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| Disaster Management Project Launched in Nevis |
| By Patrice Pemberton |
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| (L-R) Director of the Nevis Disaster Management Department Lester Blackett looks on as Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Ministry Angelica Elliott signs the MOU, while sitting next to OAS Representative to St. Kitts and Nevis Starret Greene. |
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The Organization of American States (OAS), in conjunction with the Federal Government and the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), formally initiated a Disaster Management and Mitigation Project on Wednesday, June 9, at the Llewellyn Newton Disaster Management Facility, Long Point.
Attendees of the ceremony witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for the project.
Lester Blackett, Director of the Nevis Disaster Management Department (NDMD), said that the project’s purpose is to “streamline disaster preparedness in Nevis.” He gave an overview of the plan in nine points.
o Enable the Federal Government and the NIA to more accurately assess the impact of natural disasters on the economy, and therefore the livelihood of its citizens, in addition to providing baseline data and useful information for future events.
o Regularize planning processes by providing standards, regulations and guidelines.
o Provide training in a number of areas, including total impact assessment (natural hazard, environmental and economic), and in planning development and control.
o Provide information to the general public on all selected aspects relating to physical and economic planning, and disaster management.
o Provide equipment for use in various training programmes, and for use in disaster management situations.
o Provide a significantly enhanced Disaster Management plan, structure, policies, and processes for the benefit of all stakeholders.
o Ensure that mitigation planning is integrated into all essential aspects of the institutional framework, resulting in risk reduction measures.
o Develop additional mechanisms to prepare for and recover from disasters which affect the tourism infrastructure and product.
o Develop school-based disaster programmes accessible to students, creating greater awareness and education.
Blackett stated that over the past 20 years, the Caribbean has been hit by various natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, and floods.
“We now face the threat of tsunamis, triggering the creation of a Tsunami Centre in the Caribbean,” he said.
He mentioned specific hurricanes that have struck Nevis in the past -- Hugo, George, Lenny, and Omar -- and their impacts.
“No longer is it sufficient for governments to settle for disaster strategies that simply speak to preparation just prior to the disaster,” he asserted.
The Director made reference to a remark made by OAS Assistant Secretary General Albert Ramdin, who once described disaster reduction as being “critical to the socioeconomic development of our nations, and well-being of our people.”
“It is therefore to understand that the challenge of national disaster reduction is a hemispheric one, and therefore requires the fullest attention of political leaders,” Blackett concluded.
OAS Representative to St. Kitts and Nevis Starret Greene expressed his satisfaction in his organization’s outreach through its special Multilateral Fund of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development (FEMCIDI), and in being the proud sponsor of the Disaster Management and Mitigation Project in Nevis.
“Considering that we have just entered the beginning of the 2010 hurricane season, the launching of this project is most timely,” he said.
Greene also noted that he was aware of several citizens who pray during the hurricane season for the storms to steer clear of the Caribbean islands. He then proudly declared himself a prayer partner, stating his belief in the importance of continuous praying.
“I am cognizant of the unspeakable, devastating effects that could result from a hurricane strike in our islands,” he continued.
Referring to the recently-held third Disaster and Risk Conference, Greene recalled the following points given during the opening ceremony.
· We have to always expect the unexpected, meaning we should be constantly rethinking our emergency system.
· More attention should be paid to non-engineering measures.
· Disasters have become the order of the day, thus we must become familiar with them.
· Everything is linked, and we have to look at disasters in coordinated and integrated ways.
“The launch of this project and the signing of the MOU that will govern the terms and conditions under which it is implemented are a testimony that we are making meaningful progress in this regard,” he said.
Greene commended Blackett, staff members, and members of partnering agencies for working together to create the project, which has only 14 months to be completed.
He underscored that good management and full cooperation would ensure its successful implementation.
The NDMD Project Planning Committee has three other partners: the Economic Planning and Statistics Agency; the Physical Planning, Natural Resources and Environment Agency; and the Ministry of Tourism.
A member of the Committee, Tamica Lawrence of the Ministry of Tourism, expressed her pleasure of being a partner in the project.
“Our partnership with this project is essential … The project will identify current risks and assist in mitigating those risks through streamlined planning of economic development, physical development, and tourism-related policies,” she said.
Lawrence spoke of the effects of Hurricane Omar (in October, 2008), which significantly damaged the Five-Diamond rated Four Seasons Resort. Nevis has reportedly lost 40 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) with the resort closure. She relayed the fact that “many sacrifices” have been made in the past 20 months, as the island struggled to cope with this negative impact.
“We will not be reinventing the wheel, but rather utilizing the skills and insights of Caribbean experts, and adapting best practices to our local situation,” Lawrence stated.
Permanent Secretary in the Premier’s Ministry Angelica Elliott spoke on behalf of the Premier, Hon. Joseph Parry, who was unable to attend due to another engagement.
“The level of enthusiasm that Mr. Blackett continues to shower on disaster management cannot go unnoticed,” she said, noting further of the Director and his staff,
“They continue to exude a level of commitment, even in the face of the doubting public.”
She thanked Greene for “smiling on yet another project for Nevis,” and for partnering with the NIA to improve the human capacity to deal with disasters.
After Elliott’s speech, she and Blackett both signed the MOU.
Brian Dyer, Project Officer of the NDMD, chaired the ceremony and acknowledged two affiliates of the group, Ray John and Natalie Fough. John, who owns a business in disaster management and preparedness, performs consultant work for NDMD, while Fough, a Red Cross representative, assists them with workshops.
A representative from the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), who resides in Barbados, was not present at the ceremony due to receiving the invitation at short notice. CDEMA was responsible for the development of a Nevis Island Disaster Plan, and for the local adoption of the Regional Tourism Disaster Strategy produced in conjunction with the OAS and the Caribbean Tourism Organization (CTO).
Ernie Dore of the Economic Planning & Statistics Agency thanked a number of organizations, establishments, and individuals who played a vital role in the project’s launching. Among them were Carla Liburd, Carl Claxton, TDC, LIME, the Ministry of Finance, Royal St. Christopher & Nevis Police Force, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UNECLAC).
UNECLAC is responsible for organizing workshops focusing on economic evaluations following a disaster.
NDMD’s mission statement reads as follows: “The Nevis Disaster Management Department will develop and implement a Comprehensive Disaster Management Plan for the present and the future, and shall develop its resources along with the public and private sector, to maximize efforts to prevent, prepare for, mitigate, respond to, recover and restore from, the effects of disasters.” |
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