Young worries about natural disasters

NATIONAL Security Minister Stuart Young says among the issues that keep him awake at night are natural disasters and TT’s ability to mitigate risk and help in times of crisis.

At the closing ceremony of the Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Relief Training workshop at the Trinidad Hilton last week, Young recalled challenges of coordinating the efforts of different agencies and maintaining communication with areas affected by flooding in Oropune last year.

He said workshops like these were necessary for building regional partnerships and enhancing preparedness. “I want to take this opportunity to thank fellow countries for taking time to participate in this course. We need to be prepared, you all are obviously the leaders in these areas and you will be unfortunately called to task I am sure.” He also said global warming was real and dramatic changes in weather patterns including more powerful hurricanes were to be expected as a result.

Despite these concerns, Young said he was confident in the ability of emergency services to mitigate the threat of natural disasters.

British High Commissioner Tim Stew also commended those who participated in the two-week-long course and said he believed the region was in a better position to assist each other after the training offered.

Various members of different local and regional protective services attended the workshop at the Hilton, where they were trained in disaster management, communication at different organisational levels and understanding the concept of rescue operations.