PH Consulate General in San Francisco Hosts U.S. Government-Led Disaster Preparedness Seminar

Consul General Henry S. Bensurto Jr., currently the President of the SFCC, addresses the participants of the U.S. government-led disaster preparedness seminar “Building a Strong Consular Corps Partnership Towards Disaster Preparedness and Response” on 21 March 2019 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center. (San Francisco PCG photo)

SAN FRANCISCO 08 April 2019 – The Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco hosted the United States government-led disaster preparedness seminar, “Building a Strong Consular Corps Partnership Towards Disaster Preparedness and Response” on 21 March 2019 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center.

The seminar was organized by the U.S. Department of State Office of Foreign Missions (DoS-OFM) and the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (SFDEM) in collaboration with the San Francisco Consular Corps (SFCC) and the League of San Francisco Consular Corps (LSFCC).

U.S. State Department Office of Foreign Missions-San Francisco Regional Director Clayton Stanger emphasized that the seminar’s objective was to help attendees better prepare their organizations for any disaster with a view to ensuring continuity of operations and provision of assistance to their nationals.

Consul General Henry S. Bensurto Jr., current President of the SFCC, underscored the importance of the seminar, especially for a country prone to disasters like Philippines, which is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire. “Developing an effective disaster or crisis response program will benefit any organization… all of us need a plan in the event of a disaster or crisis,”  he said.

The two-hour seminar focused on the scenario of a major earthquake in the San Francisco Bay Area, a magnitude 7.0 temblor, along the Hayward Fault, which was the subject of studies by the United States Geological Survey. It discussed the possibility of major damages, as well as opportunities for cooperation and resources for the San Francisco Consular Corps and their constituents, in a scenario called, “The Haywired Scenario.” The scenario was set in highly urbanized and interconnected Bay Area, with a major earthquake emanating from the Hayward Fault.

Assistant Deputy Director Bijan Karimi, and Resilience and Recovery Manager Alicia D. Johnson at the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management (SFDEM) gave an overview of San Francisco’s hazards, as well as general contingency and response plans for continuity of operations. DoS-OFM Associate Regional Director Matthew Davis also made a presentation on the role of OFM in times of disasters, especially in support of foreign Consular Missions in San Francisco Bay Area and beyond, in view of their role to provide information on affected citizens.

Heads of Consular Missions, consular officers and officials from DoS-OFM, SFDEM and Office of Protocol of the Office of the SF Mayor, LSFCC members led by Mrs. Ann Mariza Sanchez-Bensurto, LSFCC President, and Philippine Consulate General in San Francisco personnel attended the seminar. END

U.S. State Department Office of Foreign Missions-San Francisco Regional Director Clayton Stanger speaks about the objective of the seminar “Building a Strong Consular Corps Partnership Towards Disaster Preparedness and Response” on 21 March 2019 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center. (San Francisco PCG photo)

San Francisco Department of Emergency Management Resilience and Recovery Manager Alicia D. Johnson shows to the participants the Multi Hazard Disaster Lifecycle to help attendees learn how to better prepare their organizations, staff, and foreign nationals to respond to and recover from disasters, including a major earthquake in the area during the seminar “Building a Strong Consular Corps Partnership Towards Disaster Preparedness and Response” on 21 March 2019 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center. (San Francisco PCG photo)

U.S. State Department Office of Foreign Missions-San Francisco Associate Regional Director Matthew Davis moderates the discussion on the role of the OFM during the disasters while the participants, mostly form the different foreign consular missions in San Francisco, listen attentively during the seminar “Building a Strong Consular Corps Partnership Towards Disaster Preparedness and Response” on 21 March 2019 at the Kalayaan Hall of the Philippine Center. (San Francisco PCG photo)

For more information, visit www.sanfranciscopcg.dfa.gov.ph, www.philippinessanfrancisco.org or https://www.facebook.com/PHinSF/.