour Authority, Ministry responsible for the Outer Islands, Ministry of Marine and Environmental Services as well as World Wildlife Fund, Red Cross and representatives of NGOs.
This phase of the Cook Islands national action planning process followed an earlier extensive situation analysis and consultation where disaster risk reduction and disaster management challenges were identified for the national action plan.
Pelesikoti says that countries need individual consultations because each country has different risk reduction and disaster management needs and these steam from differences in capacity and the type of hazards each country faces.
“For instance, the Cook Islands series of cyclones in 2005 highlighted how vulnerable the country is to cyclone damage but on the positive side is that the country quickly got back on its feet afterwards with a lot of assistance from Cook Islands development partners.”
Other hazards that are of concern in the Cook Islands are the consequences of climate change (sea level rise, extreme weather events and storm surges) fire and pollution.
She says disaster risk reduction and disaster management are becoming economic development issues with the financial burden on ministries budget.
“There is a need for a national action plan to better coordinate and strengthen risk reduction efforts as well as strengthening preparedness to reduce the cost of disaster impacts to the society, environment and the economy of the Cook Islands.”
As for the outlook for the future, Pelesikoti said that the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change recent report stated that natural disasters will increase in terms of frequency and severity.
“This outlook is the reason that government must ensure that disaster risk management is to be mainstreamed into development planning and budgetary process in view of promoting sustainable development and achieving the goals of the Cook Islands National Sustainable Development Plan.”
“There is also the need for implementation and the monitoring and reviewing the plans,” she adds.