The Emergency Management Cook Islands (EMCI) is demonstrating how strategic planning and innovative systems can enhance disaster preparedness across the Pacific. Operating as a small unit within the Prime Minister's Office, EMCI has developed approaches that have been acknowledged with an international award.
During a recent Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP) mission to the Cook Islands, EMCI Director, John Strickland and his team showcased how they are maximising limited resources to protect their scattered island communities. Their crowning achievement? A globally recognised Geographic Information System (GIS) that maps every building and critical infrastructure (water tanks, communications assets, ports, airports etc.) in the Cook Islands.
"Our GIS system stores crucial data about each household – from occupancy to building type and risk profile as well as exposure modelling with regards to hazards such as coastal inundation, cyclones and droughts," explains Director Strickland. This detailed mapping allows for precise disaster planning and response, particularly vital for a nation spread across vast ocean distances. He added that beyond this, the system also contributes to response capabilities such as initial damage assessments and situational reports.
EMCI's internationally recognised geoportal stands as a comprehensive disaster coordination platform that earned the Cook Islands a Special Achievement award in GIS at the 2024 Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc (ESRI) user conference in San Diego, a first for any Pacific nation. The platform enhances local Emergency Operations Centres' capabilities by consolidating critical data layers including building information, population demographics, vulnerability assessments, and infrastructure locations into a single, accessible system.
The award winning Dashboard was developed by EMCI Geoportal Coordinator, Stephano Rampling-Tou but data collection efforts were supported by PCRAFI (SPC) and NEMA (National Emergency management Agency) New Zealand and conducted by community members from the Pa Enua (outer Islands) and Puna members (Rarotonga villages) in coordination by EMCI The portal serves as both a disaster preparedness tool and a public resource, enabling Cook Islanders to better understand climate change impacts and disaster risks in their community. This comprehensive mapping system has supported risk-informed decision making for key agencies such as the National Disaster Council to improve preparedness and during emergencies, particularly crucial for a geographically dispersed nation.
Another key initiative demonstrating EMCI's comprehensive approach to disaster preparedness is the Rarotonga Safety Shelter Program (RSSP). Established in 2021, this program supports the remediation of community and public buildings identified as suitable cyclone shelters. Earlier this year, the Cook Islands government announced that 1eighteen of forty shelters across the island had been assessed by engineers as safe for use during major disasters, marking a significant step towards ensuring community access to secure shelter during emergencies. Under the RSSP, communities can seek some financial support to help make their infrastructure more resilient to disasters.
But EMCI's innovations do not stop at technology. They have pioneered the ‘Puna’ system – community-led disaster committees that emerged during COVID-19 when emergency services were stretched thin. These committees now serve as the eyes and ears of disaster management, maintaining detailed local knowledge, including information about vulnerable community members and coordinate emergency response operations with Government.
The timing of PHWP's engagement is particularly relevant, as the Cook Islands currently faces La Nina conditions in the Northern group and El Nino in the Southern group. At a recent workshop that drew forty-two participants from across government and civil society, discussions centred on the proposed national humanitarian warehouse it envisions in Rarotonga. The EMCI is also hoping that it can receive some further support with prepositioned humanitarian supplies on Penrhyn – a coordination hub for the northern group of the Cook Islands roughly equidistant from Samoa.
The workshop also revealed the strength of Cook Islands' collaborative approach to disaster management. From the National Disaster Council to the community-level Puna system, there is a clear chain of command that enables swift decision-making during emergencies.