SINAE will bring together social organizations for more efficient risk management
The National Emergency System (SINAE) holds, this Wednesday the 16th, the first national meeting of social organizations in terms of comprehensive risk management. Its director, Santiago Caramés, highlighted the importance of knowing the entities and that they interact with each other, for a more efficient management of public and private resources, in a context in which extreme events will be increasingly frequent.
In dialogue with the media Caramés explained that the event will allow social organizations from across the country to meet and interact with each other, which will result in more efficient management of state and private resources. In this context, it is planned to map the entities throughout the territory, to identify them and enhance their operation, he assured.
The activity, which will take place on Wednesday the 16th in the building attached to the Executive Tower, Santiago de Liniers 1280, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., will include the presentation of the first study on the perception of the risk of emergencies and disasters in Uruguay, prepared in agreement with the Catholic University of Uruguay and Consulting Teams.
On this topic, the director of SINAE highlighted the novelty of the study and maintained that it sought to understand the behavior of the population when faced with an alert, as well as evaluate the relevance of the system for citizens and the efficiency of its communication channels. In that sense, he valued the importance of establishing a basis for future work.
In addition, he explained that representatives of the National Association of Development-Oriented Non-Governmental Organizations will speak at the event, as well as experts from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), among others. Psychologist Jorge Bafico will speak about trauma and the psychological consequences of experiencing an emergency or disaster.
Likewise, during the afternoon, civil society organizations that have registered will be able to participate in workshop dynamics together with those responsible for the departmental emergency coordination centers (CECOED), from all over the country.
Caramés pointed out the relevance of identifying social organizations, as well as groups of neighbors and citizens willing to collaborate to respond to emergencies. He also said that it is necessary to promote prevention, to generate a more resilient society, and recalled that SINAE recently began working together with the National Fire Department in relation to forest fires.
In addition, he assured that the event and the studies carried out were some of the priorities established during the administration and that efforts are being made to establish a situation room, a physical place where the President of the Republic and other authorities can view, in real time, everything what happens in the territory regarding danger and comprehensive risk management.
Finally, he noted that SINAE received $250,000 in cooperation from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to strengthen the organization’s governance, while advancing in updating protocols and in communication studies with the population, among other aspects.
In a context in which extreme events will become increasingly frequent, it is vital to strengthen the link with departmental governments and the capabilities of those who work in the territory, such as the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, in particular, the National Directorate of Firefighters, as well as developing strong community work, he considered.
