Investment in disaster management is key

Ronald Jackson, Executive Director of the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), is concerned that the region is not investing enough in preparedness and response capabilities.

 

He spoke to the media after a two-day meeting with stakeholders held at the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB), where he highlighted the agency’s performance based on certain indicators as measuring success, delivering on most of the targets at an excess of 80 per cent on its performance over the last year. 

 

Jackson elaborated, “Preparedness and response capabilities is an area that I think we have to increase our investment, especially when you look at what is happening in terms of weather-related events related to climate change. The scientists are saying that climate change presents greater hurricanes, more intense drought, floods… If we are saying that is the future, then we have to invest in operational readiness because for the Caribbean the impact from climate change is going to be on the security and safety of the CARICOM citizens. We have to invest in our humanitarian apparatus...

 

“We have to put some more investment into operational readiness, but we should be able to hold our own as we did in Haiti… We have started the dialogue on this matter with Heads of State that there is a greater investment that needs to go into CDEMA and the regional response mechanism. We also have plans to establish our regional CDEMA training centre and we will continually work with the UWI.”

 

He noted in terms of whether we are prepared for the hurricane season, “Our preparedness is linked to national capacities, but we feel that we performed creditably in our response to both Dominica and The Bahamas last year; obviously we had support from the British vessel that was operating in our waters… We are working with uniform groups (Defence Force, etc.) in the region to bring them a bit more into the humanitarian and disaster response frame because at some point these other vessels that are not owned by the Caribbean will return home… 

 

“A catastrophic event such as an earthquake, especially like the one in Haiti, is going to overwhelm what is considered a regional response and will go into an international response, but another mandate of CDEMA is to develop these co-operative protocols within the UN system that when they come in we can effectively co-ordinate that response and be able to continue recovery when assistance leaves…”

 

Senator Winston Garraway from Grenada added, “The role that CDEMA has been called to play is extremely useful. The conversation has started to ensure that leaders become more aware of their responsibility to CDEMA and I expect going forward we will see greater contribution coming forward to ensure that we can deal with all eventualities. 

 

“What came out in the meeting is the need to bring people together to recognise the importance of building resilience within the CARICOM states. However, for the work to get done, there must be equal participation by various states by contributing towards CDEMA. What I noticed in the meetings, there is a consensus. Partners recognise we need to do more in order to create that environment of safety, we must be on our game. Our aim should be to develop a culture of disaster management…” (NB)