Training Concludes for Interdepartmental Disaster Response  

An interdepartmental response team training spearheaded by the Taiwanese government, concluded in Belmopan on Monday.  The workshop saw the participation of the National Meteorological Service, the Hydrology Unit, the National Emergency Management Organization, as well as the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Climate Change.  On hand for the closing ceremony was Minister Orlando Habet.

 

Orlando Habet, Minister of Sustainable Development

“It is imperative also imperative that we enhance and improve the existing systems and programs set in place for disaster risk reduction.  However, to ensure these services and operations, other key priority areas must be properly handled to ensure the effectiveness of such services, addressing disaster problems holistically and mainstreaming disaster risk management into development strategies and undertakings is vital in the effectiveness of disaster risk reduction.  In addition, the necessity of hazard mapping and vulnerability assessment and the adoption of disaster risk management processes at all levels as a critical undertaking to reduce risks and vulnerabilities should be emphasized.”

 

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist

“One of the things that we are implementing this hurricane season is to do a daily briefing, virtual of course, but between these three agencies.  We do a briefing once per day within our department itself, the forecasters will be briefing other forecasters on the weather conditions, but what we are going to do this season is to have that briefing extended to NEMO and to [the] Hydrology Unit so that we can get their input and we provide the weather forecast and the hydrology tells us how this will be and what are the implications of this forecast for flooding and, of course, NEMO will be dealing with the response part and the preparations.  So certainly that’s one way that we’re going to be enhancing that collaboration.”