Smart caravan visits GenSan

GENERAL SANTOS CITY, Philippines– Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) recently brought its disaster preparedness caravan to Barangay Calumpang as part of SafePH, its year-round campaign to make every Filipino safe in light of the country’s increasing vulnerability to disasters. The barangay in General Santos City was identified as one of the areas most vulnerable to disasters.

Smart believes that equipping residents with the right information can go a long way in keeping them safe in times of disasters and emergency situations.

“The caravan is intended to target families in high-risk communities,” said Darwin Flores, head of community partnerships at Smart Public Affairs.

Smart’s campaign also aims to promote a culture of preparedness with partner-communities, including local government units, schools, the church, and government agencies, and help save lives.

Barangay administrator George Bisnar expressed gratitude for the invaluable lessons on safety, disaster preparedness and survival. With support from the local government, the community is able to put up basic resistance to calamities, but initiatives such as Smart’s disaster preparedness caravan really goes a long way.

City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council department head Dr. Bong Dacera also underscored the importance of disaster preparedness at the grassroots level. During actual calamities, he pointed out, the first responders are always the family and the people within the community.

The half-day caravan featured speakers who gave practical survival tips during disasters and how to be prepared for such eventualities.

Louie Domingo, executive director of the Emergency Research Center, taught attendees how to make an emergency survival kit out of everyday household items that will be very helpful in times of calamity.

Prior to the caravan, participants were asked to bring their own disaster preparedness kit containing basic items that they would need to survive during calamities and they jointly discussed  the use and effectiveness of these items. 

Smart’s value brand, Talk ‘N Text, and partners Eveready, Ritemed, and Pru Life UK were present to offer products that can be used for emergencies and disasters at discounted prices during the activity. Other partners for the activity are the Emergency Research Center, and Rescue 5.

Smart recently held a similar caravan in Baganga, Davao Oriental, one of the coastal towns hit hard by typhoon Pablo in December 2012. Other legs are scheduled in other parts of the country in November.

As part of SafePH, Smart supports the Noah’s Ark Project, which builds capacities of high-risk communities to prepare for, and manage the impact of disasters; the emergency preparedness training programs for employees and partner-communities; and the use of social media for warning communications for partners in government involved in information dissemination. It also supports the development and use of mobile applications as well as web-based systems to help for preparedness during disasters and emergencies.