Workshop: Journalists taught how to report disasters

Personal safety techniques, first aid basics covered.

GILGIT:

Journalists from seven districts of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) were guided through the process of reporting natural disasters at a three-day workshop on Monday. The workshop aimed to educate the participants about the essentials of disaster reporting and personal safety techniques during disasters.

“The communities living in valleys of G-B are prone to natural disasters, with the climate change already taking a toll on the lives and property of many of them,” said Ghulam Abbas, regional head of Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS) while addressing the participants.

He elaborated that the workshop is designed to help journalists understand the complexities associated with the nature of disasters, enabling them to effectively report such incidents. “We reached out to some 87,976 people affected by disasters and provided them relief,” he said, referring to the calamities including Attabad floods and Talus landslides which claimed lives and damaged property.



Abbas said in G-B the PRCS has a network of 7,371 registered volunteers, of whom most are trained in emergency response. They provided free medication to some 14,713 patients during emergencies in the region, he added.

Furthermore, he said they provided first aid training to transporters, individuals from educational institutions and paramilitary forces to better and timely respond to the calamities. “They are at least 3,000 men who are trained and capable of helping people in distress.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 18^th, 2012.