Media, local disaster management practitioners must work hand in hand

Media and local disaster management practitioners must work together to better inform and educate the public about disaster preparedness and to also apprise members of the public about key matters, when disaster strikes.

Danielle Skeete, Programme Officer with the Department of Emergency Management (DEM) stressed the above, as she delivered remarks on the occasion of the first meeting of the Public Information and Education Standing Committee of Emergency Services for 2018. The meeting was held at DEM Headquarters in Warrens Industrial Park, St. Michael.

“The devastation which occurred in many of our neighbouring islands during the now infamous 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season, served as a sobering reminder to our local disaster management practitioners, of what could happen to our own island, simply because of our geographic location,” Skeete noted

“The success of both the local and foreign media in bringing to those of us outside the impact zone, the visuals of the damage which was incurred in neighbouring islands was priceless and made very real for us in Barbados, the situation across our region,” she further commented.

“The local media’s role therefore in disseminating timely and accurate information to our general public, must never be discredited. The media must never be left out of the loop, in times of pending disaster. Rather, media and local disaster management practitioners must workhand in hand to ensure that our population is well prepared for and realistically anticipates what can occur on our island,” the programme officer stressed.

“Granted we cannot control the frequency or intensity of a hazard event, but we can certainly keep our public well informed and educated on preparedness and mitigation measures, thus giving them every opportunity to secure lives and livelihoods,” Skeete concluded.