Currently, 36 participants from 31 schools across Lhuentse are attending a six-day workshop on Disaster Preparedness and Response for Safe School, organized by the Department of Disaster Management (DDM).

Apart from Lhuentse, DDM  has targeted four other dzongkhags for the training programme:  Sarpang, Tsirang, Trashi Yangtse, and Paro.

According to the organizer of the workshop, Keshap Moktan from DDM, the students and faculty members have mock drill sessions which are very effective in other countries including Bhutan.

Similarly, the Deputy Chief Liaison Officer at the Ministry of Education (MoE), Kaka Tshering, one of the trainers for the project feels that the workshop is mandatory.

“The September 2011 earthquake left the students of Drugyel Higher Secondary School traumatized because such mock drills were never conducted in their school,” he said adding that in comparison students of Ugyen Dorji Higher Secondary School in Haa were more composed because they had been taught basic rescue skills by the department.

People from the fire service division in Thimphu (Royal Bhutan Police), a doctor from a hospital in Paro and  a trainee from the education ministry (MoE) are also  taking part as trainers in the workshop.

Head of the fire safety and disaster management with the Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC), Thinley Dorji working at the Chukha Hydro Power Corporation, feels that the time for such workshops is now.

“Participants are all interested too, because they don’t get such opportunities always,” he said.

He also said that some participants grasp the tactics taught in the sessions easily while others are slow learners.

“It does not mean that they are not interested but they learn slowly because they are new to such lessons,” he added.

The participants were trained on basic first aid by the doctor  while the trainer from MoE imparted lessons on education in emergency.

Research shows that the fire extinguisher is 99.9% effective, so participants of the workshop were taught how to use a fire extinguisher.

Two members from every Higher Secondary and Middle Secondary School had to attend the workshop, and one each from Community Primary Schools and Primary Schools.

DDM is now left with their last school in Paro for their workshop on Disaster Preparedness and Response for Safe School.

The workshop is funded by Environment and Conservation Organization (ECO) and is routed through Save the Children under United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

The General manager of the general insurance department, Royal Insurance Corporation of Bhutan (RICBL), said owing to the prolonged damage assessment by dzongkhag officials, the disbursement of insurance claims has been stalled for so long. “The payment is long overdue, but the delay cannot be attributed to RICB. We need to wait for reports from the dzongkhag officials”, he said.

To exacerbate matters, RICBL have received only a few assessment reports from dzongkhag authorities.

According to the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), a total of 6,939 houses have suffered damages and the assessment for more than 800 houses is still pending.

RICBL has received the damage assessment report for 6,108 households from the dzongkhag authorities of which 2,685 have been settled and 132 rejected due to non-fulfillment of formalities. The total insurance claims amount calculated by RICBL till now is more than NU 13 billion.

The highest claim made till date is from Paro dzongkhag, the worst affected with 1,881 households followed by 565 houses in Haa. An amount of Nu 52,440,000 has been calculated by RICBL for settlement which is subject to increase because of pending assessment reports. RICBL officials said their office received the damage assessment for Paro dzongkhag only on March 1, 2012. The rural insurance department of RICBL, Thimphu is manned by only two employees while the cases come in thousands. The officials will take at least a month for Paro Dzongkhag alone in settling the claims.

Nganglam suffered the least damage with eight houses affected and insurance claims amounted to Nu 170,000 which was released from RICBL.

An official from RICBL’s rural insurance department, Karma Dorji said, the dzongkhag authorities in the first place delay the assessment report and later the disbursement even when the insurance claims are released from RICBL.

The assessment report document comprises of a joint inspection form and premium receipt for rural house insurance provided by RICBL. The assessment is done by dzongkhag authorities, Royal Bhutan Police (RBP), RICBL official and the Gup or Mangmi.

The issue of delayed assisstance  by the government was raised by Opposition Leader Tshering Tobgay during the last National Assembly. However, the government claimed that the government’s response to the disaster had been adequate, and that enough help was rendered to greived. 565 households in four gewogs of Haa will receive their insurance claims. Within a week’s time from today, RICBL will be disbursing Nu 36,320,000 to households of Samar, Essu, Bjee and Sangbay gewogs.  For the remaining two gewogs in Haa; Kartshog and Gakidling, it means the concerned households need to wait for an indefinite period of time before they receive a penny.

Kartshog Gup Chundu said Lyonchen, on his visit,  assured that everything will be in place in two months but there have been no response at all on the insurance claims till now. “We have no idea as to when we will be receiving something”, he said.

DDM records shows that the disaster caused damage to 6,939 rural homes, 279 Dzongs/Lhakhangs, 90 Chortens, 65 schools/NFE centres, 43 hospitals/BHUs/ORCs, 25 RNR structures, 30 Gup’s offices, 14 other infrastructures and 6 irrigation canals.