Professional and Community Capacity Building Trainings Move Online in Pasto, Colombia

Three successful online trainings were conducted, focusing on increasing skills related to assessing and reducing seismic vulnerability. Community leaders were trained as messengers to disseminate findings from the citywide risk study. A virtual meeting for the community knowledge committee (CKC) in April 2020 introduced leaders from across Pasto to basic concepts of seismic hazard, vulnerability, and risk. Miyamoto program staff, the city's Disaster Risk Reduction office, and the Pasto Firefighters collaborated to develop a strategy for community leaders to define key messages and roll out an awareness campaign tailored for their districts. Community leaders expressed appreciation for the training and commitment to continuing the process. Training for low-cost, post-disaster reconstruction was also conducted virtually in June 2020. The workshop, attended by over 58 officials, engineers, architects, and students, introduced low-cost and low-tech stabilization, repair, and reconstruction methodologies. Polypropylene bands (PP Bands) were highlighted as a novel proposal with lower implementation costs and low technical complexity compared to conventional processes. Participants praised the training for covering fundamental topics in their profession. A three-day virtual training on rapid and detailed assessment methodologies for seismic vulnerability was conducted in June 2020, with over 74 participants attending. The training covered methods for collecting data, identifying hazards, and making recommendations for reducing seismic risk for structures. Participants emphasized the importance of working across sectors to improve citywide structural resilience. The training series also reviewed factors that make buildings susceptible to damage, including construction systems and lack of structural reinforcements. The PREPARE Pasto team's efforts to adapt to the pandemic and provide virtual trainings demonstrate a commitment to building professional and community capacity in Pasto, Colombia. By increasing skills related to seismic vulnerability and providing training on low-cost reconstruction methods, the team aims to reduce the social and economic impacts of earthquakes in the region.