Cuban specialists and specialists from several countries of the European Union will participate until June 12 in exchanges for the comprehensive multi-risk management of disasters, in order to reduce the negative impacts on the most vulnerable populations in Havana.

Tribuna La Habana informs that the debates, which began on June 4, take place as part of the actions planned in the Urban Resilience project in the face of extreme events in Havana, implemented by the Government of the city, and supported by the United Nations Program United Nations Development Program (UNDP), and the World Food Program (WFP).

The work agenda includes the coordination of training in rescue and rescue techniques and technologies; the assessment of good practices in the European and Cuban contexts on topics such as civil protection, disaster risk management in urban contexts, monitoring, forecasting of extreme hydrometeorological events, and rescue and salvage techniques for people trapped in collapsed structures.

Luis Carlos Góngora, director of Foreign Trade, Foreign Investment and International Relations of the government of Havana, at the meeting this Tuesday, held at the Central Computing Palace, highlighted, in his presentation, the importance of these issues, which can give us greater preparation and have a great impact, allowing capacities to key forces in the confrontation or prevention of the incidence of natural phenomena of different magnitudes.

Giving continuity to the work strategy of previous projects, in the new stage, the Urban Resilience project redoubles efforts in the central areas of the city, taking as a reference the municipalities of Old Havana, Central Havana and Diez de Octubre, territories where it concentrates the highest population density and the constructive state of the housing stock has been more affected in previous weather situations; emphasizing the sustainable management of the habitat in the event of natural events of any magnitude that may exacerbate the structural stability of buildings.

According to Tribuna, the current phase of work, among other actions, includes: strengthening the capacities of institutions that intervene in the preparation and response to the risk of collapse of buildings such as the rescue and rescue brigades of the fire department, the company SECONS in charge of intervening in buildings to prevent collapses and housing paperwork services for the population to facilitate construction actions that reduce vulnerabilities.

In addition, the results of previous experiences will be presented, in relation to improvements in forecasts, including the response to rapid formation events and the creation of communication flows that allow the population to be warned in the shortest possible time about the threat of a meteorological phenomenon, with the aim of improving risk and disaster reduction plans at all levels and instances in the capital.

Likewise, within the framework of this visit, a demonstrative action will take place in a selected pilot area in the Dragones Popular Council of the municipality of Centro Habana, where new methodologies are implemented for hazard, vulnerability and risk studies.

In this same Popular Council there will also be a meeting with boys and girls from the Marcelo Salado primary school, together with Command 1 of the Fire Department and the Association of Volunteer Firefighters who will develop the circle of interest Prevention and Rescue in Disasters.

Likewise, community preparedness actions are planned and carried out to face extreme events that threaten the city, such as the creation of support brigades for search and rescue tasks in disaster situations.