Hisan: From frontlines of tsunami response to head of national disaster agency

Even now, it is difficult for him to recall that day where so many lost their loved ones without the opportunity to say goodbye; when numerous houses were destroyed; and when countless people were left suffering without food or water. Everything was wiped away before our eyes in mere seconds.

Subsequently, Maldives was in a state of distress. The cries of people echoed throughout the nation as it tackled one of its worst-ever crises; the Great Tsunami of Indian Ocean on December 26^th, 2004.

One of the individuals who most closely witnessed the devastation was then-Lance Corporation at MNDF and current CEO of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Hisan Hassan as someone crucially involved in providing care for the people brought from islands to Male’, sending basic necessities to islands and communicating with islands about their situation.

While this was a sorrowful experience for Hisan, it was also one that changed his whole life.

Inception of NDMC and commencement of operations

It was then-president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom who incepted the National Disaster Management Commission (NDMC) via a presidential decree for the provision of aid for residents of islands impacted in the tsunami.

“A ministerial taskforce was incepted then. Different roles were assigned to different people. MNDF was tasked with leading the whole operation. Back then, it was named National Security Service,” Hisan, who had assumed the responsibility on behalf of MNDF recalled.

The Commission began its operations without any further delay at Iskandar School. Hisan was tasked calling islands to gather status updates from islands such as the state of their residents and the damages recorded.

It was not an easy task by any means.

“Back then, we had talkies. Those talkies can be connected to island offices and atoll offices. It can even be connected to some MNDF stations. Thus, information was gathered by passing on messages between one office and another,” he explained.

According to Hisan, the heartbreaking stories he heard from M. Kolhufushi remain with him to date as something he will never forget.

“The individual who spoke was shaking and was only able to convey a few things. Was not in a state to speak any further. It was relayed that many people from the island had passed away and there was no way to bury them. That it was raining and there was no drinking water. That all remaining residents were aboard vessels and no one was on the island. That the corpses of the deceased were kept at the school,” he detailed.

Efforts to provide aid commence

After gathering status updates from the islands, efforts then commenced to organize aid received from well-wishers and entrepreneurs. They were first kept at Iskandar School’s hall and later moved to Aminiyya School’s hall due to space constraints.

“There was a door at Iskandar School back then, through which Aminiyya School can be accessed. The items were moved to Aminiyya School this way. It was already midnight on that day,” he said.

However, Hisan noted that transportation of aid to individuals most in need had commenced in the afternoon of that day.

The biggest obstruction NDMC faced in these efforts was the geographical formation of the Maldives of scattered islands.

“Other nations are made up of just land, where [aid] can be transported at the earliest via land transport. But the sea is all around us in the Maldives,” he stressed.

As such, Maldives’ Coastguard received assistance from militaries of other nations in the transportation of aid, he added.

Hisan said the thought of giving up in the face of these difficulties had not crossed his mind as he had witnessed the state people were left in. He had spent so many days and nights in this work, with the spirit of unity invoked by the crisis.

NDMC to NDMA: Ready for any crisis today

From the date of the tsunami, until 2015, NDMC undertook all efforts necessary to overcome the disaster.

Later on, a dedicated agency, National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), was incepted in 2018, under the Disaster Management Act as the main coordinating body for disaster management activities at the national level and increasing preparedness for such events to reduce subsequent damage.

The authority’s mandate includes identifying immediate response and relief requirements, and organizing and coordinating ways to provide relief aid with other authorities concerned in the event of natural disasters and otherwise. This includes the provision of temporary shelter to those whose homes become uninhabitable due to the incident and the provision basic necessities for such individuals. They are also responsible for seeking assistance on national and international scale in connection to disasters.

At present, NDMA is the body rendering the most assistance for residents of Maldives impacted in fires, swell waves, or flooding caused by severe weather conditions.

Apart from this, through its efforts, NDMA has evaluated the extent of damage Maldivian islands could possibly face due to various disasters and identified measures that can be implemented to prepare for them.

“Maldives is a low-lying country. A country that is significantly impacted by climate change. Hence, efforts to assess the impact of such factors on the Maldives and formulate reports in this trajectory are still ongoing,” Hisan said.

Encouragement to remain committed to humanitarian aid from a devastating disaster

Hisan has first-hand witnessed the difficulties faced by the individuals who were shifted to Male’ from islands that were living in temporary shelters. He has first-hand witnessed the heartbreak felt by the people across the Maldives following such a devastating disaster.

“Even three months since the tsunami, corpses of deceased individuals from Asian nations were washing up on islands. I saw corpses at a state that we had to identify whether they were female or male from the clothes they were wearing,” he detailed.

Hisan has visited all islands impacted in the tsunami for damage assessment. In this trajectory, he has researched the extent the lives of people were altered by the incident and the efforts being undertaken to overcome the situation.

The conclusion he came to through his extensive research was the need for a helping hand to overcome difficult situations.

Hisan worked on behalf of MNDF on the task force incepted to provide relief aid following the tsunami until 2011. In 2011, he resigned from MNDF and assumed the position of Project Director at NDMC.

NDMC was shifted to NDMA, and now he is the CEO of the authority.

Despite joining the security forces at the young age of 16 with big dreams – he decided to leave his job to work at a body providing humanitarian aid due to the encouragement he received from the tsunami.

“I am someone who worked at MNDF after completing air trafficking and radar training courses. However, I decided to move forward with this work due to the experience I gained during the tsunami. Because of this experience, I wanted to remain committed to providing humanitarian aid,” he said.

Nevertheless, Hisan expressed his belief that his training and experience during his time at MNDF enabled him to remain in this field of work despite witnessing heartbreaking situations. Still strong-willed, Hisan has no intention of heading home from the front row of the provision of humanitarian aid.