Tonga volcano tsunami

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TorqAid has produced a brief Summary Sheet on the Tongan volcanic eruption and subsequent tsunami of the 15th January 2022.  This directs the reader towards the ReliefWeb site where all key reports, maps and infographics  are held.  The key Situation Reports (Sitreps) to follow are those by the National Emergency Management Organisation (NEMO), and UNOCHA. The Summary Sheet is below.

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In the coming weeks and months a complex and sophisticated recovery program will develop.  This will be Government led, by supported by national and international stakeholders, and focus on affected individuals and communities.  It will cover the following ten  sectors:  Coordination & Logistics;  Essential Services (water, power, telecommunications); Safety & Protection; Communications; Health, Nutrition & WASH; Emergency Shelter & Non Food Items (NFI); Food Security & Livelihoods (FSL); Education; Economic & Social Recovery; and Reconstruction.

Online PDRM program

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The 2026 online, accredited, Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) program will be facilitated from the 27 July through to the 13 November 2026.  It consists of ten topics.

o             TC01:  Key Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Diagrams & Issues

o             TC02:  Natural Disaster Trends & Case Studies

o             TC03:   Humanitarian Attributes & Competencies

o             TC04:  Humanitarian Standards & Codes of Conduct

0             TC05:  The Ten Seed Technique (TST) Ranking Tool

o             TC06:  Risk Management

o             TC07:  Complex Emergencies & Asian Case Study & the 2020- 2023 COVID-19

Pandemic

o              TC 08: Complex Emergency Middle Eastern & African Case Studies

o             TC09:  DRM & Climate Change

o              TC10:  DRM & the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

There are three stages to this online 2026 PDRM:

0             Stage 1 Teaching:  Topics 1-5 from the 27 July to 28 August

o             Stage 2 Teaching:  Topics 6-10 from the 14 September to 16 October

o             Marking of Assignments & Feedback: 19 October to 13 November

The link to the online 2026 PDRM brochure is given below.

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The 2026 PDRM Registration Form, which includes details of costs, can be accessed from the link below. Note there is an Early Bird 5% discount for those who register and pay by the 31 May.

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The link to the 2026 PDRM assessment tasks is also given below.  This includes details of the Murdoch University staff who handle Advanced Standing details.

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An Overview of the PDRM is given here.

The course is designed for both Australian and international humanitarian and development practitioners, as well as Murdoch University Master level students.  A total of ten topics are on offer, and these are taught on a weekly basis, and in two blocks, from the 27 July to the 16 October 2026. Participants can choose either individual topics or the complete program.

The first couple of topics focus in on four key diagrams which help explain the key components of natural hazards and disasters across the Disaster Risk Management Cycle (DRMC). It includes regional examples, as well as the roles of maps/infographics and the media.

Topics TC03 and TC04 centre in on the ideal attributes and competencies of humanitarian practitioners, and the challenge for them working within a comprehensive framework of humanitarian standards and codes of conduct. Topics TC05 and TC06 focuses on the Ten Seed Technique (TST) used in Needs Analysis, and sees how this can be applied to the ISO 31000 risk management process.

Topics TC07 and TC08 focus in on the global overview of Complex Emergencies.  It analyses three  examples in more depth (in Asia, the Middle East and Africa), focussing in on the understanding of the background context; an update on the humanitarian situations; and the challenges for practitioners (and others) working within accepted humanitarian standards and codes of conduct.  Topic TC07 also includes a summary of the 2020-2023 COVID-19 pandemic.

Topic TC09 focuses in on the causes and effects of Climate Change.  Topic TC10 concludes by focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and analysing how these can be adversely affected by combinations of natural disasters, complex emergencies, climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and bilateral and multilateral cuts to Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).

For further details of this online PDRM contact Chris Piper at chris@torqaid.com.

 

 

 

Train Like a Champion

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TorqAid has developed a ‘Train Like a Champion’ (TLC) short article for humanitarian and development practitioners.  This covers five teaching principles and twelve useful teaching tips. This is primarily for individuals who have had no formal teaching or training experience, but yet in their jobs are required to train or facilitate others. Follow the link below to this TLC ‘one pager’.

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These TLC teaching principles and tips are also included in Topic 04 (Humanitarian Attributes & Competencies) of the TorqAid Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) program. Follow the link below for both the upcoming online, accredited, PDRM training program, which is running from the end of July through to mid November 2026.

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Twelve Teaching Tips

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In order to become an effective teacher, trainer or facilitator, individuals ideally need a combination of the following:

  • A high standard of relevant academic, professional and/or technical expertise
  • An understanding of pedagogy and andagogy (adult learning) principles
  • Good personal and inter-personal attributes and skills
  • Good organisational skills
  • Good facilitation skills

TorqAid has produced a ‘one pager’ which summarises Twelve Teaching Tips which can contribute to an individual become a great teacher. Follow the link below for these Tips.

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This article can be found in the TorqAid Toolkit, a useful compendium of resources for the development or humanitarian practitioner. Follow the link below to the Toolkit.

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Hurricanes-cyclones-typhoons

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This link below relates to a customised bibliography from 2021, with highlighted information on cyclones, hurricanes and typhoons.

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This includes material on the following:

  • BBC articles on how hurricanes/cyclones/typhoons form
  • A variety of articles by different agencies and authors on Cyclone Yaas in India (2021); Cyclone Amphan in India/Bangladesh (2020); Hurricane Dorian in the Caribbean (2019); Cyclone (TC) Fani in India, and Cyclone Idai in Mozambique (both 2019); Hurricanes Irma and Maria in the Caribbean (2017); Cyclone Debbie in Australia (2017); TC Winston in Fiji, and Hurricane Matthew in Haiti (both 2016);  TC Pam in Vanuatu (2015); Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar (2008); and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philipppines (2013)

The second article is the TorqAid Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Diagrammatic Framework. This includes key components of both the Disaster Risk Management Cycle (DRMC), and the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) diagram. The key components of both diagrams can be applied to the disaster risk management of cyclones/hurricanes/typhoons.

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The study of cyclones in the Southwest Pacific is included out in Topic TC02 of the TorqAid online, accredited, Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) program. Follow the link below to the online accredited PDRM which runs from March to May 2005.

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CP Rohingya Mission

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Chris Piper was contracted and deployed by Redr Australia as an ‘Early Warning Dissemination and Training Specialist’ for UNDP from April-July 2018.  This was down in Cox’s Bazar District in Bangladesh, where the international comunity is working in support of the Government of Bangladesh to provide humanitarian assistance for around 1.3 million people, this comprising just less than a million Rohingya refugees, and the rest, Bangladeshi host communities.  The link below describes the key aspects of his work over that period.

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He is now producing three separate short (two page) articles, describing some of this work in more detail.  This includes the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) training he carried out for the Bangladeshi NGO, BRAC; the landslide related initiative focussing on the implementation of a small number of automated rain gauges around the refugee camps; and some comments on some of the brilliant grass-roots level work being carried out by the Communication with Communities (CwC) network out there. The first two of these reports (DRM training, and landslide-related rain gauges) are included below.  The third article (CwC) will be added in the forthcoming days.

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As part of his ongoing teaching, Chris updates the monthly Summary Sheet entitled ‘Understanding the Rohingya Crisis’.  This both summarises the humanitarian situation in Cox’s Bazar, and also includes key references related to the complex emergency in both Bangladesh and Myanmar.

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Finally, Chris teaches about the Rohingya crisis in the accredited TorqAid online Disaster Risk Management (DRM) program.  This consists of six modules (four focussing in on DRM; and one each on Participatory Project Management {PPM} and Complex Humanitarian Emergencies {CHEs}).  The link to the DRM brochure is givcen here.

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Bushfires

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The Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Diagrammatic Framework is a very useful approach to better understanding disasters, particularly as they pass through their Normal/Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), Emergency Response & Recovery Stages.  See the enclosed article here.

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This short blog focuses in on Australian bushfires and floods.  It is updated in late 2022 when much of the east coast of Australia (as well as Tasmania), is being challenged by unrelenting La Nina influenced floods.  Whilst the majority of examples relate to bushfires, the principles behind them apply equally to floods (as well as to other Australian hazards such as tropical cyclones and drought). This blog is written by Chris Piper, an Australian-based Global Humanitarian Practiioner (GHP) and Teacher/trainer/Facilitor.  With regards Australian bushfires and floods he has been involved in coordinating volunteer recovery responses to the 2009 Victorian bushfires and 2011 floods, as well as acting as Bushfire Recovery Adviser (BRA) to the Baptist Union of Victoria (BRA) following the 2020/2021 bushfires.

The Australian 2019/2020 bushfire season was unprecedented in its intensity and geographical spread. Following the fires, Chris worked from March-May as BRA for the BUV, this involving him visiting and supporting affected communities in the east of Victoria. The following two links highlight some aspects of his visits to the field.

BUV Video on Corryong, 5-6th March 2020

https://www.buv.com.au/news/corryong-and-surrounds-from-bushfires-to-covid-19

BUV Video on Gippsland, 11-12th March 2020

https://www.buv.com.au/news/an-update-on-our-response-to-the-bushfires

In January 2020 Chris prepared an article on the bushfires for the March 2020 edition of the Geography Teachers Association of Victoria’s (GTAV) quarterly ‘Interaction’ magazine.  This includes some suggested Classroom Activities for Secondary level students.  This gives a good overview of the Emergency Response Stage of the bushfires; some comments on the recovery challenges throughout 2020, this complicated by COVID-19; and some thoughts on future Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) initiatives, these including some related to climate change.

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Based on his BRA work, Chris has prepared an article on training for bushfire-related field staff and volunteers, these people involved in recovery work within a COVID-19 context.

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Following the earlier 2009 bushfires in Victoria, Chris coordinated some church-based community recovery work on a number of weekends during 2009-2011.  Follow the link below for a copy of bushfire-related Project Design Document (PDD) relating to this.

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Following this 2009-2011 work, Chris prepared a short article on the management of volunteers in such situations.

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Aspects of bushfires is covered in Topics 1 & 2 of the Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) training program, which can be delivered in either workshop or online format.  See the link to the 2023 PDRM program.

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DRM-Framework

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Over the past two dozen years, TorqAid, with input from practitioners and students, has developed a diagrammatic framework of how key aspects of all disasters can be illustrated by the use of four key diagrams.  This material is covered in an article entitled a ‘Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Diagrammatic Framework’.  This DRM Framework article can be accessed here.

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This DRM Framework article focuses on four key diagrams, namely the Disaster Risk Management Cycle (DRMC); the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) diagram; the DRM Planning diagram; and the Project Management Cycle (PMC). There are also variants of the DRMC and DRR relating to slow-onset hazards such as drought and climate change. There is also a variant of the DRMC diagram relating to the 2020-2023 COVID-19 pandemic, as well as a modification of the DRR diagram due to conflict and/or a severe breakdown in governance.  Jpeg copies of these diagrams can be accessed on the TorqAid website at www.torqaid.com/resources.

The DRM framework is also extensively covered in TorqAid accredited Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) training.  This is offered in an online format running from the end of July through to mid November 2026, as well as other PDRM client-based workshops. Details of the online program can be accessed here:

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Church disaster recovery volunteer work

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This is a compilation of articles which is designed to be useful for churches involving themselves in post disaster recovery work. As well as some general information on participatory disaster risk management (PDRM), there are some practical examples of inter-church recovery initiatives carried out following both the 2009 Victorian floods, and the 2011 Victorian floods.

The initial article to read is the Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Diagrammatic Framework, which includes some key diagrams for those wanting to better understand how disasters work (and the responses to them!)

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We then include an article from the earlier afore-mentioned inter-church work carried out in Victoria, particularly a report on the use of volunteers. Other documents, such as the development of a Project Design Document (PDD) for funding/submission purposes, can be requested from Chris Piper.

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Finally the reader should note that bushfires are included in Module 1 of the TorqAid online, accredited, Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) program.  This focuses on training for church or agency field staff or volunteers involved in recovery initiatives, something which is, in 2020, complicated somewhat by the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent restrictions.

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Humanitarian & Development Agency Directory

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This Global Humanitarian and Development Agency Directory is an invaluable resource for the Australian or Global Disaster Risk Management (DRM) Practitioners, as well as interested/involved tertiary and secondary students. This latest edition is January – March 2026, and the link to this is:

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The Directory is complemented by the Humanitarian & Development Bibliography which can be accessed from:

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Details of both the Directory and the Bibliography are also included in the TorqAid Toolkit. The link to this is: .

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Material from both the Directory and Bibliography is utilised extensively in the online accredited Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) program.  See link below:

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