Supporting local taskforce to understand technical tearms of weather forecasts and to give appropriate early warning for natural disasters to communities were main topics of a training course which took place on May 10 in Thanh Hoa northern province.

Local radio broadcasters and representatives from Red Cross, rapid response teams and relevant agencies of local authorities from Quang Xuong district attended the training, which was organized by World Vision-implemented Coastal Areas of Thanh Hoa Province Resilient to Naturals Disasters (CATREND) project and the Provincial Hydrometeorology Centre.

“The course helped us understand clearly different types of dangerous weather and contents of forcasts about storms or tropical depressions which are broadcasted on radio or television,” said Vu Xuan Que, head of the rescue team of Hoa village, Quang Nham commune.

“The training course is very important to farmers and fishermen like us,” explained Nguyen Thi Hong, who is in charge of Red Cross in Tien Phong village, Quang Loi commune. “We were equipped with basic knowledge about weather forcasts, especially warnings about typhoons, floods and droughts. With the information, we are able to have proper prepration and timely responses so as to reduce damages caused by natural disasters.”

The training’s among World Vision’s efforts to build networks of early warming, to make radio broadcasting programmes on natural disasters and climate change adaptation, and to organise simulation on disaster prevention at Quang Xuong and Hoang Hoa districts.

Under the CATREND project, World Vision is supporting communities in coastal and estuary areas in Hoang Hoa and Quang Xuong districts to reduce vulnerability and adverse socio-economic impacts of natural disasters by linking disaster preparedness with mitigation and climate change adaptation measures in a comprehensive way. The project is scheduled to last from October 2011 till September 2014.