This UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit Mission Report describes the findings of an environmental expert who was deployed in Ecuador following a 7.8 magnitude earthquake.

In April 2016, Ecuador was struck by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. With support of the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, the UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit deployed a French environmental expert as part of the UNDAC team.

In the initial phases of the response, the environmental expert led the identification of potential acute or life-threatening secondary environmental hazards. The FEAT was employed to assess the risks posed by damaged infrastructure and industrial facilities in the affected area. Given the massive need for support on debris and waste management, the expert also supported national and local authorities in assessing risks posed by temporary dumpsites. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), who subsequently deployed a team of disaster waste experts through MSB Sweden, continued work initiated by the UN Environment/OCHA Joint Unit deployed expert. The earthquake response coincided with the launch of the Environmental Emergencies Centre (www.eecentre.org) online learning module on Disaster Waste Management in Spanish.

You can download the report here.