Phase III

The professionals who received training in Phase II in Honduras formed a training base group with other specialists to expand the OAS-ECHO Project throughout all of Central America. During this Phase, regional institutions were actively involved with the Regional Plan for Disaster Reduction coordinated by CEPREDENAC and in which CRRH and the FEMICA were identified for their ties to the thematic areas of the Project. CRRH works with national organizations responsible for the monitoring of hydraulic resources and forecasting river and water flow. FEMICA works with national organizations that work with municipalities. In coordination with these three organizations regional training activities were performed to standardize the methodology and the technical training materials produced by the Program. A mentoring program has been established with the Association of State Flood Plain Managers (ASFPM), to provide a way to exchange the experience in the management of flood plains between professionals and organizations in the United States and Central America involved in flood vulnerability reduction.

Phase IV

In light of the development of the phenomenon of El Niño, national teams met to work on a pilot program of flood vulnerability reduction, developing local alert systems and program preparation of emergency response in small river valleys in each country. Three teams of professionals were organized in each Central American country to produce technical information corresponding to the three modules covering the thematic areas of the program. This information served as training material in the workshops dictated in the communities where the pilot projects were developed in each country. The modules were:

Module I: Vulnerability Analysis and Identification of Mitigation Measures
Module II: Hydrological Analysis, Alert System Design and Hydrological Measurements
Module III: Community Preparedness

Phase V

Taking into account the devastating effects caused by Hurricane Mitch in a number of Central American countries, and considering the need to incorporate mitigation methods in the reconstruction activities, it has been suggested to coordinate assistance among municipal governments, official organizations and NGO's in natural resources management to prepare profiles of vulnerability, mitigation programs and the design, installation and operation of local alert systems to flood dangers in several small river basins in Central America. With the Government of Ireland’s support, assistance is being given to Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, six small valleys in each country. With Pan-American Development Foundation (PADF) support, assistance is being given to El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

Back