CDEMA ready for hurricane season

By Halshane Burke 

   

The Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) is touting its readiness for this year's Atlantic hurricane season.

 

Forecasters have long sounded the alarm about this potentially turning out to be a hyperactive season due to a combination of record-warm temperatures in the North Atlantic and the transition from El Niño to La Niña conditions.

 

CDEMA's Executive Director Elizabeth Riley says, given the forecast, it is crucial that the 19 participating states, the CDEMA coordinating unit, as well as the other partners within the regional response mechanism, are well prepared for severe weather.

 

She says the body has undertaken several initiatives to bolster preparedness across the region, including having 31 people trained to support humanitarian relief operations. 

 

"With respect to search and rescue, we have 36 persons who were trained across the CDEMA states last year, bringing the number of trained persons to 60. We also upgraded the deployment kits, and we're in the process of procuring additional search and rescue equipment for these regional teams. We also have the CARICOM Emergency Telecommunication Team, and 14 operators have been trained across the region in the use of the specialised communication deployment kits, which we've prepared for them, and they stand ready to support you as required," she announced.   

 

The executive director was speaking at a press conference in Antigua & Barbuda on the region's preparedness for the present hurricane season.