The 25 of April an earthquake with 7.8 magnitude hit Nepal. The Swedish Search and Rescue team, SWIFT, was deployed to support and assist the Nepalese authorities during these crises.
The SWIFT team was mobilized at Örebro airport the 26 of April. Health & vaccination, passport, photos, ID cards, insurance papers and security certificates were checked for all staff and the personal equipment was handed out. We were all ready to go! Unfortunately we got delayed due to difficulties getting an airplane and a pilot qualified to land at Kathmandu airport. Further there were problems to get the landing permit. At the same time many USAR team arrived in Nepal and finally the local authority said that no more USAR team were allowed to enter Nepal. As a result of this the Swedish team was reconfigured and setup to be deployed as an OCHA Support Team. Unfortunately all team members could not be deployed with this team and we had to leave half the staff behind. A though and sad decision both for people deploying and people going home...
When arriving in Kathmandu we established a base at the Base of Operation (BoO) for the Search & Rescue teams. The first thing we did when arriving at BoO, was to establish internet connection to be able to communicate. At this point we used satellite communication as we hadn’t had time to find out if there were any other options available and working in Nepal. We used a BGAN terminal which we can use for data connection and voice to get Internet connectivity.
The next thing to do was to send out our recce team to assess the surroundings. As ICT Officers we support the recce team to update the maps in their GPS, downloading tracks and waypoint and to upload them to Google Earth to get a clear overview of their mission as they’ve returned to base. Other tasks that ICT Officers are dealing with at BoO to support the rest of the team are:
- Get local SIM-cards for voice and for data connection
- Manage the team’s LogBook
- Create and maintain contact lists
- Program phones with contact details (local phone numbers)
- Tracking of staff (keep track of team members current location)
- Monitor and run Base (radio, phone and internet connectivity)
- Radio Communication procedures
- Train and support team members to use satellite communication
During our stay in Nepal we tried to send a camp to support OCHA in Gorkha twice. Both times we failed and had to return back to base due to different circumstances. Finally we made an agreement with IOM to send our camp to Chautara and to set it up there so the IOM staff could work more efficient at this location.
In Kathmandu we assessed camps for IOM and reported what the needs and gaps were. Our structural engineer assessed buildings with the local authorities to decide which ones that still was okay to use. Our medical team supported both our team members as well as other teams.
Further we had a small team supporting the coordination of the Foreign Medical Teams. There were more than 150 FMT’s that had entered Nepal to assist during these crises. Some teams had been registered with the Nepalese army, some with the Ministry of Health and Population and some teams hadn’t been registered at all. There were a lot of coordination task to be performed. Our team helped WHO, OCHA and the local Ministry of Health and Population to establish and run an Emergency Operation Center. My contribution, as an ICT officer, was to buy and setup and configure the office equipment needed.
When almost all our team members had left Nepal I changed position and started to support UNDAC for another week. We established a “sub-OSOCC” at the Ministry of Home Affairs and then I went to Gorkha to support the Humanitarian Hub established there by OCHA. We were working at The Grand Gorkha Inn. The hotel wasn’t cleared to stay in due to the cracks from the earthquake, but it was okay to use the conference facilities as an office. My tasks here in Gorkha were to make sure we had good Internet connectivity and to make sure the printer worked correctly. Of course I did all kind of ICT support to all staff working at this Hub too. I was also dealing with electricity (i.e. generator management, fuelling included), tracking of staff and vehicles, accommodation planning, camp and office management, contact lists, water supply management etc.
As I left Nepal it felt like I had been in at least three different missions at the same time! Bored was the last word I would use to describe my experiences. Words like flexibility, team work and being thankful comes to my mind when thinking of the time spent in Nepal. To be prepared for everything, not to expect anything. Just try to deal with each situation and to have fun while doing it makes each day a little bit easier and more enjoyable. It´s been a great pleasure to work with and be surrounded by people who have chosen to help and assist others in need. I am truly thankful to all people involved in and supporting my stay in Nepal.
//Tessan
Page owner: Ulrika Ros Ulrika.Ros@msb.se