A team of five AusAID officials from the Australian Civilian Corps (ACC) arrived in Samoa this week to help the country begin assessing its recovery needs, particularly for transport and water infrastructure which was damaged by Cyclone Evan last month.
Australia responded quickly to the disaster in December to address immediate emergency needs. AusAID provided $1 million in humanitarian aid and deployed four members of its Rapid Response Team. Australia helped coordinate the immediate humanitarian response and provided much-needed relief supplies, funding and logistical support.
The ACC team has been deployed as part of the recovery phase, which follows after immediate humanitarian needs have been addressed. They will help the Samoan Government assess what needs to be done to re-establish crucial infrastructure like roads, water, sanitation and electricity systems, and rebuild homes, schools and health clinics.
The ACC team comprises two water and sanitation engineers, two bridge engineers and an AusAID operations manager. Upon arrival, the team began working with officials from Samoa’s water and land transport agencies to assess damage to major bridges and water supply systems.
A sixth member of the team, a specialist on post-disaster needs assessments, will arrive this Sunday to work with the Samoan Government and the World Bank on broader recovery assessment.
The ACC is a register of civilian specialists that are recruited, trained and managed by AusAID. They can be deployed to countries experiencing or emerging from natural disasters or conflict. ACC specialists assist countries to restore essential services, rebuild government institutions and re-establish economic and social stability.
The current mission to Samoa is a short-term assignment of around two weeks, concerned primarily with assessing the country’s recovery needs. Following their reports and discussions with the Samoan Government, AusAID may send additional specialists on longer-term assignments.
The ACC register consists of more than 380 trained civilian specialists. They are chosen for their technical expertise and ability to work in challenging overseas environments. Specialists are chosen following a rigorous technical selection process as well as medical, psychological and police checks. By June 2014, the register will have some 500 trained specialists with the capacity to rapidly deploy to countries in crisis.
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