Volcano eruption alert Brava island, Cabo Verde August 2016

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1 End of Mission Report United Nations Disaster Assessment & Coordination (UNDAC) Volcano eruption alert Brava island, Cabo Verde 8 19 August The mission of the is to mobilize and coordinate effective and principled humanitarian action in partnership with national and international actors. Coordination Sav es Liv es

2 Document Title 2 Table of Content Contents Background Information... 3 Mission Objectives... 4 Reason for UNDAC deployment... 4 Summary of ToR... 4 Team composition, support and deployment... 4 Outcome of initial meeting with RC/HC and/or Country Team... 5 Organisation of work... 6 Preparedness Activities... 6 Methodology... 6 Information Management... 6 Reporting (frequency, reporting lines, etc.)... 6 Assessments... 7 UNDAC involvement in assessments... 7 Findings and analysis... 7 National Response... 7 Overall Constraints... 8 Safety and Security... 8 Infrastructure... 8 Other things that may have hampered the mission... 8 Conclusion... 8 Summary of mission... 8 Key recommendations to the humanitarian community, national authorities, and OCHA... 8 Lessons Observed... 9 List lessons observed that may be an added value to the UNDAC methodology... 9 Acknowledgements... 9 Annexes... 9

3 Document Title 3 Background Information Brava Cov a de Joana Fig.1: Archipelago of Cabo Verde encompasses 10 islands and 13 islets. Brava is the most southern island. Cova de Joana (center) is the potential site of intrusion based on the epicenters of the earthquakes - The archipelago of Cabo Verde is of volcanic origin, related to the deep-seated hotspot, located in the oceanic portion of the African plate approximately 500 km west of the Senegal coast. The most recent eruption ended in 2015 in neighbor island of Fogo. - The oceanic island of Brava Island is located 20 km west of Fogo (see Fig1). - Brava has been experiencing increased seismic activity since October Early August 2016 saw a higher increase in activity, with seismic events becoming shallower and more intense. This raised the concern of an eruption being imminent. The authorities also ordered the relocation of 300 inhabitants from Cova Joana (see Fig1) to another village nearby for 24h. - There is no record of the volcano having erupted in post-settlement times so there is no local knowledge of its eruptive potential and behavior. Geological evidence shows that the possible eruption of Brava volcano will be of much more explosive character than those experienced on the neighboring island of Fogo. Thus putting all the Brava inhabitants (5750) at risk. - Brava is the smallest inhabited island (64km 2 ) of the archipelago both in terms of area and population. Although settled since early years (1462) of the discovery of the archipelago, its population is estimated to be 5,746 people (INE, 2016). - The main city is Nova Sintra, however several other important localities are scattered throughout the island (Furna, Faja de Agua, Nossa Srª do Monte, Campo Baixo, Lomba Tantum, Escovinha, Cova Rodela, Mato Grande, Cova de Joana, Benfica, Cachaço). The island road network is limited, and no alternated in case the main road is blocked by the onset of magmatic extrusion. The island has one small port, located in Furna, and a couple of other access to the sea (Faja d Agua, Tantum) that could be considered as gateway in case of evacuation.

4 Document Title 4 Mission Objectives Reason for UNDAC deployment Following this increased alert, the Government of Cape Verde requested support from the United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) system to develop a Contingency and Evacuation Plan for Brava and be ready to support any response activity should the need for complete evacuation of the island occur. An UNDAC Team deployed to Cape Verde from 8 to 18 August 2016 to review existing structures and provide recommendations for preparedness and response actions for Brava Island in the event of a volcanic eruption. The team was supported by EU/ECHO, MapAction, IOM and WHO and assisted by national civil protection and UN country team. Summary of ToR Work under the authority of the United Nations Resident/Humanitarian Coordinator in country, in direct support of the Government as part of the current contingency planning activities related to Brava Island emergency; Analysis of existing capacities, needs and gaps of the Disaster Risk Management system in Cape Verde based in interviews at central and local levels; field visits in affected locations, and document analysis; Provide recommendations for reinforcement of capacities in areas identified as requiring adjustment/ support; In the affected area, supports and facilitates the work of the government and the United Nations Humanitarian Country Team in-country, including, other coordination bodies established in the country, primarily in the areas of: 1. On-site coordination 2. Coordinated assessments 3. Information management Provide any other support related to the Brava Island emergency as required by the Resident Coordinator As the volcano eruption did not materialize, the main activities of the UNDAC team focused on developing a contingency plan and evacuation plan for Brava based on the existing local emergency plan developed in 2010 and the national contingency plan, The initial terms of reference were therefore updated in agreement with the RC and UNCT keeping only the preparedness part. However, the team had developed an action plan with tasks assigned to each team member should an eruption occur and the team would be asked to support the government in the response and full evacuation of the island. Team composition, support and deployment UNDAC team: Mr. Sergio Da Silva, Team Leader, UN OCHA Ms. Mona Folkesson, deputy Team Leader, UNDP Tanzania Mr. Antonio Beleza, Information Manager, Mozambique National Emergency Management Ops Centre European Civil Protection Experts: Dr. Richard Luckett UK EUCPT Dr. Jose Madeira Portugal EUCPT Dr. Rachid Omira Portugal EUCPT OCHA Operations Support Partner: Ms. Rebecca Kervell, UK Map Action Cabo Verde Civil Protection: Mr. Nuno Oliveira, Direction of operations and communication Mr. Edson Alfama, Regional commander for Brava and Fogo Mr. Jeremias Cabral The UNDAC team was accompanied by Dr. Sebastião Nkunku from WHO regional office in Dakar and Antonio Querido, UNDP Programme Manager, Praia.

5 Document Title 5 Team Leader Sergio Da Silva ETA 8 Aug - ETD 18 Aug Deputy Team Leader Mona Folkesson ETA 8 Aug - ETD 19 Aug Operations, Assessments, Coordination, Liaison Plan of Action and operational updates Assign/track physical locations of team members Direct link/liaison with RC/HC, HCT, Government, partners, clusters, OCHA regional office and/or headquarters Strategic planning/direction Ensure cohesion/connectivity within the team Focal point for security matters Focal point for general team matters Approve/implement media policy Stand in for Team Leader when necessary and full Team Leader s functions Safety and security planning for the team Manage team handover/exit strategy to national authorities, UNCT. Mission software workspace Oversee reporting and information management Internal communication Information Manager - Antonio Jose Beleza ETA 8 Aug - ETD 21 Aug Information management, Analysis, Logistics Operation support - Becky Kervell ETA 8 Aug - ETD 19 Aug Mapping, Information management Operation support - Antonio Querido In-country UNDP focal point Team support Associate Expert (EUCPT) Jose Madeira ETA 8 Aug ETD 20 Aug Volcanic risk assessment, Mapping Associate Expert (EUCPT) Richard Luckett ETA 8 Aug ETD 20 Aug Monitoring, Volcanic risk assessment Associate Expert (EUCPT) Rachid Omira ETA 11 Aug - ETD 20 Aug Volcanic risk assessment Management of internal information flow Mission software workspace Reporting and information management Internal communication Mapping of assets Mapping of evacuation points, routes, shelter Mapping of risks Coordination of logistics Management of team resources and technical support staff Organization of accommodation, transport, local support, etc. Finances management Advise on/develop media policy Communication and liaison with other scientific team Risk assessment Communication and liaison with other scientific team Monitoring expertise Communication and liaison with other scientific team Outcome of initial meeting with RC/HC and/or Country Team The team met the RC in the plane from Lisbon to Praia and had already an informal introduction and update. On Monday 8 the team met with the UNCT and was briefed on mission expectations from RC and the government to develop a high quality contingency plan including evacuation of Brava island to Fogo island. We agreed on reporting lines and frequency of reports and that the team would conduct end-of-mission briefings to the RC and UNCT, to the national authorities and to the diplomatic community before departure. We presented the initial plan of action and schedule of travels between islands.

6 Document Title 6 Organisation of work Time Day 1 9 August Day 2 to Day 4 10 to 12 August Day 5 to Day 8 13 to 15 August Day 9 16 August Activity First meeting with UNCT and RC Meeting with President of civil protection and director of operations Departure by boat to Brava Assessment of Brava: Meetings with local geologists and volcanologists, municipal authorities, security forces, coast guards, port authorities. Assessment of roads, ports, evacuation routes, assets available. Start of writing of contingency and evacuation plans Travel to Fogo Assessment of Fogo infrastructures, meeting with local authorities. Departure to Praia by boat Finalization of contingency and evacuation plans and presentation for end of mission debriefing Day August Day August Day August Debriefing to UNCT, government and diplomatic community Meeting with scientist in Charge of monitoring system Final debriefing with RC Update into the plans with debriefing inputs. End of mission Part of the team conducted the visual assessments of infrastructures in Brava and Fogo, other team members (Portuguese speakers) would conduct meetings with authorities and others were responsible for putting together all inputs into the plans. Preparedness Activities Methodology The team mainly used the IASC Emergency Response Preparedness (ERP) approach to develop the contingency plan and the comprehensive guide for planning Mass Evacuation for Natural Disasters (MEND) as a framework to develop the evacuation plan. Information Management Reporting (frequency, reporting lines, etc.) UNDAC team reported to the RC, and the UNCT. Daily reports were sent to the RC and a situation update was sent on Friday 12 at the request of the RC to be released to the authorities and UNCT.

7 Document Title 7 Assessments UNDAC involvement in assessments Assessment of existing capacity to communicate the alert and conduct a mass evacuation in Brava through meetings and visits: telecommunication means, road and sea port infrastructure, transportation means by road and sea human resources capacity, geological analysis. In Fogo, the assessment focused on existing logistic and human resources capacities to receive the Brava inhabitants and host them for short and long term. Findings and analysis Monitoring and alert system: Only one person ensures collection and analysis of seismic monitoring data for the whole archipelago. Thus making it difficult to ensure business continuity in monitoring and alert system. There is only one warning indicator being measured. This makes prediction less accurate and lead time before an eruption quite short (few hours). Emergency and response mechanisms: There is an emergency plan at the municipal level for Brava and a national contingency plan that both need revision but there is no specific contingency plan or evacuation plan for volcanic eruptions. Very little actors are familiar with existing plans and their role to play in case of an alert and crisis. Evacuation plans and capacity: Road network is very poor in Brava with limited access to many villages, very narrow, steep and curvy roads. There is only one main port that can take large ships. There are not many vehicles and boats in the island to allow a quick evacuation of all the inhabitants. Civil protection only has 1 light firefighting pick-up and there are only 17 police officer for almost 6000 inhabitants making it difficult to facilitate or manage an evacuation without support from the population or external capacity. Relocation in Fogo: There are not sufficient short term and long term housing solution for all Brava inhabitants. According to local authorities there are enough water resource to cover the additional needs but not enough food. There are very little pre-positioned stocks of NFIs to address the needs in case Brava inhabitants evacuate to Fogo. National Response The National Civil Protection Service ordered on August 2 nd the evacuation of the communities of Cova de Joana to nearby localities. 300 people were asked to leave the area and could return 24h later. Decision has been made to place an army ship, a ferryboat and other maritime transportation and Coastal Guard in the neighboring island of Fogo for the duration of the alert that lasted 2 weeks. Civil Protection and Red Cross started to analyze the available sites for potentially displaced populations and other logistics in Fogo.

8 Document Title 8 Overall Constraints Safety and Security Cabo Verde is in Security Level 2 Low (occasional limited threats) countywide. Cabo Verde is a young democratically stable country with a parliamentary system of government that has no records in terms of political violence since its independence in Terrorism is a regional threat, but so far there were no histories or proven evidences of terrorist activities in the country. However, the due to several factors, the possibility of a terrorist attack should not be discarded. Crime is the main issue in Cabo Verde, affecting the population in general, with an increasing number of incidents of violent crime registered, some with the use of fire arms, mainly in the capital city, Praia, but also, to a less extent, in other towns throughout the archipelago. Some medical hazards as Zika and Dengue exist and are aggravated during the rainy season. Landslides due to heavy rains and strong winds do occur. Infrastructure The overall infrastructure is well developed in all island visited. Mobile telecommunication network have a good coverage with access to 3G almost everywhere. There are several hotels in Brava and Fogo offering good standards of accommodation and space for establishing workspace. Most internet access was through 3G using mobile phones as hotspot at low cost. Other things that may have hampered the mission Ferry boats between the islands are not regular and often full during summer. Flights are also easily fully booked in high season. The team had to use the coast guards ship in order to go from Brava to Fogo as all flights were fully booked and boats were not running in weekends. Conclusion Summary of mission Within the little timeframe of the mission, the UNDAC team managed to meet government and regional coordinator s expectations, delivering a comprehensive contingency plan and evacuation plan related to volcano eruption risk in Brava island. The variety of skills, competencies and experience among team members allowed to address most elements of the plans and provide concrete recommendations for the government of Cape Verde and the international community on how to develop further the contingency planning process. Thanks to the availability and support of all key actors at national and municipal level the team managed to assess and analyse main existing capacity and gaps. Most data and information was gathered through meetings with local authorities, inputs from national institutions, internet research and additional expertise from colleagues and partners in Dakar and Geneva. As discussed with governmental authorities, the contingency plan is not only a single document but an ongoing process that is to be developed upon time. The three national civil-protection officers were embedded with the UNDAC team allowing a handover on the process and methodology of developing the contingency and evacuation plans. Key recommendations to the humanitarian community, national authorities, and OCHA Key recommendations to the government and international community are outlined in the contingency and evacuation plans. Main recommendations are: Sensitizing and training all actors involved in contingency and evacuation plans Working with local communities to sensitize and inform them on risks associated to volcano eruption and plans for evacuation Strengthen logistic and monitoring capacity as well as increase human resources Develop sectoral contingency plans Develop clear alert and information sharing system from central level to municipal level.

9 Document Title 9 Lessons Observed List lessons observed that may be an added value to the UNDAC methodology The UNDAC mission software was the main tool used to store, share and update information and document. It enabled all team members to have access to the same data, share all information collected and work collaboratively. Team members should already be familiarized with the mission software before deployment and have it installed in their machines. Even if colleagues in Geneva were very reactive in granting access to new users, we lost some time trying to install the software in machine for which some team members did not have administrative rights, or when low internet connection would not allow proper synchronization. Most of the team members worked online as they could not or it was not convenient to install the software. As some of the team members did not speak the local language, Portuguese, they could not read all information available or attend some meetings. This made the division of tasks more difficult. Support form HQ and regional office were most appreciated as they could also do some background research collecting additional information or mobilize other expertise such as from OCHA EPES or IOM in Dakar. Experts in Seismology, geology and volcanology from the EUCPT were definitely a plus to better understand the risks linked to this type of natural hazards. One of the scientists knew the island very well which also added to the outcomes of the mission. Acknowledgements National and municipal authorities for their availability, cooperation ERCC and National Civil protection for having appointed 3 experts to join the mission. Their strong experience was a plus to the mission but also it allowed a smooth handover from UNDAC team to local capacity UN team in-country for their full support and flexibility UNDAC partners who allowed to put the team together (EU, WHO, IOM, MapAction, Universidade Lisboa, INGC Mozambique, IPMA, BGS) OCHA Geneva headquarters, especially FCSS and EPES, for their continuous support before, during and after the deployment OCHA regional office in Dakar, Senegal. UNDAC team members Annexes - Contingency and evacuation plans for Brava - Debriefing power point presentation to UNCT, Ministries and diplomatic corps - Maps