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A Peace Corps Response Volunteer is needed to serve as a Disaster Prevention Specialist for the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. The volcano of San Miguel is currently showing signs of seismic activity. With a record of 25 eruptions over the past 300 years, the volcano poses a potential threat to about 10,000 people living in proximity to the crater. These residents have no knowledge of shelter locations, evacuation routes, or potential hazards in their area. This puts the population at considerable risk in the event that the volcano should erupt. There is an urgent need to undertake an analysis of the risks and educate and train community leaders on what to do in the event of a pending eruption.
A Peace Corps Response Volunteer with a background in geology or volcanology is needed to assist the communities in the development of a risk map highlighting locations of shelters and evacuation routes. The map should be designed in such a way that nonreaders can easily understand the locations and routes. The Disaster Prevention Specialist will develop a successful methodology for organizing local observers; this methodology will eventually be replicated in other disaster-prone sites and for different hazards. In addition, the Response Volunteer will complete a local observers plan and train a group of 16 community leaders in activities and best practices for disaster preparedness and mitigation.
Qualifications
Mandatory:
* Master’s degree in geology, volcanology, or a discipline involving community-based disaster prevention.
* High level of spoken and written Spanish.
Desired:
* Successful completion of Peace Corps service in a Latin-American country.
* Experience in planning, coordination, and implementation of activities in rural communities with nongovernmental institutions and/or local governments.
* Experience facilitating lectures on disaster prevention topics.
* Previous experience working with rural communities on disaster preparedness.
* Experience preparing risk maps in volcanic areas.
* Organizational skills and the ability to work with little supervision.