Disaster risk training for C'bean youth

THE Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) is supporting the efforts of 19 young professionals to gain work experience in disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.

In a release, the CCRIF said these interns are university graduates from seven Caribbean countries who have been placed in 14 national or regional organisations. They will undertake key assignments or research during their internship.

The former includes examining the costs of last October's flood in TT at the TT Meteorological Service and implementation of a national hazardous materials plan and earthquake plan at Hazard Management in the Cayman Islands.

Among the participating national and regional organisations are the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and the Caribbean Regional Fisheries Mechanism.

Annually, CCRIF allocates US$75,000 to its internship programme. Under the programme, each intern is provided a stipend for a two-month internship, airfare and accommodation for those interns placed in organisations outside their home country.

This year's cohort brings to 104 the total number of internships implemented since the programme was launched in 2015.

The CCRIF invested approximately US$335,000 from 2015 to now. Since its inception in 2007, the CCRIF has made 38 payouts to 13 member governments on their tropical cyclone, earthquake and/or excess rainfall policies totalling US$139 million.