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Date: 24 June 2016
Venue: La Ceiba, Honduras
The members of the
Community of Municipalities of Centre Atlantis (MAMUCA), composed by
the Municipalities of El Porvenir, San Francisco, La Masica, Esparta
and Arizona, the Governor of the Department and authorities of the Permanent
Commission of Contingencies (COPECO), gathered on 24 June 2016 in the
City of La Ceiba, Department of Atlantida, Honduras, signed an act by
which they undertake to join efforts to implement the Action Plan to
Restore the Intermunicipal System of Flood Early Warning in the area.
Likewise, MAMUCA agreed to request the good offices of the Secretary
General of the Organization of American States (GS/OAS), through the
Department of Sustainable Development (SEDI/DSD), to contribute in supporting
these efforts.
The first community systems of early warning (SAT) established in Honduras
were promoted in mid-90s by OAS, with support of the Humanitarian Aid
Department of the European Community, Republic of Ireland and Republic
of Turkey. Since then onwards, SATs have had an elemental role in risk
management, becoming one of the primary devices for disaster risk reduction
in Central America. SATs incorporate to communities at risk active elements
since the designing phase to make them part of the system and know the
actions to follow once an alert is issued.
Because of that, in September 2001, after formally constitution of MAMUCA,
the Intermunicipal Program for Early Warning Systems (PRIMSAT) was implemented
throughout the municipalities members, operating on the basis of a network
of observation and monitoring of precipitations and river levels. In
addition, under the implementation of this program, several SAT were
established and existing ones strengthened. This was a unique experience
in Honduras and other Central American and Caribbean countries.
The meeting held on June 24, 2016, is preceded by a study conducted
during the second quarter of 2015 by SEDI/DDS, about SATs in the area,
at request of the COPECO. The result of the study pointed out the need
to restore the Intermunicipal System of Flood Early Warning in the Community
of Municipalities of Centre Atlantis, based on the Manual for Design,
Installation, Operation and Maintenance of Systems of Flood Early Warning
and Online Database, both prepared by GS/OAS and adopted by COPECO in
its special edition for Honduras.
The result of the meeting is an outcome of the work performed between
COPECO and the technical assistance of GS/OAS through its Department
of Sustainable Development. Joint municipal actions for the implementation
of the Action Plan to restore the Intermunicipal System of Flood Early
Warning System in MAMUCA are expected shortly, together with the support
of GS/OAS.
Meeting of June 24, 2016 in La Ceiba, Atlantida, Honduras, for the implementation of the Action Plan for Intermunicipal System Reset Flood Early Warning
Participants of the meeting and act signing members of COPECO, MAMUCA, local and state authorities, and representatives of OAS