Desarrollando ciudades resilientes 1 Millón de Escuelas y Hospitales Más Seguros
 

PEÑAFLOR, CHILE JOINS THE CELEBRATION OF THE INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR DISASTER REDUCTION

Pictured: Rodrigo Rojas and Anita Gonzalez (Carabineers), Eduardo Jorquera (I.M. Peñaflor), Susana Fuentez (Promoter of the Global Campaign for Resilient Cities), Manuel Fuentes (I.M. Mayor Peñaflor), Carlos Kaiser (Inclusiva NGO), Eduardo Farías (Firefighters) Dinko Muñoz and Ariel Leal (PDI), Francisco Mardones (Civil Protection), plus ambulance and Municipal Civil Protection personnel and firefighters. Photos: Alexis Peña y Lillo


 

By: Juan EstefanAstra

PENAFLOR, Chile, October 18, 2013 - The Municipality of Peñaflor, led by Mayor Manuel Fuentes Rosales, celebrated the International Day for Disaster Reduction (IDDR) in a ceremony on October 13 in the municipal gardens, along with representatives of the Carabineers, Police Department, Fire Department, Civil Defence and the promoter of the Global Campaign "Making Cities Resilient:My City is Getting Ready!" in Chile, Susana Fuentez, who committed themselvesto the promotion and creation of strategies to promote a culture of disaster reduction.

The same community forces that reacted to the earthquake of February 27, 2010, led by Director of Civil Municipal Protection Eduardo Jorquera, worked with Fuentezto organize the Peñaflor celebration – which focused on "Living with Disabilities and Disasters", the focus of United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) in 2013.

 

For Susana Fuentez,the promoter of the Making Cities Resilient campaign, "this day focuses on the millions of disabled people and their vulnerability to disasters. The objective is to include the needs of these peoplein society."

According to the executive director of the NGO Inclusiva, Charles Kaiser, who lives with a disability due to a physical malformation at birth (Metromedia syndrome of his arms and legs) and a citizen of the commune: "Today is very significant, because it raisesawareness. In cases such as the earthquake of February 27, most disabled people were forgotten, several were injured and some 80,000 left homeless."

Kaiser, who has prosthetic legs but not arms, said: "We are not helpless in emergencies. It is important for the community to work with us, as we are not a passive sector of society. On the contrary, we are very active."

For the mayor of Peñaflor, Manuel Fuentes Rosales, the celebration was "very satisfactory because of the multidisciplinary work of the people of Peñaflor, who workedtogether to help each other, demonstrating the maturity of individuals and institutions."

"In the face of unexpected needs, the Emergency Committee acts rapidly and effectively for the prevention, mitigation and response to disaster," the mayor concluded. "For this reason, we belong to theGlobal Network of Safe Communities."

The celebration ceremony - held at the Peñaflor municipal house, located 37 kilometres west of Santiago – wasattended by Staff Sergeant Rodrigo Rojas and second lieutenant Anita Gonzalez (Carabineros) Eduardo Jorquera (Municipality of Peñaflor), Susana Fuentez (promoter of World Cities Resilient Campaign), Manuel Fuentes (I.M. Mayor Peñaflor), Carlos Kaiser (CEO Inclusiva NGO), Eduardo Farías (Fire Chief Peñaflor), DinkoMuñoz and Ariel Leal (Investigative Police Chile), Francisco Mardones (Civil Protection),as well as ambulance and Municipal Civil Protection personnel and firefighters of the 5th Company.

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