NEMO gets support for tracking displaced people in disasters [1]
Thursday, March 3, 2022 - 19:33. Updated on Wednesday, September 21, 2022 - 22:50.
By Linny Folau
Laptops, tablets and other IT equipment worth AUD19,000 was handed over to the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) to help with data collection of displaced people during disasters this week. The equipment and software is a gift from the International Organization for Migration.
The eruption of the Hunga Tonga- Hunga Ha'apai volcano and tsunamis in Tonga on Jan.15 displaced many families from their homes and has seriously impacted the lives of all Tongans in recent weeks.
The equipment included 25 tablets, with covers and airtight storage cases, four laptops, laptop bags, a multi-function printer and other things such as hard drives, a powerbank, UPS, computer monitors, and a portable modem suitable for office or deployment to the field.
NEMO will utilize this equipment not only to monitor the status of families and individuals displaced by the volcanic eruption/tsunami but to also collect data on displaced people after future disasters such as cyclones or heavy flooding.
Pär Liljert, IOM’s Coordinator for the Pacific said IOM is proud to work side by side with the NEMO to ensure the safety and welfare of Tongans displaced by current and future disaster events.
In gratitude, MEIDECC CEO Paula Ma'u said this equipment will greatly enhance the capacity of NEMO’s staff and its counterparts to be able to efficiently and effectively collect, analyze and report data not only for displacement but all relevant data acquisition.
"I believe the provided equipment and its software that will follow will raise the standards of analyzing and understanding the needs of those displaced at a timely and proactive manner."
Continued suupport
IOM said its Pacific Response to Disaster Displacement (PRDD) regional project operating in Tonga, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands and Fiji, has been able to allocate the equipment.
At the same time, PRDD has been supporting the NEMO in the months before the disaster via the work of IOM Tonga, along with other partner agencies such as the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) and the Platform for Disaster Displacement (PDD) with funding support from the European Union (EU).
“Despite the many challenges faced in recent weeks, including an initial outbreak of COVID-19 and a lack of functioning communications networks, the NEMO is to be commended for its leadership in actively monitoring and supporting displaced people in the wake of the volcanic unrest and tsunami event in Tonga,” said IOM.