PRiMO 2023 looks at a new approach to resilience in a changing world

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Pacific International Training Desk (PITD) joined 300+ people April 3-6, 2023 at the Honolulu Convention Center to celebrate 20 years of the Pacific Risk Management ‘Ohana – PRiMO. This year’s theme is Equity and Resilience in a Changing World.

According to the PRiMO website, threats of climate change and COVID-19 have heightened the significance of social and environmental justice. PRiMO 2023 is a platform to re-envision fundamental questions of risk, vulnerability, equity, inclusion, and reconsider our approach to resilience.

The event was an opportunity time to meet with community, state and federal partners; and those with a shared vision of a resilient future to address questions of equity and inclusion, consider pathways to adapt to the changing climate through deepened discussions on science and technology, and solutions.

Topics for year’s event were:

• Pre-disaster Planning and Preparedness
• Housing and Infrastructure Resilience
• Food and Water Security
• Nature-based Infrastructure: Planning and Implementation

PRiMO BACKGROUND

The annual PRiMO conference is for community leaders interested in protecting Pacific Island communities from natural hazards. Each year, hundreds of participants gather to make connections, learn from each other, discuss ongoing initiatives, and design action plans.

The American Samoa 2019 planning team posed for a reunion photo during the recent PRiMO event in Honolulu. (L-R) H. Gingerlei Porter, Director, Pacific International Training Desk; Elinor Lutu-McMoore, Meteorologist-in-Charge WSO Pago Pago; and Tafaimamao Tupuola, State Director American Samoa University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) [courtesy photo]

In September 2019 the annual PRiMO event was held in American Samoa on the week marking the tenth anniversary since the devastating tsunami, which was generated by an 8.1 magnitude earthquake occurring 120 miles southwest of American Samoa, which claimed 34 lives, destroyed multiple homes, businesses and properties, and caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage. 

The 4-day event was organized by National Oceanic an Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

PRiMO's mission is building partnerships for resilient communities in the Pacific.

PITD BACKGROUND

The Pacific International Training Desk (PITD; Pacific Desk) was established on the campus of the University of Hawaii at Manoa (UHM) in 2001 by the US National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Weather Service (NWS) at the Weather Forecast Office (WFO) Honolulu. The Pacific Desk is one of NOAA’s contributions to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Voluntary Cooperation Program (VCP).

The vision of the Pacific Desk is to provide one-on-one basic weather forecast training with an emphasis on the tropics. The training program is focused on operational forecasting to enable the student to prepare and disseminate locally-produced meteorological, hydrological and climatological products for their home countries.