O 310424Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 8074
INFO NORTH AF NEA AND SOUTH ASIAN COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE
CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE

UNCLAS MANILA 002957 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR S/ES-CMR, EAP/EX, OBO/OM/AM/EAP 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ABLD AMGT ASEC KSAF MMED RP
SUBJECT: EMBASSY MANILA PREPARED FOR TYPHOON SEASON 
 
REF: (A)06 Manila 4148, (B)06 Manila 4423 
 
¶1.  Embassy Manila remains well-prepared and coordinated with local 
authorities to respond to the upcoming typhoon season, which runs 
through December.  Typically, about 12 typhoons strike the 
Philippines each year.  Mission systems passed a major test on 
September 29, 2006 when Typhoon Millenyo, the worst typhoon to hit 
Manila in ten years, brought down power lines, trees and shanties 
with its 200 mph winds. 
 
¶2.  Philippine national and local authorities have long experience 
with disasters and considerable capacity to respond to them, despite 
limited resources.  The Philippine Defense Department's National 
Defense Coordinating Council, (NDCC) is the coordinating agency for 
natural/man-made disaster monitoring, reporting, and recovery in the 
Philippines.  U.S. Mission personnel have close working 
relationships with NDCC enabling us to be in real-time contact on 
analysis of disasters and requests for assistance.  In 2006 
USAID/OFDA provided nearly $837,000 in assistance in response to 
three declared disasters, two for typhoons and one for mudslides. 
 
¶3.  Mission agencies and sections work as a team with the following 
responsibilities under Chief of Mission leadership: 
 
 ¶A.  An Economic officer tracks and prepares front channel reports 
on major typhoons in the Philippines.  These reports analyze typhoon 
impact on population centers, infrastructure, and the overall 
economy while reporting U.S. assistance, clean-up, and consular 
assistance to affected Amcits. 
 
     ¶B.  The Joint U.S. Military Assistance Group-Philippines 
(JUSMAG-P) maintains liaison with key Philippine Government entities 
responsible for monitoring and assimilating information relevant to 
natural disasters.  Entities include the National Disaster 
Coordinating Council (NDCC), Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical & 
Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), and the Philippine 
Institute of Volcano and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).  JUSMAG assessed 
possible U.S. military support during the three most recent typhoons 
entering the northern part of Luzon although no assistance has been 
requested this year.  In addition to maintaining liaison with Host 
Nation government and military agencies, JUSMAG-P maintains 
communication and reporting with the U.S. Pacific Command (USPACOM) 
Headquarters to coordinate U.S. military assistance for disaster 
relief, when requested by the Government of the Philippines. 
JUSMAG-P remains prepared to stand up its internal support 
operations within an hour of notification and/or anticipation of a 
crisis and act as the USPACOM forward.  They are likewise poised to 
deploy LNOs to forward air/sea hubs to affected areas and embed U.S. 
military advisors with Armed Forces of the Philippines units in 
support of a disaster. 
 
      ¶C.  USAID/Philippines, in coordination with the Office of U.S. 
Foreign Disaster Assistance in Bangkok, monitors the effects of 
typhoons, floods, and other natural disasters to help determine when 
U.S. humanitarian assistance is warranted.  USAID has relationships 
with the Philippine National Red Cross and other local and 
international NGOs for management of relief supplies and livelihood 
recovery through partners, when needed. 
 
      ¶D.  Embassy Management Section's GSO prepares emergency 
support, including emergency lights, water containers, first aid 
kits, gloves, masks and emergency repair supplies.  GSO further 
provides central laundry, water, refrigerator and freezer capacity 
for employees in need, and reserves hotel rooms for displaced USDH. 
The Mission's locally employed staff receives support as well in the 
form of water containers, employee association loans, and supplies 
for emergency residential repair, in addition to emergency 
dormitory, laundry and kitchen access on both compounds, with 
bedding and utensils.  Emergency kits (bedding, water, tools, first 
aid kits, mobile medical supplies) are stored on both Embassy 
compounds for staff in distress and who must stay overnight in an 
emergency while the Facility Maintenance section maintains 
round-the-clock crews to handle emergencies. 
 
       ¶E. Regional Security Office (RSO) responds to life-safety 
concerns of Mission employees and works to ensure the security of 
Mission facilities and residences and readies a large guard force 
for bad weather.  RSO works closely with the Marine Security Guard 
Detachment for radio messaging and ensures that host country 
emergency equipment is available for evacuation or clean-up of 
Embassy facilities. 
 
      ¶F. Finally, the Information Management Section (IMO) manages 
an extensive text messaging, telephone tree and neighborhood warden 
communication system, the backbone of crisis communications. 
 
¶4.  Post is scheduled for an FSI Crisis Management Exercise next 
month and will continue to refine preparations in hopes that, like 
carrying an umbrella on a sunny day, we'll forestall the worst by 
being prepared. 
 
KENNEY