Agencies must be better prepared for disasters

THE EDITOR: The Asian Development Bank defines institutional development as “the creation or reinforcement of a network of organisations to generate, allocate and use human, material and financial resources effectively to attain specific objectives on a consistent basis.”

It is therefore fair to say that TT has created enough institutions to prepare us for disasters and therefore the critical element is now a matter of reinforcement and strengthening.

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (ODPM), the Meteorological Service, the regional corporations and other lines of national defence are established institutions. The proper coordination of these agencies will determine how well we are able to respond to the needs of citizens in situations caused by nature.

We have been fortunate by an act of God to have a geo-positioning of 11 00 N, 61 00 W, which allows us to be relatively safe from the full impact of major hurricanes.

However, we have been the victim of inescapable periods of heavy rainfall which regrettably put us in a vulnerable position when flooding occurs, mainly due to poor infrastructural planning.

Employing a holistic approach to organisational change and institutional strengthening, based on a strong combination of diverse expertise and extensive hands-on experiences, must therefore put us in a safer position when the need arises.

The flooding in central Trinidad over the past couple of days signals a desperate need for us to do things differently.

There was no complain of resourcing for these agencies to manage the disastrous flooding that left many people unable to access proper food, shelter and clothing.

Therefore, we need to look much closer at how prepared we are to manage disasters of this nature, which are by no means equivalent to what our Caribbean neighbours are currently experiencing.

The call for a review and restructuring of the ODPM by the Prime Minister is timely but the other agencies operating in circumstances deemed disasters must also come into the review process.

The holistic approach is the best approach and we look forward to seeing the Prime Minister lead the charge to ensure these institutions are fully prepared and functional for the safety and security of our citizens.

RONALD HUGGINS, St Joseph

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"Agencies must be better prepared for disasters"

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