In some countries where natural disasters are prone to occur, FEBA’s teams are always ready and equipped to lend a helping hand – both spiritually and in a very practical manner through its First Response Radio (FRR) team members.
“An FRR mindset [means we are] ready to be in the response area when a disaster comes or even when it’s approaching; that we are mobilising and we are ready to deploy at any given minute, ready to give communication as aid.” This is how Luis M. Castillo, director of FEBA Philippines, sums up the mindset necessary to serve listeners through First Response Radio.
His team deployed on 24 July 2024, when Typhoon Carina turned into a super typhoon and combined with the seasonal monsoon rains, as well as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Butchoy, to wreak havoc in the Philippines. The Philippine Star reports that an estimated 4.8 million people have been affected by the severe flooding, and members of the FEBA Philippines staff are included in this number.
“Our staff are okay, with some of their homes affected by the flooding,” says Director Castillo. “They and their families are safe, by God’s grace.
The FEBA Philippines radio stations in the affected areas switched to First Response Programming, which includes airing announcements and updates from government and aid agencies, while also sharing information on places to find shelter, medical assistance, and food, and ways to reconnect with family members.
What is First Response Radio?
The idea for First Response Radio took root after the destructive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, when the lack of effective communication with afflicted areas became clear. It was developed in partnership with FEBC/FEBA International, and today there are multiple trained FRR teams in the Philippines, Indonesia, Pakistan, Nepal and India.
Teams are equipped with and trained to operate a “studio-in-a-suitcase”, and to establish an emergency radio station in an affected area within 72 hours. They also take emergency supplies of radios to distribute in the target community so that people have access to the broadcasts. In addition to practical help, FRR teams also broadcast messages of encouragement and hope, and play music. They usually stay on air for 30 days following the disaster, with broadcasts gradually shifting from relief work to programs that focus on counselling and daily living, including practical information about housing and job opportunities.
FRR stations occasionally act as catalysts for permanent FEBA radio stations. When Typhoon Yolanda devastated Tacloban in the Philippines in 2013, FRR Philippines performed so well that the community begged them to stay on. A few years later, FEBA Philippines’ DYFE FM was on air.
This shows us that God can open doors even in disasters. Join us in praying for FEBA’s FRR teams worldwide, as they courageously enter disaster areas to share with stricken communities the powerful truth of Psalm 46:1-2: “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea.”
