When Typhoon Haiyan ravaged parts of Southeast Asia on Nov. 8, 2013, Canada's response involved several areas of the government. The Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada, National Defence, Citizenship and Immigration, and Health Canada all offered assistance. The RCMP also contributed to the effort by providing its expertise in disaster victim identification to INTERPOL's Incident Response Team.
To better understand the type of assistance that was provided, it's important to appreciate the nature and extent of the damage.
The Philippines was the hardest hit by the super storm. Some reports identified the wind speed of the tropical cyclone as the strongest ever recorded moving over land.
Boats were lifted from the storm surge onto homes along the shore and the typhoon continued to sweep across inhabited areas of the Philippines killing more than 6,000 people. Concrete buildings were devastated, infrastructure was compromised and many other areas were left in ruin.
Ensuring safety and providing assistance to survivors was the priority for the government of the Philippines and for the international support that was arriving. One of the first actions taken was to clear the runway at one of the local airports so that relief efforts in that region could be effectively co-ordinated and implemented.
Search and rescue teams were activated, and medical units offered medical attention to those injured by the storm.
Daunting task
Another critical part of the recovery was identifying how to best tend to the many victims who died following the typhoon. This daunting task not only assists in identifying the deceased and preserving the health and safety of the affected areas, but strives to manage a difficult process in the most humane way possible and with greatest amount of method and precision.
To address this monumental undertaking, two RCMP officers with Forensic Science and Identification Services (FS&IS) travelled to the Philippines to join five other international experts as part of an INTERPOL Disaster Victim Identification (DVI) Incident Response Team.
Within 10 days of the typhoon, the team arrived on site. After visiting the most seriously affected areas to determine the local level of DVI capacity, the team was tasked with preparing a detailed report. The report was designed to assist the government by providing all the potential ways of identifying the disaster victims as well as the planning that should be considered to undertake it.
The team spent two weeks in the region to get a solid understanding and appreciation of the conditions on the ground while also taking note of established customs and traditions.
They met with various government authorities and departments and talked to residents, relief workers, local authorities and others in communities hit by the typhoon. Team members found their own way around the impacted areas and mobilized their efforts so that they didn't present a burden to other ongoing urgent activities.
Determining local capacity
During the initial stages of the visit, members of the DVI team spoke with officials to determine what documents, such as dental records, were available, and what filing systems were in place to help with victim identification. Knowing which documents were permanently destroyed by the storm has an impact on the recommended approach and can alter plans and processes in identifying the deceased.
In addition to building an understanding of the available resources that would help with victim identification, the DVI team closely examined the devastated areas to identify any environmental concerns. The recovery and management of disaster victims is a health issue and it's important to know where to physically manage and dispose of the human remains. The team also needed to consider both the proper storage of unidentified human remains and appropriate sites for mass burials, if necessary.
In the case of the Philippines, there were thousands of victims dispersed over an extensive area. Each disaster victim would need to be examined one at a time to be properly identified. It's a time-consuming process and many factors, including expense, capacity and available expertise, must be considered to assess how quickly the task can be accomplished.
The INTERPOL DVI team takes these practical matters into account, but is also sensitive to ensuring human remains are examined with as much decorum and decency as possible.
The team also surveys conditions to determine whether human remains are appropriately and reasonably secure. There's a responsibility to ensure that looters (or any contaminants) don't compromise human remains and that they're safeguarded to facilitate the best conditions for victim identification.
Another important consideration is the religious and cultural expectations of how human remains are managed and disposed of. Religious rites and ceremonial observances are considered. When planning for victim identification, however, they're not always practical or possible.
In these instances, effective communication structures can help when informing the families and friends of the victims why decisions are made and why certain processes are in place.
Providing awareness
These considerations and others formulate the numerous recommendations and best practices that comprise DVI planning. They're included in DVI reports to not only provide insight into managing immediate victim identification, but also to provide awareness about what local authorities and governments might consider in future planning and in anticipation of emergency situations.
For example, centralizing dental records or having a backup system in place for these types of documents can ensure more accurate and rapid identification of victims in the event of an emergency.
Following a disaster, a country may choose to contact INTERPOL to ask for DVI assistance and expertise. INTERPOL's DVI activities are supported by a steering group and a standing committee on disaster victim identification, both of which are made up of forensic and police experts.
Canada and 12 other countries are part of the steering group that formulates INTERPOL DVI policy and strategic planning. The standing committee comprises a larger membership that meets regularly to discuss improvements to procedures and standards in DVI matters.
DVI experience
Last year, an RCMP member presented to the INTERPOL DVI standing committee on his involvement and experience relating to a DVI mission in Algeria in January 2013 following an attack on a gas plant that killed about 40 foreign workers.
Emergency situations take place in different environments, each with their own unique circumstances. By observing these diverse landscapes and scenarios, those involved can further develop expertise in DVI planning and implementation.
The RCMP participates in INTERPOL's joint DVI assessment teams and shares its experience from various missions. For example, in addition to efforts in Algeria, RCMP DVI experts also responded to the Kenya "Westgate Mall" attack in September 2013 where more than 70 people were killed, including two Canadians.
RCMP DVI members are also engaged in providing support to national disasters, including the Aug. 20, 2011, incident in Resolute Bay, Nunavut, in which a First Air Boeing 737 crashed killing 12 of the 15 people on board.
In natural disaster and emergency situations, the international community is quick to respond and offer support in the form of financial aid, relief supplies, equipment, expertise or other needed services.
The joint assessment by the INTERPOL DVI team following the devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines helped the local government determine potential methods of identifying the disaster victims in a manner consistent with INTERPOL DVI standards.
The RCMP officers took part in developing a report outlining a series of options to help the Philippine authorities to make informed decisions on how to move forward with the identification and repatriation of the victims of the typhoon.
It's a daunting and detail-oriented task that provides families and friends of disaster victims with some closure and potentially gives the deceased a final voice in the wake of tragedy.