Volunteerism vital in emergency crises

THE Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) considers the support provided by local DEOs to the Department of Emergency Management to be vital to the effective preparation for and response to emergency events in Barbados.

So says Executive Director Ronald Jackson, as he lauded the work carried out by the St. James Central DEO, which is currently celebrating its tenth year.

“The same is true of other district level emergency organisations throughout the region and the support that they provide to the national disaster offices throughout the region.

“This support is critical as, in the Caribbean region, we are vulnerable to a broad range of hazards. Tropical storms, hurricanes, flooding, droughts, earthquakes, tsunamis, as well as various types of man-made hazards like fires and spills. A number of events caused by these hazards have occurred in Barbados in very recent times.

“Historically, Hurricane Janet may have been the most impactful. Others, though we have not experienced them, have impacted upon our close Caribbean neighbours, such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake. So, we can no longer have a false sense of security that they cannot occur here. These hazards have the potential to significantly impact upon and even reverse the development gains that we have achieved individually and collectively at the community and national level.”

Jackson explained that one of the central tenets of the Comprehensive Disaster Management (CDM) approach which CDEMA promotes is that reducing the vulnerabilities of communities to hazards and lending support to fellow community members in the event that a disaster does occur, is the responsibility of all sectors and people in a society.

“In this regard, we highly value and strongly encourage volunteerism.

“Volunteer-based groups, such as the St. James Central DEO, play key roles in all phases of the disaster management cycle: preparedness, disaster response and post-disaster rehabilitation.

“As you are aware, DEOs were organised to support the National Disaster Office in undertaking disaster education and awareness building at the community level; providing initial emergency response until first responders arrive; and assisting in the conduct of damage assessment, needs analysis and relief distribution. This group is able to be highly effective because of their knowledge of the community and relationships with community members,” he stated. (JH)