Cooperation in disaster management: German and Philippine experts share their experiences

As a follow-up activity to the international dialog event organized by Connective Cities, the Cologne Fire Department and the Cologne Public Order Office on the topic of “Evacuation and accommodation of evacuated people in urban areas – Planning evacuation beyond its early stages” (in March 2023), municipal experts from Germany from the disaster control sector travelled to the Philippines in October.

After the event in March, it became apparent that the Philippine and German municipal experts continued to be interested in delving deeper into the topics: evacuation, volunteerism in disaster management, digital communication strategies, multiplier effect, and inclusive personnel development within the fire department. Besides that, Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) is high on the political agenda at all levels in the Philippines due to the often occurrence of volcanic activities, earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, landslides and heavy rainfall events. The expertise of the Philippine experts was already evident at the event in Cologne, such as in evacuation planning and the use of digital communication strategies as well as the use of multipliers to strengthen civic engagement, education and communication with citizens.