TT STILL UNPREPARED FOR A DISASTER

Despite the best efforts of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), this country remains ill-prepared to deal with any form of disaster, according to advocate for the elderly and disabled Anton La Fond. Two months ago, La Fond released a booklet entitled Disaster Preparedness — A Guide for Persons with Disabilities. “The experience of preparing for Hurricane Ivan only served to highlight how really unprepared we are for such an eventuality,” he said. La Fond made reference to a paragraph in the booklet that states, “In the midst of mass confusion following a natural or other form of disaster, there must be a clear and organised method of ensuring that all persons, able-bodied and those physically challenged, are removed to places of safety.”

He argued the country fails to have “a clear and organised method” to deal with emergencies and disasters. If we had been severely hit, he contended, it would have been impossible to mobilise, since there were no clear, defined methods advertised for citizens to follow. “Nobody would have known what to do and where to go for assistance, since no systems have been put in place, and citizens have not been informed of any structured method for dealing with these things,” he said. La Fond pointed out that in the case of the disabled it would have been tragic, since transportation would have had to be made available and locations identified to meet their special needs.

Assistance for disabled persons requires special treatment and training to cater to specific needs in times of disaster, he added. La Fond noted that preparing for a hurricane was not difficult since there were advance warnings, but wondered what would have happened had the country been struck by an earthquake. “In that scenario, there is no advance warning,” he stated. “Therefore, people would need to know from information and training what steps needed to be taken. We need to begin training personnel in all categories of disaster management particularly with respect to disabled persons.”