CDEMA’s Executive Director, Ronald Jackson, addressing the audience at an event to mark the years of partnership between CDEMA and USAID on Monday. Also pictured are Barbados’ Home Affairs Minister, Edmund Hinkson; Minister of Tourism, Heritage, Environment, Gaming and Disaster Management, Turks and Caicos Islands and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of CDEMA, Ralph Higgs; and USAID Administrator, Mark Green.
CDEMA’s Executive Director, Ronald Jackson, pointing out some of the equipment used at CDEMA’s headquarters to USAID Administrator, Mark Green; Barbados’ Home Affairs Minister, Edmund Hinkson; and US Ambassador to Barbados, the Eastern Caribbean and the OECS, Linda Taglialatela.
A section of the audience present at Monday’s event.
CDEMA receives assistance
THE Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) will receive $10 million from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to bolster disaster preparedness and response across the region.
USAID Administrator, Mark Green, announced these funds will be given as he addressed an event to mark the years of partnership between CDEMA and USAID on Monday at CDEMA’s Resilience Way Office.
Green said the decision to make this investment is in line with USAID’s commitment “to helping our partners across the Caribbean prepare for the worst and avert disasters before they occur”.
He added: “These new resources will support activities that minimise the damage of disasters, reduce the loss of life and enhance response efforts. At the local level, that means things like training for first responders, education and messaging campaigns for communities and the development of localised emergency response plans. At the national level, the assistance will help to harmonise policies and operational procedures across agencies, ensure that facilities and equipment meet international standards and facilitate post-disaster performance reviews and assessments. Regionally, the funding will support intergovernmental co-ordination and information sharing helping each Caribbean nation to work together to face a shared threat.”
The day’s announcement came on the heels of an investment made in August this year. Then, “under the umbrella of the US government’s Caribbean Resilience Partnership, USAID contributed $2 million to the Caribbean Institute for Metrology and Hydrology to strengthen weather research and forecast systems all across the region”.
Speaking on the side-lines of the day’s event, CDEMA’s Executive Director, Ronald Jackson, further explained the $10 million will go towards various projects the agency is hoping to embark on.
“At the moment, we have discussed with USAID a number of priority areas that we are looking at advancing, our community-based disaster management programme, looking at identifying vulnerable communities and instituting measures that are going to help with building their resilience. We have looked at strengthening preparedness for response at the national level but also regional levels, and we are currently working with a number of regional specialised institutions … and a number of other partners including the University of the West Indies on specific programmes that advance in recovery planning, community preparedness and we are going to look to see how we can support that collaborative partner engagement in delivering on the resilience agenda.” (MG)