NEMO Calls Public on Take Heed of Disaster Preparedness
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Contact: Claudia Monlouis
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 – Since Last Thursday's quake some organizations have contacted the National Emergency Management Office NEMO seeking disaster preparedness sensitization for their members and employees.
The National Emergency Management Office - NEMO is again appealing to the public to take up the mantle of disaster preparedness and sensitization efforts in order to better cope with such occurrences..
Director of NEMO Dawn French says the 7.3 magnitude quake should serve to heighten awareness that a continued state of readiness is the only answer to such unpredictable events.
“Well it's unfortunate that every time something new happens that we have to have the discussion to emphasise that St. Lucia is not only prone to hurricane. When the tsunami occurred in Asia we had the discussion that the region is vulnerable to tsunamis, when the volcano started in Montserrat we pointed that out again now we have an earthquake which we have pointed out over the years that the Caribbean is prone to massive earthquakes.”
Ms. French says usually disaster preparedness messages seem to fall on deaf ears but the organization remains open to assisting all institutions and organizations.
“The Vieux Fort Town Council for example called us up since the earthquake and asked would we come down into the south to do a presentation for them, we are very happy and willing, we don't do earthquake presentations, we do presentations on disaster management which includes the full spectrum of what we do before, during and after a disaster and we look at a number of the threats St. Lucia is prone to, again trying to break this obsession that we have in the Caribbean that the only threat that we have is the hurricane.”
The earthquake rocked the Eastern Caribbean on Thursday, November 29th. Reports of one death came out of Martinique stating that a British citizen succumbed to a heart failure during the quake.
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