TYPHOON MILENYO: AFTER-ACTION FINDINGS

UNCLAS MANILA 004423 SIPDIS FOR S/ES-CMR, EAP/EX, OBO/OM/AM/EAP SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT ABLD RP SUBJECT: TYPHOON MILENYO: AFTER-ACTION FINDINGS REF: MANILA 004148 ¶1. Summary: Post held an after-action meeting to review the lessons learned from September 28th's Typhoon Milenyo. Post's response to this natural disaster received positive reviews. Lessons learned focused on redundant ongoing communications and early dissemination of typhoon and operational status. End summary. ¶2. Positive Measures: The meeting began with praise and recognition for the many things that went well and worked. The attendees, representing Country Team members such as USAID, Peace Corps, and JUSMAG, specifically recognized: -- Drivers who took people safely home, -- Local Guard Force who stood watch throughout the ordeal, -- Telephone Operators who remained on duty all night, -- GSO's wide-range of support such as alternative housing and refrigeration for those without electricity, -- Procurement, Consular and Financial Offices which continued to work long hours throughout the ordeal to met Post's year-end requirements - despite hardships at home, -- Management for devising low-cost support and loans to our LES's, -- The Front Office for on-site support during the storm, -- Facilities Maintenance who worked immediately after the storm clearing fallen trees and responding to requests for home emergency repairs. ¶3. Future Preparations: Some of the lessons focused on: -- A more thorough dissemination of typhoon status reports, -- Layering of notifications to assure blanket coverage of critical information, such as embassy closures, -- Better advance preparations should a more severe crisis occur, i.e., attention to details such as the value of automobile cell phone chargers in times of a blackout, -- Overcoming a total land-line telecom failure and how Post's mass text messaging system and cell phone tree can be better utilized to ensure all agency and section heads are informed quickly of decisions affecting the Mission. KENNEY