Stronger disaster response capacity for St George North DEO

A new cache of emergency equipment is expected to significantly improve disaster response in St George North, giving community teams the tools to coordinate faster and operate more effectively when emergencies strike.

The Department of Emergency Management presented the equipment at DEM headquarters at No. 24 Warrens Industrial Park, as part of a project to strengthen the rural constituency’s district emergency organisation, which was funded through the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency’s (CDEMA) Building Resilience of CARIFORUM States to Disaster Risks and Climate Change Impacts (BRICS) programme supported by the European Union.

Chairman of the St. George North DEO Roderick “Rickie” Yarde described the handover as an important milestone in enhancing the district’s disaster response capabilities:

“Today represents the strengthening of community resilience, improved operational readiness and a significant advancement in the capacity of the Saint George North District Emergency Organisation to support disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts within our district.”

Yarde explained that the initiative stemmed from an agreement signed in April 2022 between the DEM and CDEMA under the BRICS project to strengthen the district organisation’s ability to coordinate emergency operations at the community level.

He said the newly acquired equipment will be used to outfit the district’s Satellite Emergency Operations Centre (SEOC), which will serve as a hub for coordinating on-the-ground emergency response and ensuring the efficient flow of information during disasters.

“As a district emergency organisation, we have a responsibility to support the mandate of the Department of Emergency Management and contribute to the wider objectives of the National Emergency Management System. This investment provides the St George North DEO with additional capacity to better fulfil that responsibility.”

But, Yarde said, equipment alone would not guarantee success.

“Equipment alone does not create capacity. People do,” he said, adding that volunteers assigned to the SEOC will receive training in the proper use, care and management of the equipment, while regular exercises and drills will be conducted to test readiness and improve procedures.

CDEMA’s planning and business development manager Andria Grosvenor thanked the European Union for supporting the BRICS programme, which she said has enabled the regional agency to strengthen disaster management at the community level.

“We have been able through the BRICS programme to work alongside our participating states to deliver investments that respond directly to nationally identified priorities,” she said. “Barbados has consistently demonstrated leadership in identifying initiatives that strengthen disaster preparedness from the community level upward, ensuring that resilience begins where disasters are first experienced – in our communities.”

St. George North MP Toni Moore welcomed the donation, noting that it was the culmination of years of work. She also highlighted the importance of disaster preparedness for inland communities.

“When you are in the centre of the country…you tend to feel [disasters] in a different way when it comes to drainage and freak acts of nature,” Moore said. “Resilience is something that has to be a journey for all of us.”  

(SB)