SXMElections.com

 PHILIPSBURG--The need for a paradigm shift in disaster risk management to “put people at the centre” of preparedness, “instead of the last” was expounded on by Christa Hillebrandt-Andrade, Chairperson of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions ICG/CARIBE EWS-X.

Hillebrandt-Andrade, speaking Tuesday morning at the opening in the group’s three-day meeting at Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort and Spa, added that the community must be kept “front and centre” in preparedness, especially with more and more people moving to coastal areas.

“Tsunami is no longer a forgotten danger in the Caribbean,” she said, calling for “the development of a culture of evacuation” to reduce risks in times of disaster. Developing such as culture would work to “best protect residents, visitors and the economy” of group members.

She commended the growth of warning stations in the region and the way members countries in the group have been working together to strength tsunami risk reduction. Funding, however, remains a challenge for the group and its members to strengthen their response to disaster risk.

Speaking via a video message, Executive Secretary of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) Vladimir Ryabinin called for focus on education and awareness projects to equip residents and wider communities about risk and preparedness.

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs told participants managing risk is of paramount importance for government. He said reacting to disasters such as tsunamis need to be efficient and countries are only as strong as the weakest link in the chain. “All islands have to be equally prepared.”

This 10th regional meeting is hosted by the St. Maarten Government via the Office of Disaster Management and Fire Department. Specific attention is being placed by participants on recommendations for a Tsunami Service Model, a Tsunami Community Recognition Programme, the CARIBE WAVE 2016 regional tsunami exercise and evacuation maps, as well as a strategy for funding mechanisms.

ICG/CARIBE EWS was established in 2005 as a subsidiary body of the IOC-UNESCO (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission-United Nations Educational, Scientific, Cultural Organization) with the purpose of providing efficient assistance on tsunami risk reduction to Member States in the Caribbean region after lessons learnt from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Some 50 persons from across the Caribbean Region representing disaster and emergency management departments and agencies from regional and international organizations are attending the three-day conference.