The Red Cross Society of Seychelles (RCSS) hosted a validation workshop on Monday 25th November to present the findings of the ongoing SeyCCAT-funded project titled: “Supporting Climate Change Adaptation in the Seychelles through Anticipatory Action and Last-Mile Community Early Warning Systems.”
The findings were presented to a group of stakeholders which included District Administrators, government officials, representatives from the Disaster Risk Management Division (DRMD), Seychelles Media Commission (SMC), Sustainability for Seychelles (S4S), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) amongst others at the Savoy Seychelles Resort and Spa.
The workshop served as an important step in validating the project’s advancements whereby the consultants, Ms. Divina Sabino and Ms. Erna Victor have been working on a number of project-related topics, such as needs analysis, gap analysis, policy and legal frameworks, and community surveys.
During the workshop, both consultants shared insights and recommendations on how best to address the challenges posed by climate change, particularly with regard to flash floods and storm surges.
The recommendations highlighted the urgent need for regular policy updates to ensure that legal frameworks remain responsive to evolving disaster risks. This includes incorporating Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Early Warning Systems (EWS) into sectorial legislation, strategic plans, and budgets, promoting a more integrated approach.
Participants called for the formation of Anticipatory Working Groups to develop Emergency Action Plans (EAP’s) and address existing gaps. Establishing early action protocols to formalise pre-emptive measures was identified as a priority for disaster response.
Another key recommendation was the creation of hydrological services to monitor water systems and enhance forecasting capabilities. Impact based forecasting, which translates weather forecasts into actionable insights, was also deemed essential to improve community preparedness.
Moreover, the workshop stressed the importance of improving data management to streamline disaster-related reporting, and inclusive communication to ensure that all stakeholders, including vulnerable groups, are informed and prepared. Strengthening collaboration through additional memorandums of understanding (MoUs) was also identified as a vital step toward unified disaster management efforts. Participants also spoke about the need to incorporate psychological support into disaster policies, ensuring mental health and emotional well-being are addressed as part of recovery efforts.
Mr. Benjamin Vel, the Project Manager for the RCSS SEYCCAT Project, was also present for the session whereby he outlined the projects objectives, emphasizing the importance of National Early Action Plans (EAP’s).
The main objective of the project is to mitigate the adverse impacts that flash floods and storm surges can have on people and infrastructure, including homes and livelihoods. The project has the following objectives:
- Develop early warning systems for vulnerable communities to provide timely alerts to communities at risk of storm surges and floods, allowing them to take necessary precautions.
- Develop a comprehensive communication plan for its rollout of the protocol to allow for effective communication which aims at ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and coordinated. This will outline the best methods for disseminating warnings and instructions, ensuring that information reaches everyone in a clear and accessible format, particularly vulnerable groups.
- Reduce vulnerability to storm surges and floods. By improving infrastructure, offering disaster preparedness training, and addressing the root causes of vulnerability, the project aims to strengthen community resilience and creating better flood defences and educating people on how to respond to storms, reducing exposure to risks.
- Strengthen multi-stakeholder coordination for storm surges and flash flood management as effective disaster response requires collaboration among governments, NGO’s local communities, and the private sector.
With this approach, the initiative aims to identify the most significant objectives for boosting preparedness procedures and developing reliable last-mile early warning systems that reach the community’s most vulnerable members.
