wfn.org | PCT looks to past tragedies for lessons on crisis management

["Taiwan Church News" <enews@pctpress.org>]

>      Taiwan Church News

>3043 Edition

>June 21~June 27, 2010

PCT looks to past tragedies for lessons on crisis management

>Reported by Sam Lee, Lin Yi-ying

>Written by Lydia Ma

On June 23, 1990, Typhoon Ophelia triggered a landslide in Hualien  County and 
buried the

small town of Tungmen in Sioulin Township. The landslide resulted  in 36 deaths 
and became

the first major landslide in Taiwan that claimed casualties.

On June 19 and 26 of this year, the 20th anniversary of this  tragedy, Taroko 
Presbytery held a

seminar and memorial service in remembrance of this event. The  seminar 
reviewed past and

current environmental protection efforts and disaster prevention  strategies in 
Taiwan.

As typhoon season approaches, PCT Church and Society Committee has  begun to 
mobilize

resources, send out memos, and partner with local presbyteries  across Taiwan 
to get ready in

the event that another rescue and relief operation becomes  necessary.

However, PCT Church and Society Committee Secretary Huang Che-yen  discovered 
during

such preparations that many PCT efforts and resources overlapped  with those of 
other public

and private organizations, resulting in much wasted human and  material 
resources.

The lack of a common command center directing rescue and relief  efforts 
significantly hampers

efficiency and effectiveness when determining how to allocate  resources, said 
Huang. That is

why, besides verifying and organizing resources within PCT, Church  and Society 
Committee

must discuss with other public and private organizations about  coordinating 
rescue and relief efforts.

Besides addressing apparent problems with rescue efforts, Huang  also 
underscored the

importance of having effective crisis prevention strategies,  including 
adequate public policies to

keep danger and damage at bay and staff training. It is only  through adequate 
preparation that

>damages can be kept at a minimum, he said.

PCT has collected and studied many guidelines about crisis  prevention and 
rescue operation

and has issued a report to government agencies on its findings and  
suggestions. It will soon

collaborate with Indigenous Ministry Committee and other PCT  committees to 
draft strategies

custom-made to the unique needs of every geographic region or  ethnic group.

To train Christians for times of crisis such as typhoons, Taiwan  Christian 
Service has been

conducting a “10-Year Gleaners Program” – a certified  training for volunteers. 
This training

involves 12 hours of introductory training courses followed by 12  hours of 
advanced training courses.

The program has so far trained more than 2,000 Christians and  1,800 of them 
have enlisted to

become volunteers and left their contact information. These  Christian 
volunteers who receive

certification from the Ministry of the Interior upon completion of  the program 
will become

indispensable helpers during future rescue missions.

Taiwan Christian Service CEO, Rev. Tseng Cheng-chih, said the  country cannot 
wait until a

disaster strikes before searching for volunteers. “It’s  not good to merely 
train people for a

single, impending natural disaster. Rather, training must be  systematic, 
regular, and structured.

It must be designed to integrate smoothly into the life and  outreach 
ministries of a church.”

Tseng believes that a good Christian volunteer will periodically  undergo 
training and his

assistance during times of crisis will then become proofs of his  preparedness. 
However, a lot of

training is acquired by participating in church ministries that  reach out to 
the elderly, homeless,

single parents, and manual workers, because such ministries  require that 
volunteers learn to

mobilize people or coordinate matters efficiently and effectively.

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