Quake, hurricane can hit TT

The deadly destruction caused by a cyclone in Myanmar and an earthquake in China last month showed that island states, like Trinidad and Tobago, were vulnerable to natural disasters, said Cox during her address at the launch of a public awareness campaign for Disaster Preparedness Month, at Hilton Trinidad, St Ann’s. Cox spoke of the earthquake which destroyed this country’s first capital in 1766 and the tremors which were felt when a 7.8 earthquake struck the Caribbean on November 29, 2007. The devastation which Hurricane Ivan caused in Grenada in 2004 was another example of the region’s vulnerability which demonstrated why a policy on how to reduce the risk of natural disasters to the people and infrastructure was needed, said Cox.

“Disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and response are therefore a major focus for this Government,” she said, adding that this shift in focus from disaster management to risk reduction is in keeping with the Government’s development thrust. Government, through the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), has been reviewing the legal framework for the reduction of the risks associated with disasters, she said.

“The ODPM has been reviewing, updating and improving the legal and policy frameworks, the human resource development, capacity building and other spheres of its operations to ensure that it can be effectively manage and reduce the risk associated with disasters,” she said.

The ODPM will also revise the National Disaster Management Plan and adopt measures on how to managed the response to mass casualties and disaster relief efforts, said Cox.

An inter-ministerial team is to be set up to make sure the ODPM delivers its mandate and to ensure cooperation among ministries.

ODPM chief executive officer Paul Saunders, in his address, disclosed that the impact of disease and environmental disasters is also to be considered in the risk reduction policy. He said the ODPM is a member of the National Avian Management Committee which addresses how to restrict the spread of Avian Influenza or “bird flu” to the country. Saunders said the public is also responsible for emergency management.