Voices of Preparedness: Patricia Solórzano, Costa Rican Red Cross

What preparedness initiatives has the Costa Rican Red Cross implemented?

For the Costa Rican Red Cross, it’s a priority to be there when communities are facing different situations that require our assistance and our humanitarian services.

We have hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts that demand an effective and immediate response. The Preparedness for Effective Response approach has been very useful because this allows us to analyze our operational capacities and to adapt them to the real necessities that the communities are having.

Also, it’s a way that we have fulfilled our auxiliary role of mandating our country to be always prepared or give that assistance and humanitarian services that our country is requiring. We are working hard in the strengthening of our Emergency Operational Center (EOC).

This is the way that we are going to give to the staff and volunteers the tools that we require to be all in good coordination and the knowledge to be prepared to give an effective response to the communities when they are required from the Costa Rican Red Cross services.