Cisco KONEKTADO on local disaster approach
While communication technology has long innovated the country’s current plan for response during disasters, digitization possesses greater potential to play a bigger role in supporting the country’s local disaster approach as a whole, according to Cisco Philippines.
“The way we address emergencies has benefitted from technology’s development to help save lives when disaster strikes, like we’ve seen in the use of social media to help disseminate critical information during calamities,” said Karrie Ilagan, Cisco Philippines Managing Director. “But technology’s potential can now be further harnessed to help shift reactive disaster response to one anchored on prevention through the creation of a more robust disaster plan before it’s too late.”
In 2013, Cisco deployed its disaster response team, TacOps, to respond to the aftermath of super typhoon Yolanda.
Having experienced critical challenges on coordination, communication, and collaboration, the IT giant developed the Rapid Response Kit (RRK), a portable and easy-to-use network and device designed to be the first line of communication for first responders. The RRK’s first deployment was in 2014 and has since been used in many disaster and crisis situations all over the world.
Years later and with disaster mitigation still high on the agenda, Cisco has put together a new solution that can aid all four stages of the country’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Mitigation (DRRM) plan.
“In 2013 and the years that followed, we focused on communication technology that could help expedite response to and recovery from disasters. While these are important stages on disaster management, Cisco is shifting its focus to developing a solution that will help Local Government Units (LGUs) be more proactive, addressing challenges before disaster strikes, saving more lives and preserving the economy through Prevention and Mitigation as well as Preparedness,” said Ilagan.