The objective of the exercise was to improve the level of response to international humanitarian and environmental disasters. The exercise promoted cooperation between members of the International Humanitarian Partnership (IHP) and UN-OCHA, and tested lines of communication and logistics. Special attention was given to interaction with the media, safety, cultural aspects, the specific needs of people with disabilities and local gender relations during disasters.

Environmental Assessment Module
In order to respond to environmental emergencies, local authorities must quickly apprehend what the risks are and which measures will work. If there is a need for specialist advice on the consequences for human health and the environment, a request can be made for assistance from the EAM. This goes through the UN and the Dutch ministries of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment and of Foreign Affairs. In September 2008 these ministries gave the Netherlands Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) responsibility for ensuring the availability of the module 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
In August 2008 the EAM team attended a special UN training course to prepare them for putting the module into operational use. During Triplex the team put what they had learned into practice and tested the performance of the module’s ICT equipment and sampling and analysis apparatus.
The EAM team had a leading role in developing the environmental part of the exercise scenario. This exercise focused on field work during environmental emergencies. Teams of environmental experts from various countries were given the opportunity to participate in the exercise.

Environmental scenario
The exercise revolved around floods affecting two fictitious countries – Westlandia (Norway) and Eastlandia (Sweden) – which caused large numbers of casualties. The scenario also had an environmental disaster component in which several ‘near-real’ situations were simulated. These included a fire caused by a short circuit in a polyurethane factory and the discovery that the flooding had exposed chemicals buried in a landfill.
During the exercise the EAM team cooperated with the following organisations:

• The Swedish Rescue Services Agency (SRSA), which assumed the task of evaluating and identifying possible environmental risks by associate experts;
• The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), with expertise in assessing and identifying potential humanitarian risks;
• The team from the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA), who were responsible for chemical decontamination and field detection.

Results
The IHP partners Sweden, Norway and the UK organised the exercise. In total about 120 people from the various organisations took part.
The participants were impressed by the commitment shown by the role players and the exercise staff. Although the evaluation still has to be made, the exercise has already thrown up many valuable lessons for the EAM. These relate to the use of the module, the safety of the team, import and export regulations for the module and dealing with the communication structures of the UN.
The response shows that exercises of this nature are highly useful; for all four teams it was the first opportunity to get acquainted with each other’s working methods. During the exercise, which lasted for three days, they got to know each other and gradually formed a well-oiled and solid working unit. In the end they acted as a single environmental team rather than four separate teams.

The future
Triplex generated much information about the organisation of EAM. The lessons learned from this exercise will improve the performance of the EAM in disaster relief efforts coordinated by the UN. The exercise paved the way for joint response with other teams of environmental experts during such emergencies.

More information

• Environmental Assessment Module (EAM)