Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, signs a contract for the first phase of the Makkah region Crisis and Disaster Management Center in Jeddah Monday evening. — Okaz photo SR49.85m bid for first phase awardedJEDDAH – Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, Emir of Makkah region, announced at his Jeddah office that a SR49.85 million contract has been awarded for the first phase of a project to establish the Crisis and Disaster Management Center. The project was approved by King Abdullah to be set up as part of the 10 points referred by the Emir of Makkah to find radical solutions to problems resulting from rains and floods last year in the Jeddah Governorate. The first phase of the project will merge radio equipment used by all relevant sectors into the Center and establish the ability to receive live video feeds from up to four Civil Defense helicopters at the same time, said Ahmad Al-Saleem, Director General of the Rainwater and Flood Drainage Project. The first phase will be completed within 152 days from the date of signing the contract, he added. Prince Khaled said the Center will provide the necessary mechanisms to manage crises and disasters, upgrade efficiency of monitoring performance, coordinate between sectors and provide the necessary information for fast decision-making to deal with problems as they develop. The 450-square-meter Center is to be located the Makkah Emirate building in Jeddah, he added. Prince Khaled pointed out that a team of consultants has prepared the scope of work for the Crisis and Disaster Management Center by evaluating the latest international criteria for equipping similar centers through field visits to cities abroad. The team is cooperating and coordinating with 25 civil and military sectors that will be linked with the Center, he added. The Center will use the latest wireless telecommunications and visual systems to manage any crisis that might endanger public safety and provide coordination and swift communication between authorities, Al-Saleem said. Those factors, which contribute to abilities to make the right decisions at the right times, are among the most important to guarantee control of the events and raise the standard of management efficiency, he added. The organization relies on the principle of providing a general, unified picture of any event to authorities working to address it in order to raise the level of coordination and performance, Al-Saleem said. The second and final phase includes installation of 150 monitoring cameras in Jeddah and other computerized equipment to help provide clear, unified awareness of any event and support coordination and performance, he said. A microwave system will be used to link cameras installed in Jeddah with the Center, he added. The project is an addition to accomplishments to support Jeddah's preparations for rainy seasons and other crises, Prince Khaled said. __
