Tareg said the workshop was essential to the development of Yap’s human resources and vital to the state government’s own preparedness in any natural or manmade disaster.
Yap is susceptible to other new types of disaster aside from natural disasters such as typhoon.
The current pandemic influenza, or the swine flu, is an example of such disaster for which the lt. governor has activated a task force to plan and monitor appropriate responses.
Tareg said while it may be difficult to pinpoint how much technical knowledge and skills have been exchanged and transferred to local participants, he believes the exercise and those previously held in the state have made great impact.
This was evident when a training component such as the incident command system was successfully implemented in recent statewide events.
Wilson is the deputy commanding general for the Army National Guard, U.S. Army Pacific.
He thanked Yap for the courtesy extended to him and the rest of the Department of Defense Joint Task Force-Homeland Defense since their arrival here.
Four workshops were conducted in Yap to ensure that the state will have the necessary elements to improve capabilities when handling a disaster.
Wilson said f the military will not unilaterally put a plan together, but will rely heavily on inputs from the state.
