Act quickly on ODPM

“Appropriate legislation was proposed and held back for years.... but we must now review this proposal and new legislation must be introduced immediately.

We are late as it is already,” he said yesterday in an e-mail to media houses, one week after Tropical Storm Bret ravaged parts of the country.

Reflecting on his five-year stint as head of the ODPM, Ramroop said the organisation was largely misunderstood.

“What happened at the ODPM when I was there was a continuous misunderstanding of our roles and responsibilities by Ministry of National Security technocrats and politicians and other key ministries and the fact is that the ODPM as an agency is the subject matter expert for disasters in this country,” he said.

With the severe downturn in the economy, Ramroop said Government must spend wisely, adding there were lessons that must be learnt from countries that have been impacted by severe storms and disasters such as earthquakes.

“Standard operating procedures have been written and should be executed and tested.” Ramroop held the position of CEO for five years, beginning in 2011. However, his contract, which expired on April 1, was not renewed by Government.

Ramroop, who claimed that he left behind some 46 programmes, offered some suggestions during the rehabilitation efforts. He said people said properties must not be cleaned while there was still inclement weather in the wake of Bret’s passage.

“The storm just does not pass in one day or night,” he said.

“There will be associated bands of bad weather around the storm that will bring more rain.

It is better to await the run off of all water in the area and cleaning all river and watercourses, bridges.

“Once the affected homes have been deemed clear, and safe, then water hoses, trucks and shovels, barrows and sand is needed to dry up and clean the environment and homes. this time, affected residents will be in shelters.” He said once the area is clean and clear, people could be returned to their homes with their belongings, pets and recovery kits, and supported throughout the recovery, and rehabilitation period in a systematic and caring manner.

“The fact that persons return with their own belongings and appliances. is a very cost effective methodology that saves millions of dollars of hard earned money especially in these crunch times.” Ramroop, in the e-mail, said he has begun a lecture series at UWI’s Arthur Lok Jack and the University of Trinidad and Tobago and urged interested people to attend.

“ I hope that all interested persons can attend these courses and maybe, just maybe we can add our piece in changing the culture of how our people see ourselves in the new age we live in as it relates to disasters. God may be a Trini, but Trinis are not gods,” he said.

Ramroop extended kudos to all agencies working to get people back on their feet.

“Service above self is indeed a worthy ideal for all of us,” he said.

“We have a smart country. Let us rally now and take th is opportunity to support the ODPM in their push for Government to draft and enact appropriate legislation that will make it easier for such important decisions as “evacuations” before the storm, rather than sheltering during and after the event. “