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Contact:
John Emmanuel
Tuesday, May 27, 2003 - Delegates representing the Caribbean Disaster
Emergency Response Agency (CDERA), the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) and the
National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO) on Tuesday, May 27, 2003 began
a three-day workshop here, aimed at assisting the Government of St. Lucia in the
development of a National Hazard Mitigation Policy. The delegates have begun
examining ways and means of reducing the effects of numerous hazards that
Caribbean states are susceptible to like hurricanes, tropical storms, volcanic
activity and droughts.
This week’s three-day exercise comes after huge sums have been invested in the
region over the years in relation to disaster management, with little or no
demonstrated reduction in the vulnerability of Caribbean states to natural
hazards. “It has become clear to CDB that there was a need to assist our BMCs to
shift from the traditional approach of managing disasters, through the use of
reactive methods such as disaster response and rehabilitation, to one of
managing hazard risk, emphasising the proactive approaches to hazard mitigation
and prevention,” said Dr. Cassandra Rogers, Consultant Project Manager of the
Disaster Mitigation Facility of the CDB to the opening ceremony.
In light of that the CDB among others like CDERA, have made firm commitments to
mainstream disaster mitigation into development planning decision-making as a
key strategy towards vulnerability reduction. Given the increasing cost
associated with natural disasters, more and more agencies and regional
governments are paying keen attention, with the St. Lucian government being no
exception. “Recent hazard events affecting St. Lucia have further exposed the
fragility of the social and economic infrastructure of a country striving to
improve the well being of its people. Tropical Storm Lily in 2002 resulted in
over EC$20,000,000 in direct losses across a range of sectors including
transport, business, agriculture and environment, said Avril Alexander, a
representative of CDERA to the three day event. She went on, “this event along
with others, have left no doubt that the sustainability of our hard fought socio
economic progress is very much in question if the issue of loss reduction is not
addressed aggressively and urgently.”
Both CDB and CDERA have developed a Model National Hazard Mitigation Policy for
the Caribbean which provides a framework by which individual countries may
implement hazard mitigation measures in a structured manner. It will also serve
as a guide allowing for the development of country-specific national policies.
The St. Lucia exercise is the 4th in the seven part series funded by the
Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and United States Aid Agency (USAID).
The exercise is taking place at the Office Shop’s Conference Room in Sans Souci.
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