Early-warning Systems are currently being looked at on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) by the Association of Caribbean States (ACS). According to chairman of the ACS Special Committee for DRR, Therese Marianne-Pepin, about Euros$200m have been budgeted for the ACS, 25 per cent of which will be allocated to work on natural hazards and its consequences.
Minister of Planning and Sustainable Development Dr Bhoendradatt Tewarie, in his opening remarks at the 22nd meeting of the Special Committee for DRR on Friday, spoke of the first plan, which is the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA). “It’s goal is to substantially reduce disaster losses by 2015 by building resilience of nations and communities to disasters. This means reducing loss of lives and social, economic, and environmental assets when hazards strike.”
He noted that the biggest threat to risk management in the region is the rising sea levels. “There are manmade potential tragedies, I mentioned terrorism threat and no country is invulnerable to those threats so you always have the securities question and in some of our countries there are possibilities for disaster having to do with explosion in energy sites and that is why you need first of all to be alert in your own country, organised and prepared as you can be.”
Secretary general of the ACS Alfonso Munera Cavadia explained that while they are working on early-warning systems, they needed to know more about the Territorial System. “In terms of, what are the real problem that are faced in the whole Caribbean, in terms of sea and territory.
Tewarie said in July Cabinet agreed to the creation of a National Spartial Data Infrastructure Council (NSDI). “Draft legislation has already been prepared, in addition to the required policies and guidelines. A NSDI would enhance work already being done in the area of disaster risk reduction by ensuring that decision makers have access to critical data in a timely manner.”
He said that Small Island Development States (SIDS) are located among the most vulnerable regions in the world in relation to the intensity and frequency of natural hazards.
