IFRC Asia Pacific: When help is far away, being ready is even more critical

By Olivia Acosta, IFRC

(This story appeared first on the IFRC website last week.)

Whether it’s extreme winter of Mongolia or devastating volcanic eruptions and typhoons in the tropical Pacific, local preparedness and international solidarity is critical in remote communities and island nations.

Imagine being the person in charge of coordinating emergency response across a vast oceanic region in which it often takes weeks – and sometimes even months – for critical supplies to arrive by boat or plane.

This is just one of the challenges that Maciu Nokelevu faces almost every day as IFRC’s Senior Disaster Risk Management Officer for the Pacific.

“Our daily job is to organize logistics and access to the most isolated islands in the Pacific, ensuring we are prepared to respond to emergencies,” says Nokelevu.

While countries like Fiji have better access due to their long standing status as a hub for tourism, the vast Pacific Ocean region poses significant challenges for National Societies on the smaller, lesser frequented islands.

“When international procurement is needed, aid can take over three months to arrive, far too long for an urgent crisis,” says Nokelevu.

On top of that, communication failures also disrupt response efforts. “After cyclones, damaged infrastructure often cuts off headquarters from affected islands, making coordination extremely difficult,” Nokelevu explains.

In this context, strengthening the preparedness levels of local communities and Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies has proven to be key, particularly as climate-related emergencies are increasingly frequent and severe.

Decentralized, local, fast response

In 2024, for example, the Philippines experienced six typhoons in under a month, an unprecedented pattern of extreme weather that left communities with no time to recover between storms (photo).

For this reason, the IFRC and its network of volunteers have been working hard to ensure volunteers are well trained and ample supplies are stored close by. This allows response efforts to begin immediately, well before any external or international support arrives.

“Through volunteer training, simulation exercises, and risk assessments, National Societies can identify vulnerabilities and enhance their response capacity,” Nokelevu continues.

“Coordination with governments and humanitarian partners ensures a unified approach to overcoming logistical and communication barriers.”

A half a world away, Munguntuya Sharavnyambuu faces similar challenges – albeit in a very different environment. As Director of the Climate Change and Disaster Management department for the Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS), she regularly experiences flash floods, sandstorms, snowstorms, and forest fires.

These emergencies often strike in remote areas where access to basic services is limited. One of most challenges is something known as the “dzud”, an extreme cold spell. 

“A dzud is one of the most devastating hazards in Mongolia, with temperatures dropping below -30°C”she explains, adding that cold spells often also bring heavy snowfall and strong winds.

“The winter of 2023–24 recorded the highest snowfall in 49 years, covering 90 per cent of the country. This severely impacted herder communities because it caused there to be very limited grazing opportunities for animals.”

“To address these challenges, the MRCS prioritizes preparedness by training volunteers and staff, pre-positioning emergency supplies, and decentralizing response efforts to ensure aid reaches communities within the critical first 72 hours of a disaster.” 

Built on experience

Being ready for potential emergencies is critical everywhere. But its importance is often heightened in a region where entire countries can be cut off from the outside world. That is something that emergency responders in Tonga experienced firsthand when the country experienced volcanic eruption and tsunami in 2022.

When the disaster struck, it severed undersea communication cables and filled the atmosphere with volcanic ash, blocking satellite signals. For 72 hours, Tonga was completely cut off from the world.

Despite the communication blackout, response efforts were already on the ground. According to Maciu, this case underscores the vital role of National Society preparedness.

“Years of emergency response training, contingency planning, preparedness exercises, and readiness simulations ensured that volunteers on the ground could take immediate action such as clearing airport runways and coordinating relief efforts, even before external aid could reach the islands,” concludes Maciu.

The effort to enhance preparedness in the region is not new, however.  The IFRC’s 11th Asia-Pacific Regional Conference, held in Vietnam in 2023, served as a pivotal platform for National Societies to deepen their shared understanding of risk and preparedness strategies in an era marked by climate change and other emerging hazards.

The conference endorsed the Hanoi Call for Action, which seeks to strengthen individual and collective preparedness for crisis response.

“It is critical to invest in preparedness to maintain an appropriate level of readiness for effective responses,” adds Felipe del Cid, Lead and Thematic Expert on Evolving Crises and Disasters at the IFRC Asia Pacific office in Kuala Lumpur.

“Investing in this today will define how effectively the world can respond to the crises of tomorrow.”

Philippine Red Cross volunteers rescue people cut off by Typhoon Man-Yi, known locally as Pepito, the most recent of the extraordinary cluster of six named storms – three of which reached super-typhoon status last year. (Library photo: PRC via IFRC Asia Pacific)