They have proven very useful in developing contingency plans in high-risk areas and their medical units. Moreover, six community action promoters, a zonal medical advisor, and two unit conservation chiefs have already been trained, and 1,946 volunteers have participated in regional meetings to exchange experiences and ideas. Contact has been made with the State Civil Protection Directorate, and educational material has been received, including posters, brochures, and audiovisual materials to complement the information produced at the community level. Conclusions Less than a year after the Integral Disaster Response Model was launched, results are encouraging, particularly the high level of participation by the communities and the great work by the RMUs, which have carried out information, guidance, and training activities at the grassroots level. However, much remains to be done.
Preparations are underway for a training program for volunteer brigades.
The Autonomous University of Veracruz has agreed to collaborate with the State Civil Protection Directorate to develop a training and mutual support program to facilitate timely intervention in the event of a disaster. Each community will develop a local contingency plan specifying the activities to be carried out and the strategies for responding to the various adverse events, with the participation of the local authorities, community leaders, health teams, and local inhabitants. It is very important at this stage to secure the participation of municipal authorities in order to coordinate support for the institutions involved in carrying out civil protection activities, as well as to maintain a liaison with health personnel on the ground. The latter task involves taking into consideration the traditional means and ways of communication within the various social networks, the customs, and above all the cultural patterns, particularly in indigenous areas. This stage requires monitoring hydrometeorological phenomena and the messages from the municipal authorities and civil protection bodies so as to issue timely warnings to the population and carry out evacuations, if necessary, as well as deploying RMUs wherever they may be needed.