Doha:The Qatar Red Crescent Society (QRCS) recently hosted the ShakeSmart Regional Communication Workshop focused on earthquake preparedness in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
According to Qatar News Agency, the two-day workshop was organized by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) with technical support from the Japanese Red Cross Society. It convened communication experts from various National Societies across the region to strengthen capacity for community communication about earthquake awareness and risk reduction.
Mohammed Bader Al Sada, Assistant Secretary-General for Relief and International Development Sector at QRCS, emphasized the importance of transitioning from theoretical plans to practical implementation through effective communication that reaches all societal segments. He referenced the 1948 Ashgabat earthquake, which resulted in significant casualties due to inadequate knowledge and infrastructure, underscoring the need for preventive measures.
The initiative aims to organize a coordinated regional drill based on three critical steps drop, cover, and hold on. Al Sada stressed that the primary goal is to build societies capable of protecting themselves during disasters.
Christian Cortez, Deputy Regional Director of IFRC in the MENA region, highlighted the ongoing threat of earthquakes in light of recent events in Syria, Turkiye, and Morocco. He pointed out that urban expansion and climate change further complicate these challenges. Cortez stated that the effectiveness of technical analyses and risk maps depends on their conversion into credible and actionable messages.
Kentaro Nakashima of the Japanese Red Cross Society praised QRCS's leadership role, emphasizing that earthquake responses rely on automatic reactions and prior training. Effective communication is crucial in transforming awareness into practical, life-saving behavior, given the limited time individuals have to decide during an earthquake.
The workshop concluded with efforts to tailor communication packages for earthquake preparedness to fit local and urban contexts, design media materials for the regional drill, and develop multichannel awareness content catering to various community segments.