In World Vision Thailand’s Nakhon Si Thammarat Project, a coastal community has faced numerous natural disasters for many years, including coastal inundation, floods, and droughts. Eventually, with support from World Vision Foundation of Thailand and the Thai Red Cross Society and the aspiration of community members who wanted to alleviate the hardship caused by disasters, this transformative power has turned a small community into a national role model.
Going back to the beginning of the transformation, “Our area has experienced disasters, whether it is coastal inundation or annual flooding. We have been facing these constantly,” recounts Prajak Khaedwong, the village headman. “When World Vision Thailand came to work in the area, they recognised the safety of children travelling to and from school. Because we live by the sea, children are at risk in daily life from various disasters.”
World Vision Thailand initially came in as a pilot team to provide training. Subsequently, Sirindhorn Red Cross Station, Thai Red Cross Society, provided continuous training for a full year, empowering the community to be resilient and effectively prepared for disasters.
A community disaster management committee has been formed, consisting of 5 departments, covering all dimensions of disaster response:
- Directorate: Oversees command, control of various departments, and coordinates with external and internal agencies.
- Surveillance and Early Warning: Monitors weather forecasts from the Thai Meteorological Department and observes actual local conditions
- Security: Ensures the safety of villagers and manages evacuations during disasters
- Evacuation and Disaster Relief: Evacuates villagers to assembly points and manages food and provisions
- First Aid and Rescue: Cares for the sick and bedridden individuals in the community
The 50 committee members are all villagers from the community, selected from 6 neighbourhood clusters, comprising network partners such as the Sub-district Administrative Organisation, Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Sub-district Health-promoting Hospital, teachers, doctors, and nurses, with World Vision Thailand and the Thai Red Cross Society serving as mentors.
When will the coastal inundation occur? How will we know?” Village Headman Prajak further explains, “Because our area is adjacent to mangrove forests that connect to the sea, our local wisdom tells us that during the waxing moon from the 14th day until the 5th day of the waning moon, the tide will be high. The high tide will flood the area for about 2 hours and gradually recede over the next 5 hours. However, it causes severe damage during that short period to houses and water sources for drinking and consumption.” By combining modern knowledge from weather forecasts with local wisdom, the community can prepare and respond promptly.
The knowledge gained from the training not only helps people in the community prepare for and manage impending disasters in a timely manner, but it can also be applied to unexpected events that can occur in real life. “Last month, I used the CPR knowledge from the training to save someone’s life,” Village Headman Prajak shares with pride. “I rushed to a pomelo orchard because I was informed that someone had fainted. He was unconscious. I performed CPR and called 1669. I performed chest compressions alone until he was resuscitated. Although the patient eventually passed away after three days in the hospital, the paramedics said that if I had not performed CPR, he might have died instantly that day.”
Another touching story comes from Assistant Village Headwoman Jarunee, who adds, “During the coastal inundation, I was able to help obtain medication for bedridden patients in the community because they could not get out at that time. I felt very proud to have helped all eight vulnerable, bedridden elders.”
This community is not only self-resilient but has also become a role model for other communities. “Staff from Red Cross Stations across the country have come to observe our work, listen to presentations on our preparedness methods, and visit the actual sites,” says Village Headman Prajak. They have also served as mentors and speakers alongside World Vision Thailand in training for neighbouring villages and students in the community as well.
“Development must always start with ourselves first,” Village Headman Prajak concludes. “If we set an example and show them that we are actively working on it ourselves, it is not difficult to get the villagers to participate. But if we only asked the villagers to do it, it would be difficult. The most important thing is the leaders; they must be genuine, and then the followers will have trust in them.
Currently, the community disaster management committee has evolved into mentors for neighbouring villages, collaborating with World Vision Thailand to provide training on disaster management. This has led to their recognition as a model community, with staff from Red Cross stations nationwide and students from Walailak University visiting for study tours. This success stems from sincere and dedicated work, and the engagement of everyone in the community – transforming from a community that once faced natural disasters alone to an empowered disaster management role model.
