 |
[Feedback] |
|
NEMO/BABONNEAU Launch Disaster Preparedness Committee
|
NEMO/BABONNEAU Launch Disaster Preparedness Committee
|
|
Monday November 4, 2000 – Although the Atlantic Hurricane Season (June 01 – November 30) came to an end last week, Saint Lucians are being urged to take caution during this festive Christmas Season. The call has come from top government officials who met to launch a new Disaster Preparedness Committee in Babonneau, on Sunday. Dawn French who is the Acting Director of the National Emergency Management Office (NEMO) says, "Once the Hurricane Season has come to an end we’re now into the Christmas Season and we are all focusing on Christmas and checking our Christmas lights - over loading our power circuits, putting our Christmas lights outside when they’re really designed to be inside. All these things constitute now fire hazards." Ms. French believes that such a committee based in the community can help to expedite the process of dealing with emergencies especially in remote areas and pledged NEMO’s support for its successful operation. In light of the fact that Saint Lucia is prone to disasters of any kind Honourable Michael Gaspard Parliamentary Representative for Babonneau, told residents that there are steps that can be taken to prevent some things from happening. "While we would always seek to minimize the pain, we should always try our best to prevent it in the first place, " he said. He emphasized an old saying, ‘Prevention is Better Than Cure.’ Mr. Gaspard underscored the need for voluntary groups and individuals to participate actively in disaster preparedness efforts. "It is in what we do at the community level and how we do it. What steps we take or don’t take that will decide how effective the national response is," he noted. The establishment of the Babonneau Disaster Preparedness Committee (BDPC) is one of government’s latest attempts at putting the nation in a state of preparedness in the event of a disaster. The installation of such a committee comes at a time when concerns about global warming and its associated phenomenon have reached their highest worldwide. The Babonneau Disaster Preparedness Committee is Chaired by Mary Francis and Edward Emmanuel, a resident of Balata is the BDPC’s Secretary. A day of sporting activities and games was organized to go along with the launching of the committee, all in effort to bring the community together. The committee has had sponsorship from a number of local businesses. Its main sponsor is Caribbean Metals Limited. |
|
© 2001 Government Information Service. All rights reserved. Read our privacy guidelines. |
